Meat Loaf captured life in a wholly unique way. His narrator wants it and his babe wants to give it, but only if he promises to love her forever. He promises but, years later, he doesn't love her anymore...but he can't break his promise and leave her. It's an all-too-realistic situation in which a person compromises his/her values in exchange for something that seems pleasing in the present, at the expense of a completely transformed future. The thing with this song is that it could happen. I'm sure there are plenty of married couples out there that once loved each other for a specific reason or reason but, by some transformation or maturation or simple wisening, no longer love. The song is sad and raw and doesn't pull any punches. It's a warning masquerading as a rock n' roll fist-pumper. And the baseball commentary/metaphor is extremely well done. I've heard this song plenty of times, and yet everytime causes me to stop and sing. Awesome.
Monday, April 22, 2013
Essential Music #4
"Paradise By The Dashboard Light," Meat Loaf (1977)
Meat Loaf captured life in a wholly unique way. His narrator wants it and his babe wants to give it, but only if he promises to love her forever. He promises but, years later, he doesn't love her anymore...but he can't break his promise and leave her. It's an all-too-realistic situation in which a person compromises his/her values in exchange for something that seems pleasing in the present, at the expense of a completely transformed future. The thing with this song is that it could happen. I'm sure there are plenty of married couples out there that once loved each other for a specific reason or reason but, by some transformation or maturation or simple wisening, no longer love. The song is sad and raw and doesn't pull any punches. It's a warning masquerading as a rock n' roll fist-pumper. And the baseball commentary/metaphor is extremely well done. I've heard this song plenty of times, and yet everytime causes me to stop and sing. Awesome.
Meat Loaf captured life in a wholly unique way. His narrator wants it and his babe wants to give it, but only if he promises to love her forever. He promises but, years later, he doesn't love her anymore...but he can't break his promise and leave her. It's an all-too-realistic situation in which a person compromises his/her values in exchange for something that seems pleasing in the present, at the expense of a completely transformed future. The thing with this song is that it could happen. I'm sure there are plenty of married couples out there that once loved each other for a specific reason or reason but, by some transformation or maturation or simple wisening, no longer love. The song is sad and raw and doesn't pull any punches. It's a warning masquerading as a rock n' roll fist-pumper. And the baseball commentary/metaphor is extremely well done. I've heard this song plenty of times, and yet everytime causes me to stop and sing. Awesome.
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