THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

90-Meat Loaf-Paradise by the Dashboard Light.

1976-It has never charted in the UK.

Best Bit-At 4.27. 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, although the Album wasn’t released until October 1977. The Album is currently the 12th best selling of all time with sales in excess of 34 million copies, with an estimated 200,000 copies being sold worldwide every year. All seven tracks were written by Jim Steinman, and the Album was produced by Todd Rundgren.

James Richard Steinman was born on November 1st, 1947, in Hewlett, New York, United States, he had a stroke in 2004, and then another one in 2017, he died from kidney failure on April 19th, 2021, at the age of 73. On reacting to his death, Meatloaf (1947-2022) said,’We didn’t know each other, we were each other..’ Steinman and Meatloaf worked together on a total of six Albums, Steinman also released one solo studio Album ‘Bad for Good’ in 1981. Other notable songs written by Steinman include ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart,’ which was a UK and U.S Number 1 for Bonnie Tyler in 1983, and ‘Making Love Out of Nothing at All,’ which made Number 2 in America for Air Supply,’ also in 1983.

‘Paradise by the Dashboard Light’ was the third of five singles released from the Album ‘Bat out of Hell,’ (see also best songs 22) and is a duet between Meat Loaf and Ellen Foley, which some music critics have called the greatest duet of all time. Ellen Foley was born in 1951, in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, and recorded her vocal for the song individually in one take, with Meat Loaf in the room to help her sing in character. Foley would go on to issue five solo Albums between 1979-2021, and also provide vocals for bands such as Pandora’s Box, The Clash. and Blue Oyster Cult.’ It is said that Foley is the subject of ‘Should I Stay, or Should I Go,’ the 1991 UK Number 1 single from The Clash. When Meatloaf toured the ‘Bat out of Hell’ Album Foley had prior commitments, and was replaced by the singer Karla DeVito, who also appears in the songs official video lip syncing.

At 3.35, seconds in to the track the American Baseball commentator Phil Rizzuto (1917-2007) broadcasts a portion of an imaginary 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 record saying he had no idea his commentary was linked with sex, Meat Loaf refuted that ,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 their 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’ is ‘Let Me Sleep on It’ and 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.

‘So now I’m praying for the end of time to hurry up and arrive,’cause if I gotta spend another minute with you I don’t think that I can really survive. I’ll never break my promise or forget my vow, but God only knows what I can do right now.’