Sometime in the last few days I went over 500 followers. I know many of these are not followers at all, so I do not put much stock in the number. However, I do so appreciate all of you who actually follow my blog and comment from time to time.
I still take time every couple of weeks to go out and check out some of my followers. Some have no Gravatar at all. Some have a Gravatar but have no bio. Some have a Gravatar and a bio but no links to their blog. If you are a blogger, I urge you to complete this profile. It is the easiest way to confirm your legitimacy as a blogger and give a first glimpse into who you are. It also serves as an indicator to other bloggers whether or not they should follow you.
If you moved your blog or changed your profile photo or renamed your blog, it may mean your Gravatar should be updated. I am seeing quite a few 404 message (page not found) where active links should be.
I have noticed a few people whose blogs I follow and enjoy have not been writing as frequently. A few have been sick or facing other challenges. It does not hurt to check up on our fellow bloggers from time to time and let them know they are missed.
That being said, I would be interested in your recommendations of bloggers I may not have yet discovered on my own. I am always interested in people who write from the heart or write about the things in life they feel passionately about. Feel free to leave me a link in my comments if you have someone you think I might be interested in following. If you are an approved commenter, you can leave me a link. Others will require my approval before they are posted, but I do read all comments.
And speaking of comments, I am getting very few spam comments of late. I did start blocking some of the worst offenders, so perhaps that has something to do with it. Or maybe I just got lucky.
If you are here and have just gone silent, pop in and say hello. Let me know what you have been up to.
I look forward to some blog suggestions. It is always nice to broaden my horizons.
This week, Jim Adams gives us the following criteria for Song Lyric Sunday:
Find a song that references I/Me/Them/Us/You/We
This one should be fairly straightforward for everyone because there are literally thousands of songs to choose from. I knew immediately what song I wanted to feature. Are you ready to talk about sex?
“Paradise by the Dashboard Light” was about a presumably young man trying to convince his girlfriend to have sex with him. There were several versions and lengths of the song released ranging from 5:32 (radio edited) to 6:58 (without play-by-play) to 8:28 (with play-by-play).
Lyrics
The lyrics (and the music) were written by Jim Steinman. According to Wikipedia, Jim Steinman said he wanted to write “the ultimate car/sex song in which everything goes horribly wrong in the end.” The song is broken into three parts which we will get into as we go along. Jim Steinman was a prolific songwriter and composer.
Writing all words & music by himself alone, two records of his, Bat Out Of Hell and Bat Out Of Hell 2 sold 44 million copies and 26 million copies, respectively, both sung by Meat Loaf. His #1 records include: “I’d Do Anthing For Love But I Wont Do That;” “Making Love Out Of Nothing At All;” “Total Eclipse Of The Heart;” “Paradise By The Dashboard Light;” “Bat Out Of Hell;” “Two Out Of Three Aint Bad” and “It’s All Coming Back To Me Now.” He received a BMI Award For Biggest Song Of Year for which he won a Grammy for producing Celine Dion’s “Falling Into You”, with others. Film work included Footloose, Streets Of Fire, and Shrek 2.
The song was released in 1977 by Meat Loaf on the album “Bat Out of Hell” with Jim Steinman as the writer/composer and Todd Rundgren as producer. Wow does this album have a lot of history! I read several articles, many with conflicting facts, so let’s just say it was not produced without a lot of ensuing drama. This would be the first of many collaborations between Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf.
Female vocals were by Ellen Foley. On tour, these vocals were performed by Karla DeVito who has said she had to put up with a lot that was outside the job description while on tour. According to Wikipedia, the video features Karla DeVito but she is lip syncing the words to the vocals of Ellen Foley. Later on, Patti Russo toured with Meat Loaf and performed the female vocals.
The Lyrics Breakdown
Part I
The structure of the song consists of a couple reminiscing about early years parked by the lake in which the boy (Meat Loaf) tries to coerce the girl (Ellen Foley) to “go all the way”.
After the male and female sequences, a play-by-play account is given is given by New York Yankees announcer Phil (The Scooter) Rizzuto. There is some disagreement about whether Rizzuto knew what he was recording and it’s relationship to sex. According to this article by Jim Pearlman, Meat Loaf said he knew but downplayed it publicly.
Part II
The “play” is interrupted by the girl who says “stop right there” and asks if the boy will marry her and love her for the rest of her life. It is then the boy who stops and says “let me sleep on it”.
Part III
In the third part, the boy gives in, promises to love her until the end of time to get what he wants. Later, he recalls the event so long ago and now prays for the end of time.
My daughter, who has a beautiful voice, used to sing the female part of this song when she was performing at local venues in college. It was always a big hit with the audience and one of the reasons I have fond memories of this song.
Paradise by the Dashboard Light
Lyrics courtesy of azlyrics.com
[Boy:]
Well I remember every little thing
As if it happened only yesterday
Parking by the lake
And there was not another car in sight
And I never had a girl
Looking any better than you did
And all the kids at school
They were wishing they were me that night
And now our bodies are, oh, so close and tight
It never felt so good, it never felt so right
And we’re glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife
Glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife
C’mon, hold on tight
Well, c’mon, hold on tight
Though it’s cold and lonely in the deep dark night
I can see paradise by the dashboard light
[Girl:]
Ain’t no doubt about it we were doubly blessed
‘Cause we were barely seventeen and we were barely dressed
[Both:]
Ain’t no doubt about it
Baby, got to go out and shout it
Ain’t no doubt about it
We were doubly blessed
[Boy:]
‘Cause we were barely seventeen
And we were barely dressed
Baby, don’t you hear my heart
You got it drowning out the radio
I’ve been waiting so long
For you to come along and have some fun
Well, I gotta let you know
No, you’re never gonna regret it
So open up your eyes
I got a big surprise
It’ll feel all right
Well, I wanna make your motor run
And now our bodies are, oh, so close and tight
It never felt so good, it never felt so right
And we’re glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife
Glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife
C’mon, hold on tight
Well, c’mon, hold on tight
[Both:]
Though it’s cold and lonely in the deep dark night
I can see paradise by the dashboard light
Though it’s cold and lonely in the deep dark night
Paradise by the dashboard light
You got to do what you can
And let Mother Nature do the rest
Ain’t no doubt about it
We were doubly blessed
‘Cause we were barely seventeen
And we were barely
[4x]
We’re gonna go all the way tonight
We’re gonna go all the way
And tonight’s the night
[Radio Broadcast:] OK, here we go, we got a real pressure cooker going here
Two down, nobody on, no score, bottom of the ninth
There’s the wind-up, and there it is
A line shot up the middle, look at him go
This boy can really fly
He’s rounding first and really turning it on now
He’s not letting up at all, he’s gonna try for second
The ball is bobbled out in the center
And here comes the throw and what a throw
He’s gonna slide in head first
Here he comes, he’s out
No, wait, safe, safe at second base
This kid really makes things happen out there
Batter steps up to the plate
Here’s the pitch, he’s going
And what a jump he’s got
He’s trying for third
Here’s the throw
It’s in the dirt, safe at third
Holy cow, stolen base
He’s taking a pretty big lead out there
Almost daring them to pick him off
The pitcher glances over, winds-up and it’s bunted
Bunted down the third base line
The suicide squeeze is on
Here he comes, squeeze play, it’s gonna be close
Here’s the throw, here’s the play at the plate
Holy cow, I think he’s gonna make it
[Girl:]
Stop right there
I gotta know right now
Before we go any further
Do you love me?
Will you love me forever?
Do you need me?
Will you never leave me?
Will you make me so happy
For the rest of my life?
Will you take me away
Will you make me your wife?
Do you love me?
Will you love me forever?
Do you need me?
Will you never leave me?
Will you make me so happy
For the rest of my life?
Will you take me away
And will you make me your wife?
I gotta know right now
Before we go any further
Do you love me?
Will you love me forever?
[Boy:]
Let me sleep on it
Baby, baby, let me sleep on it
Let me sleep on it
I’ll give you an answer in the morning
[Both:]
Let me sleep on it
Baby, baby, let me sleep on it
Let me sleep on it
I’ll give you an answer in the morning
Let me sleep on it
Baby, baby, let me sleep on it
Let me sleep on it
I’ll give you an answer in the morning
[Girl:]
I gotta know right now
Do you love me?
Will you love me forever?
Do you need me?
Will you never leave me?
Will you make me so happy
For the rest of my life?
Will you take me away
Will you make me your wife?
I gotta know right now
Before we go any further
Do you love me?
Will you love me forever?
What’s it gonna be, boy?
Come on. I can wait all night
What’s it gonna be, boy?
Yes or no?
What’s it gonna be, boy?
Yes or no?
[Boy:]
Let me sleep on it
Baby, baby, let me sleep on it
Well, let me sleep on it
I’ll give you an answer in the morning
[Girl:]
I gotta know right now
Do you love me
Will you love me forever
Do you need me
Will you never leave me
Will you make me so happy
For the rest of my life
Will you take me away
Will you make me your wife
I gotta know right now
Before we go any further
Do you love me
Will you love me forever
[Both:]
Let me sleep on it
Will you love me forever
Let me sleep on it
Will you love me forever
[Boy:]
I couldn’t take it any longer
Lord, I was crazed
And when the feeling came upon me
Like a tidal wave
I started swearing to my god
And on my mother’s grave
That I would love you to the end of time
I swore I’d love you to the end of time
[Both:]
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
I’m praying for the end of time
It’s all that I can do (ooh, ooh)
Praying for the end of time
So I can end my time with you
[Boy repeat until the end:]
It was long ago and it was far away
And it was so much better than it is today
[Girl repeat until the end:]
It never felt so good, it never felt so right
And we were glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife
I prefer the vocals by Ellen Foley, so this is the version of video I chose to feature. It is interesting to note that in live performances, the singers duel it out as their relationship crumbles into loathing. Watch until the end, but grab something to drink before you do. It’s a long one!
Many thanks to Jim Adams who provides this great platform every week. Be sure to head over to his blog and read some of the other great entries. You may be intrigued enough to play along.
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