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Often hailed as one of the greatest rock concept albums ever, Bat Out of Hell’s impact on the music world likely caught Meat Loaf by surprise when it was released 47 years ago today. The LP would remain on the U.K. charts for an astounding 416 weeks, a record-breaking eight years. During that time, Bat Out of Hell became a cultural phenomenon, cementing Meat Loaf’s place in rock history. According to Billboard, the album also spent 82 weeks on the U.S. Billboard 200 and hit number 14. Bat Out of Hell had a trio of top 40 hits, including “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad,” “Paradise by the Dashboard Light,” and “You Took The Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night).” The LP was in a unique category of rock concept albums. It combined theatrical storytelling with powerful, operatic music, setting it apart from anything else on the charts at the time. Parade Daily🎬 SIGN UP for Parade’s Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬 Bat Out of Hell tells the story of struggling young lovers. It’s filled with themes of passion, heartbreak, and youthful defiance, and its songs sound like individual rock operas, blending the thrill of romance and danger. Jim Steinman wrote the music and lyrics for Bat Out of Hell. Legendary rocker Todd Rundgren produced the album. The women behind ‘Paradise By the Dashboard Light’ One of the greatest duets of the late 1970s was undoubtedly between Meat Loaf and Ellen Foley. However, the iconic music video didn’t feature Foley, but her voice was heard in the song’s final cut. According to Medium, Foley was the singer credited on the single. She also appeared as a background performer on “Bat Out of Hell,” “You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth,” and “All Revved Up with No Place to Go.” However, she wasn’t cast in the video because couldn’t tour with the rocker to promote the material. She was replaced by Karla DeVito on tour and in the video clip, where DeVito lip-synched to her vocals. In an interview with Noise 11, Foley revealed DeVito “Was the face of the tour, the face of the female element of Meat Loaf. I just went with it.” She added, “40 million records later, it bothered me for a while, but it certainly doesn’t anymore. Anybody who knows anything about the record, or me or Karla knows I sang the vocal on the record.” Meat Loaf released Bat Out of Hell: Back Into Hell 16 years after the original LP, in 1993. It featured the hit single “I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That).” Three years later, the final album in the trilogy, Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose, was released.
