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He Won't Do That: Farewell Michael Lee Aday aka Meatloaf.
- Thread starter Issun
- Start date
This is not the news I wanted to wake up to
ArugulaZ
Fearful asymmetry
Thought about starting this topic but couldn't find the right words. Thanks, Issun.
Meat Loaf is interesting to me because as a young adult, I was more familiar with him than a lot of progressive rock bands. However, he seemed to offer that same bombast, high drama, and creativity in his music. He didn't make songs in the traditional sense; they were more like experiences.
Meat Loaf is interesting to me because as a young adult, I was more familiar with him than a lot of progressive rock bands. However, he seemed to offer that same bombast, high drama, and creativity in his music. He didn't make songs in the traditional sense; they were more like experiences.
Becksworth
Aging Hipster Dragon Dad
For me he was the Facebook grandpa of rock music. Some of his late life political views were... questionable, but it was hard to hate him over it.
jpfriction
(He, Him)
Everyone always asked him what it was that he wouldn't do for love but the song is very clear about it. Learn to listen people.
I’m not sure anyone else influenced my taste in music more than he did
He was a vocal anti-vaxxer/anti-masker/etc. Then he died of COVID.
The thing is, while Meat was a great performer, he was apparently kind of a jerk for most of his life. (And, I mean, abusive childhood home, hard upbringing, etc etc; but nonetheless.) I was much more broken up about Jim Steinman's passing last year, because Steinman actually wrote all of Meat's best songs. The two of them together did some amazing things and made a lasting mark on rock and roll as a genre, but because Meat was the face, Steinman never got the credit he deserved. I was honestly kind of terrified because Meat claimed he was working on a new album without Steinman, and there was never really a chance of it being good. Better to go out on Braver Than We Are.
Still and all, I wish I'd had the chance to see him live.
Still and all, I wish I'd had the chance to see him live.
ArugulaZ
Fearful asymmetry
Being a jerk seems to be a co-morbidity for COVID. That and wraparound sunglasses. And a goatee. Fortunately, I don't have wraparound sunglasses, so I should be okay!
Apparently Meat Loaf was tight with Kevin Sorbo, which likely was another co-morbidity for the disease. Friends don't let friends become friends with Kevin Sorbo.
Apparently Meat Loaf was tight with Kevin Sorbo, which likely was another co-morbidity for the disease. Friends don't let friends become friends with Kevin Sorbo.
So, in honor of Meat Loaf’s passing (and with Jim Steinman gone as well), I thought it appropriate to make sure everyone knew the truth of what Meat Loaf would not do, despite his willingness to do anything for love. I’ve actually known the truth since 1999, when Meat revealed it on VH1: Storytellers, which was also where I learned about Steinman’s musical “Neverland,” which finally made to Broadway a few years ago as “Bat Out of Hell.”
Anyway, at the end of each verse in “Anything For Love,” there’s a line that starts with “but.” The first is, “But I'll never forget the way you feel right now,” the second is, “But I'll never forgive myself if we don't go all the way tonight,” the third is “But I'll never do it better than I do it with you”, and the last one is, “But I'll never stop dreaming of you every night of my life.” In every case, this is followed by, “I would do anything for love, but I won’t do that.” He won’t forget the way you feel right now, he won’t forgive himself if you don’t go all the way, etc. It’s all a trick of the lyrics, because Steinman was brilliant.
And now you know!
Anyway, at the end of each verse in “Anything For Love,” there’s a line that starts with “but.” The first is, “But I'll never forget the way you feel right now,” the second is, “But I'll never forgive myself if we don't go all the way tonight,” the third is “But I'll never do it better than I do it with you”, and the last one is, “But I'll never stop dreaming of you every night of my life.” In every case, this is followed by, “I would do anything for love, but I won’t do that.” He won’t forget the way you feel right now, he won’t forgive himself if you don’t go all the way, etc. It’s all a trick of the lyrics, because Steinman was brilliant.
And now you know!
jpfriction
(He, Him)
Meatloaf lost $100, apparently, because Steinmann thought it was too ambiguous and Meatloaf thought it was obvious.
I've known it since I read the lyrics when I bought the album when it was almost new. Steinman was the first lyricist I really paid closely attention to and made an effort to understand the lyrics to. Other composers would make up almost non sense phrases to get metric or rhymes, but with Steinman every word seemed intentional (and when he succumbed to tentation at least looks like he felt ashamed of it - there's an entire awkward verse of Making Love Out Of Nothing At All that is missing from all versions after the original which is a shame because it climaxed with "I can make all stadiums rock" which is such a Steinman line)
And now that I think about it, you can draw a direct line between the lyric structure of Making Love and I'd Do Anything...
Why, yes, I think too much about this stuff because this music has always meant so much to me. Meat Loaf was a great singer, Steinman was a master composer and together they made some beautiful rock and roll. Shitty political views aside, the artist will be missed.
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"I would do anything for love, but I'll never forget the way you feel right now."
"I would do anything for love, but I'll never forgive myself if we don't go all the way tonight."
"I would do anything for love, but I'll never do it better than I do it with you.”
"I would do anything for love, but I'll never stop dreaming of you every night of my life."
I think the problem is that none of those sentences actually make any sense. The word "but" doesn't actually seem to fit any of those sentences because the latter parts don't contrast with the former; none of those are mutually exclusive with a profession of doing anything for love. They're not even a thing one does for love at all, arguably. They're complete non-sequiturs!
"I would do anything for love, but I'll never forgive myself if we don't go all the way tonight."
"I would do anything for love, but I'll never do it better than I do it with you.”
"I would do anything for love, but I'll never stop dreaming of you every night of my life."
I think the problem is that none of those sentences actually make any sense. The word "but" doesn't actually seem to fit any of those sentences because the latter parts don't contrast with the former; none of those are mutually exclusive with a profession of doing anything for love. They're not even a thing one does for love at all, arguably. They're complete non-sequiturs!
...because that's not the order of the song? The verse goes:
I would do anything for love,
I'd run right into hell and back
I would do anything for love,
I'll never lie to you and that's a fact
But I'll never forget the way you feel right now,
Oh no, no way.
And I would do anything for love,
But I won't do that
"I would do anything for love. Here is an example of a thing I'd do. Here's another example of a thing I would do. But I will not do this other thing (conceivably part of "anything"), because it would impede my overall goals as I otherwise do anything for love."
All of that said: This song, like 90% of Steinman's oeuvre, takes place in the back seat of a parked car and is sung by a horny 17-year-old boy. He is saying things he believes will get him laid. And the farther I get from being 17, the more painful that becomes.
Also, if it hasn't been said better, I think the implication is that the singer may be talking about this in reference to a potential future relationship with someone separate from the initial listener. Like, the statement is more like "I would do anything to get laid with anybody, except forsake our love, baby, because I'm never going to forget you." Dude is just pulling the typical, "Oh, we might break up, but you're always going to be the most important woman in my life. Now take off your pants."
Just always been my thinking on that one.
(OKAY FUN FACT: When I was in third grade [so, what, like 11?), my best friend at the time started "dating" a girl in the only way a preteen can date: They hung out in his room listening to his older brother's Meatloaf tapes. I was often a third wheel on whatever was happening there, so I grew to HATE Meatloaf over the course of what was probably like two weeks. I got over it, and I kind of love Meatloaf music in general, but I still have a psychosomatic distaste for the abstract "protagonist" in most Meatloaf songs. I hate that [imaginary] guy!)
Just always been my thinking on that one.
(OKAY FUN FACT: When I was in third grade [so, what, like 11?), my best friend at the time started "dating" a girl in the only way a preteen can date: They hung out in his room listening to his older brother's Meatloaf tapes. I was often a third wheel on whatever was happening there, so I grew to HATE Meatloaf over the course of what was probably like two weeks. I got over it, and I kind of love Meatloaf music in general, but I still have a psychosomatic distaste for the abstract "protagonist" in most Meatloaf songs. I hate that [imaginary] guy!)
Phantoon
I cuss you bad
Fixed