THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.
90-Meat Loaf-Paradise by the Dashboard Light.
1976-Has never charted in the UK.
Best Bit-At 4.28.Is that the gear stick,or are you just pleased to see me.
‘Paradise by the Dashboard Light’ is track 2 from side 2 of Meat Loaf’s solo debut Album ‘Bat Out of Hell’ from 1976,it has currently sold in excess of 43 million copies with an estimated further 200,000 being sold worldwide every year.All seven tracks were written by Jim Steinman,the Album was produced by Todd Rundgren.
The female vocals on ‘Paradise’ are provided by Ellen Foley,but when Meat Loaf toured the Album the singer was Karla DeVito who also appears in the songs video lip syncing. It is rumoured that Foley was the subject of ‘Should I Stay or Should I Go’ the 1991 UK Number 1 single from The Clash.
At 3.35 American Baseball commentator Phil Rizzuto(1917-2007) broadcasts a portion of a baseball game that serves as a metaphor for the male character in the song trying to get sex. Rizzuto tried to distance himself from the song saying he had no idea his commentary was linked with sex,Meat Loaf refutes this,saying that he knew exactly what he was doing.
The song is divided in to three parts.Part 1 is ‘Paradise,’The song opens with the characters reminiscing about days as a young high school couple on a date.They are parked in a car in a secluded area when the male character suggests they go all the way.Part 2 ‘Let Me Sleep on It’ tells of the female character refusing to have sex unless he promises to love her forever and marry her.Reluctant to make a long term commitment,the boy asks if he can sleep on it,however that is not enough for her.He finally cracks and gives his promise,’I started swearing to my God and on my mothers grave that I would love you to the end of time.’;
Part 3 is ‘Praying for the end of Time,’Back in the present the male character can no longer stand the woman,but he cannot break his vow,he is now ‘Praying for the end of Time.’Perhaps if this song was used in schools as part of ‘Sex Education’ there might be less teenage pregnancies.
‘Ain’t no doubt about it we were doubly blessed,’cause we were barely seventeen and we were barley dressed.’
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The countdown continues tomorrow at 1.0.pm.
This is Meatloaf’s 2nd highest placed song on this countdown.