Bat Out Of Hell: lyrics to Meat Loaf’s song, what year was the album released - who is writer Jim Steinman?

American singer Meat Loaf has died at the age of 74, his family has announced.

A post on his official Facebook page said the star’s wife Deborah was at his side.

The singer, whose real name was Michael Lee Aday, sold millions of albums worldwide, with the Bat Out Of Hell trilogy among his most popular musical offerings.

Meat Loaf initially made his name in theatre productions, including a Broadway run of Hair, and then found his feet in the stage and film versions of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, playing Eddie, the ex-delivery man and partial brain donor to Rocky.

At the same time, he began Bat Out Of Hell – which featured the eponymous classic ‘Paradise By The Dashboard Light‘ and ‘Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad’ – with composer Jim Steinman.

Here is everything you need to know about it.

When was Bat Out Of Hell released?

Bat Out of Hell is Meat Loaf’s debut album, and was actually developed from a musical called Neverland, a futuristic rock version of Peter Pan.

That musical was written by Meat Loaf collaborator Jim Steinman for a workshop in 1974, and the album was recorded during 1975–1976.

Although rejected by every major label, it was released in 1977 to huge international success, and reigns as one of the best-selling albums in history.

Bat Out of Hell is one of the best-selling albums of all time, having sold over 43 million copies worldwide, and is certified 14x Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.

It has spent over 50 weeks in the UK Albums Chart, the second longest chart run by a studio album.

Who wrote it?

The album was written by Meat Loaf and composer, songwriter and producer, Jim Steinman.

Steinman began his career in musical theatre, and in college he wrote and starred in a rock musical called The Dream Machine.

After he graduated, he worked at the Public Theatre in New York and his first professional musical was More Than You Deserve.

One of the actors that was cast in the show was Marvin Lee Aday - better known now as Meat Loaf - which is where the two first met.

Throughout his career, Steinman would go on to write hits for the likes of Bonnie Tyler, Air Supply, Celine Dion, Boyzone, Barbra Steisand, Sisters of Mercy, Barry Manilow, and more.

He also wrote the lyrics for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Whistle Down the Wind, which opened on the West End in 1998.

Steinman passed away at the age of 73 on 19 April 2021.

Speaking to The Associated Press, Bill Steinman, the songwriter’s brother, said that he died from kidney failure, and had been ill for some time.

What are the lyrics?

‘Bat out of Hell’ is the first song of Meat Loaf’s Bat out of Hell album trilogy.

It was written by Steinman, who had a love for “car crash songs”, as he saw an operatic narrative within many of them; he decided to write one about a motorcycle instead.

The song’s protagonist is a boy who wants to take the girl he loves out of their dead-end town, but dies in the attempt. It is traditionally the last song played at Meat Loaf concerts.

The full lyrics can be found at Genius.com, but we’ve included the words to the song’s famous chorus below:

Like a bat out of hell

I'll be gone when the morning comes

Oh, when the night is over

Like a bat out of hell

I'll be gone gone gone

Like a bat out of hell

I'll be gone when the morning comes

But when the day is done and the sun goes down

And the moonlight's shining through

Then like a sinner before the gates of Heaven

I'll come crawling on back to you

When were its sequels released?

Bat Out of Hell has spawned two Meat Loaf sequel albums.

Meat Loaf’s follow-ups to Bat Out Of Hell failed to set fans alight until he made a blazing comeback with its sequel 16 years later with 1993’s Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell.

It sold over 14 million copies worldwide, and reached number 1 in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.

Lead single ‘I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That)’ reached number one in 28 countries and earned him a Grammy award.

He followed up with 1995’s Welcome To The Neighbourhood, which went platinum in the UK and US, and his third Bat Out Of Hell album, The Monster Is Loose, in 2006.

It is the only ‘Bat’ album not involving Jim Steinman; it was subject to a legal dispute between Meat Loaf and Steinman, who had registered the phrase "Bat Out of Hell" as a trademark and attempted to prevent the album using the phrase.

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