Paradise by the Dashboard Light
Encyclopedia
"Paradise by the Dashboard Light" is a song written by Jim Steinman
. It was first released in 1977 on the album Bat Out of Hell
, with vocals by the American
musician
Meat Loaf
alongside Ellen Foley
. It is most notable for its unique structure and length, and has become a classic rock radio staple.
record. The only difference is the song fades out almost immediately after the final line is sung.
According to Meat Loaf on VH1 Storytellers, the original length of the track was to be 27 minutes.
Part I. Paradise
The song opens with the characters reminiscing about days as a young high school couple on a date. They are parking by a lake and having fun, experiencing "paradise by the dashboard light", and the boy insists they're "gonna go all the way
tonight".
Baseball broadcast
His pushing the matter is mirrored by New York Yankees
announcer Phil Rizzuto
broadcasting a portion of a baseball
game that serves as a metaphor
for his attempts to achieve his goal.
Rizzuto's baseball play-by-play call was recorded in 1976 at The Hit Factory
in NYC by producer
Todd Rundgren
, Meat Loaf and Steinman. Rizzuto publicly maintained he was unaware that his contribution would be equated with sex in the finished song, but Meat Loaf asserts that Rizzuto only feigned ignorance to stifle some criticism from a priest and was fully aware of the context of what he was recording.
In a nod to the Yankees – Red Sox rivalry, some radio stations in Boston
created a version where Rizzuto's part was substituted with Red Sox announcer Dick Stockton
describing the baseball play.
Part II. Let Me Sleep on It
Just as the boy is about to "steal home base"
, the girl bursts out, telling him to "Stop right there!" She refuses to go any further unless the boy first promises to love her for ever and marry her. Reluctant to make such a long-term commitment, the boy repeatedly asks her to continue on for the time being and promises to give his answer in the morning. However, as she is not giving in that easily, so that he finally cracks and gives his promise: "I started swearing to my God and on my mother's grave/That I would love you to the end of time".
Part III. Praying for the End of Time
Back in the present, the characters can no longer stand each other's presence. However, the male character cannot possibly break his vow and hence is now praying for the end of time to relieve him from his obligation. The song fades out on the situation, juxtaposing his gloomy "It was long ago, it was far away, it was so much better than it is today!" with her joyous "It never felt so good, it never felt so right, we're glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife."
, was used for the music video
and for live performances. This would also happen for Meat Loaf's 1993 hit "I'd Do Anything for Love (but I Won't Do That)
", where Dana Patrick mimed to Lorraine Crosby
's vocals.
Additionally, an altered version of the song was used in a 2008 AT&T
commercial for the Go-Phone, in which a father and mother (Meat Loaf and singer Tiffany
) argue over buying their son a phone.
This song is featured as downloadable content for the Rock Band
series.
Underground
bands—Elastic No-No Band
, Huggabroomstik, Schwervon!
, and The Leader—collaborated on an Exquisite corpse
–style cover of the song, with each band covering a specific section of the song. The cover
was released as a 7-inch single on red or pink vinyl.
Jim Steinman
James Richard "Jim" Steinman is an American composer, lyricist, and Grammy Award-winning record producer responsible for several hit songs. He has also worked as an arranger, pianist, and singer...
. It was first released in 1977 on the album Bat Out of Hell
Bat out of Hell
Bat Out of Hell is the second album by American rock musician Meat Loaf, and his first collaboration with composer Jim Steinman, released in October 1977 on Cleveland International/Epic Records #PE-34974. Selling approximately 200,000 copies per year as of 2010, it is the fifth best-selling album...
, with vocals by the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
Meat Loaf
Meat Loaf
Michael Lee Aday , better known by his stage name, Meat Loaf, is an American hard rock musician and actor...
alongside Ellen Foley
Ellen Foley
Ellen Foley is an American singer and actress, who has appeared on Broadway and television, where she co-starred in the sitcom Night Court. In music, she has released three solo albums but is best known for her collaborations with the singer Meat Loaf.- Early life and career :Foley was born in St....
. It is most notable for its unique structure and length, and has become a classic rock radio staple.
Background and recording
Paradise by the Dashboard Light is one of the longest songs to be put uncut on one side of a 45 RPMGramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
record. The only difference is the song fades out almost immediately after the final line is sung.
According to Meat Loaf on VH1 Storytellers, the original length of the track was to be 27 minutes.
Song structure
The song is divided into three parts:Part I. Paradise
The song opens with the characters reminiscing about days as a young high school couple on a date. They are parking by a lake and having fun, experiencing "paradise by the dashboard light", and the boy insists they're "gonna go all the way
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
tonight".
Baseball broadcast
His pushing the matter is mirrored by New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
announcer Phil Rizzuto
Phil Rizzuto
Philip Francis Rizzuto , nicknamed "The Scooter", was an American Major League Baseball shortstop. He spent his entire 13-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...
broadcasting a portion of a baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
game that serves as a metaphor
Baseball metaphors for sex
In the culture of American adolescents, the game of baseball is often used as a euphemistic metaphor for the degree of sexual intimacy achieved in intimate encounters or relationships...
for his attempts to achieve his goal.
Rizzuto's baseball play-by-play call was recorded in 1976 at The Hit Factory
The Hit Factory
The Hit Factory was a recording studio in New York City famous for its clientele. It was officially closed for business April 1, 2005 whereas other Hit Factory studio locations remained open, such as in Miami, Florida.-History:...
in NYC by producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Todd Rundgren
Todd Rundgren
Todd Harry Rundgren is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and record producer. Hailed in the early stage of his career as a new pop-wunderkind, supported by the certified gold solo double LP Something/Anything? in 1972, Todd Rundgren's career has produced a diverse range of recordings...
, Meat Loaf and Steinman. Rizzuto publicly maintained he was unaware that his contribution would be equated with sex in the finished song, but Meat Loaf asserts that Rizzuto only feigned ignorance to stifle some criticism from a priest and was fully aware of the context of what he was recording.
In a nod to the Yankees – Red Sox rivalry, some radio stations in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
created a version where Rizzuto's part was substituted with Red Sox announcer Dick Stockton
Dick Stockton
Dick Stockton is an American sportscaster. He is currently employed by Fox Sports and Turner Sports as a football, baseball, and basketball play-by-play announcer.-Early life and career:...
describing the baseball play.
Part II. Let Me Sleep on It
Just as the boy is about to "steal home base"
Baseball metaphors for sex
In the culture of American adolescents, the game of baseball is often used as a euphemistic metaphor for the degree of sexual intimacy achieved in intimate encounters or relationships...
, the girl bursts out, telling him to "Stop right there!" She refuses to go any further unless the boy first promises to love her for ever and marry her. Reluctant to make such a long-term commitment, the boy repeatedly asks her to continue on for the time being and promises to give his answer in the morning. However, as she is not giving in that easily, so that he finally cracks and gives his promise: "I started swearing to my God and on my mother's grave/That I would love you to the end of time".
Part III. Praying for the End of Time
Back in the present, the characters can no longer stand each other's presence. However, the male character cannot possibly break his vow and hence is now praying for the end of time to relieve him from his obligation. The song fades out on the situation, juxtaposing his gloomy "It was long ago, it was far away, it was so much better than it is today!" with her joyous "It never felt so good, it never felt so right, we're glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife."
Music video
Although Ellen Foley is recorded on the album, another woman, Karla DeVitoKarla DeVito
Karla DeVito is an American singer, actress and voice artist.DeVito and her three brothers were raised by a very musical mother, Vivienne, who, when not working to support the family, was always singing at home...
, was used for the music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
and for live performances. This would also happen for Meat Loaf's 1993 hit "I'd Do Anything for Love (but I Won't Do That)
I'd Do Anything for Love (but I Won't Do That)
"I'd Do Anything for Love " is a song composed and written by Jim Steinman, and recorded by Meat Loaf. The song was released in 1993 as the first single from the album Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell. The title of the song confused some listeners, who were curious to know what "that" is...
", where Dana Patrick mimed to Lorraine Crosby
Lorraine Crosby
Lorraine Crosby better known as Mrs. Loud, is a singer-songwriter from North East England. Her most famous work is as the female vocalist in Meat Loaf's 1993 hit single "I'd Do Anything for Love ".-Early life:...
's vocals.
Additionally, an altered version of the song was used in a 2008 AT&T
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
commercial for the Go-Phone, in which a father and mother (Meat Loaf and singer Tiffany
Tiffany (singer)
Tiffany Renee Darwish , known popularly as Tiffany, is an American singer and former teen icon. She is most notable for her 1987 cover version of "I Think We're Alone Now", originally recorded by Tommy James and the Shondells in 1967. Released as the second single from her eponymous album, Tiffany,...
) argue over buying their son a phone.
Reception
The single had limited success in the US, peaking at number 39 in the Billboard Hot 100. However, the song is very well known and is a classic rock staple, probably because of both Meat Loaf's overall enduring popularity, as well as the fact that his music is more album-oriented than single-oriented. In the UK, it didn't chart at all. However, in the Netherlands, the single became Meat Loaf's biggest all time hit, reaching number one at the end of 1978. "Paradise" became a hit again in 1988 and is still a huge party favorite in The Netherlands. In various all time charts, such as the Radio 2 Top 2000 or Radio Veronica's All Time Top 1000, it consistently charts inside the top ten.This song is featured as downloadable content for the Rock Band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
series.
Chart performance
| Chart (1977) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Dutch Top 40 Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
1 (3wk) |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
39 |
Cover version
In 2011, four New YorkNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
Underground
Underground music
Underground music comprises a range of different musical genres that operate outside of mainstream culture. Such music can typically share common values, such as the valuing of sincerity and intimacy; an emphasis on freedom of creative expression; an appreciation of artistic creativity...
bands—Elastic No-No Band
Elastic No-No Band
Elastic No-No Band is a musical group based in New York City's anti-folk scene. Started in the mid-2000s, the band's name was initially just a pseudonym for its current leader and main songwriter, Justin Remer. Since 2005, Elastic No-No Band has also included pianist Herb Scher and...
, Huggabroomstik, Schwervon!
Schwervon!
Schwervon! is a two-piece American rock music band based in New York City. The band members are Major Matt Mason USA on electric guitar and Nan Turner on drums; the pair share singing duties. They started the band in 1999, shortly after they began their ongoing romantic relationship. They have...
, and The Leader—collaborated on an Exquisite corpse
Exquisite corpse
Exquisite corpse, also known as exquisite cadaver or rotating corpse, is a method by which a collection of words or images is collectively assembled. Each collaborator adds to a composition in sequence, either by following a rule Exquisite corpse, also known as exquisite cadaver (from the original...
–style cover of the song, with each band covering a specific section of the song. The cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
was released as a 7-inch single on red or pink vinyl.