R.I.P Meat Loaf/Craig Allen’s Fun Facts: “You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth”

The Rock 'n' Roll world is mourning Marvin Lee Aday, "Meat Loaf," today.

He passed away last night, surrounded by family and friends, at the age of 74.

Here is the official family statement:

A little over the top, right?

But, that's always the way with Meat Loaf and songwriter Jim Steinman.

"You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth" was the first single off of "Bat Out Of Hell."

"Bat" was Meat Loaf's third album...the first two didn't have....wings. Nobody noticed.

The funny thing is...while the listening and the music-buying public was catching on to the album...initially, it looked like "You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth" would flop.

The single hit the airwaves, and store shelves, in January 1978...and...crickets. Nothing.

It took the next two singles to...save the first.

"Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad" would cruise to #11 on the pop charts in mid-1978.

"Paradise By The Dashboard Light" --with New Jersey's own Phil Rizzuto as the baseball announcer--went to #39 in the late fall of 1978.

THEN...."You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth" was re-issued...this time, cruising up the Hot 100 chart...just cracking the "Top-40," landing at #39 in January 1979...15 months after the album hit record store shelves.

While the hit charts of the time weren't too kind...the song has been a radio staple...one of "New Jersey's Greatest Hits" ever since.

Like "Paradise," our spotlight song is the story of...young lust...with a more satisfying ending for our "storyteller."

Set "on a hot summer night" on the beach, the singer finds himself so...entranced...that he can't even say "I love you," as he is overcome with desire.

As mentioned earlier, the album version of this Jersey Favorite is 5:04...the "radio edit" is 3:48.

The spoken intro is NOT Meat Loaf.

That's the voice of the songwriter: Jim Steinman.

The woman is Marcia McClain. She is the actress who played Dee Stewart on the soap opera "As The World Turns."

Steinman wrote the dialog for his stage show "Neverland," which was performed 5 months before the "Bat Out Of Hell" album was released.

That's not the only album/stage show crossover:

Three Steinman songs that were written for the stage show made it onto the Meat Loaf album: "Bat Out Of Hell," "Heaven Can Wait" and "All Revved Up With No Place To Go."

Some "Fun Facts" about the artists:

Meat Loaf hails from Dallas...Marvin Lee Aday is the name on his birth certificate.

"The Loaf" often makes up stories about how he got his stage name...

My favorite is: a school friend saw him do something...stupid...and said something to the effect that "You're so dumb that your head must be filled with meatloaf."

Another source states that the moniker likely came from his high school football coach. To that, I say: "Good call."

Meat Loaf comes from a rather "large" family. He reportedly weighed 200 pounds in 7th grade. His dad weighed 350 pounds.

Would you believe...Meat Loaf is now a vegetarian. He changed his diet in the 1980s for health reasons.

An early band was called Meat Loaf Soul. Sometimes they called themselves Popcorn Blizzard. Regardless of the name they used, they opened for acts including The Who and Ted Nugent.

Meat Loaf sings on Nugent's 1976 album "Free For All."

Meat Loaf met the man who would write and arrange the songs on "Bat Out Of Hell" and "Bat Out Of Hell II," when he auditioned for Jim Steinman's play "More Than You Deserve."

As a side note...Jim Steinman (from New York City) would helm his own album, and score his own hit in 1981...as "Rock And Roll Dreams Come Through" made its way to #32 on the pop charts.

(NOTE: Jim Steinman passed away last year, April 19, 2021)

Not to be outdone:

As you can see above, Meat Loaf included his own version of "Rock And Roll Dreams Come Through" on Bat Out Of Hell II.

It soared to #13 in 1994.

Want more Meat Loaf? Let's serve up another talent: acting.

He was in the original production of "Hair." However, he skipped a scene...Quoting: "You got an extra $12.50 to be in the nude scene, and I didn't need an extra $12.50."

Meat Loaf played the part of "Eddie" in the Los Angeles production of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show."

He played the same part in the motion picture!  (I'll "toast" to that!).

He was in a few movies through the 1980s and into the '90s...keep your eyes on late-night TV.

A few final "Fun Facts:"

A study conducted at Sussex University in England finds that Meat Loaf's music is..."an excellent stimulant for plant growth." In other words, your plants (will) love Meat Loaf.

The artist says that he has a sentimental side: "I cry at the drop of a hat," he admits.

Meat Loaf adds that his most cherished possession is his collection of rubber ducks...saying: "I have around 100 of them"...including a (Derek) "Jeter one, a Frank-N-Furter one. They sit on top of my road case every show."

That just...took the words right out of my mouth.