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"Bad For Good" was supposed to be the second album by Meat Loaf, the designated heir of that marvelous and timeless blockbuster "Bat Out Of Hell", but fate had other plans: due to vocal problems of the flamboyant but unruly and unstable singer Jim Steinman, the brilliant composer and songwriter behind that fusion of rock-opera and AOR that made "Bat Out Of Hell" great, decided to keep the songs for himself, stepping into the spotlight and releasing the album under his own name. As a singer, good old Jim is a notch below Marvin Lee Aday, lacking his charisma, but he manages splendidly: he has a pleasant, clear voice, well-tuned and incisive in just the right way, and his compositions bring out the best in it, making "Bad For Good" a perfect manifesto of the unmistakable style of the New York musician.
As it should be, the cover is splendidly garish, and the musical content is entirely a worthy continuation of the Steinman tradition: bombastic, hyperproduced rock, sumptuously arranged combined with a distinctly pop attitude, carefree, nonchalant and "take it easy", almost caricature-like; because this is rock according to Jim Steinman’s creed: fun, color, a cheeky bravado but also quality, attention to detail and, ultimately, great music. The grand, "Wagnerian" rides that made the fortune of Meat Loaf and Bonnie Tyler are abundantly present in this album, starting with "Bad For Good" which is the archetype of the perfect Steinman anthem: epic and grandiose despite a relatively simple structure, characterized by a nice opening riff and a loaded and engaging melody, but that's not all: there's also the more intricate "Stark Raving Love", whose choruses and initial piano line will be used in Bonnie Tyler's "Holding Out For A Hero", the midtempo "Rock And Roll Dreams Come Through", enriched by a pleasant and unexpected sax solo, a lively and overwhelming "Out Of The Frying Pan (And Into The Fire)", epic and full of tempo changes, perfect heir to "Paradise From The Dashboard Light" and finally "Dance In My Pants", entrusted to the vibrant voice of Karla DeVito, perfect for a musical.
The offering is undeniably rich, enticing, and appetizing, yet "Bat Out Of Hell" remains an unattainable peak: "Bad For Good" indeed lacks in its tracklist power ballads on par with the legendary 1977 album, except for the dreamy and almost fairy-like "Lost Boys And Golden Girls", which highlights Steinman's piano skills as well as his excellent vocal talents. "Surf's Up" is overly syrupy and conventional, making one miss Meat Loaf's gritty timbre that could have added something more to the piece, and the concluding "Left In The Dark" though appreciated for its sophistication, fails to fully convince: the fusion between the rock and orchestral components does not quite come together, and the song ends up circling aimlessly for its eight-minute duration, failing to hit the mark like the analogous "For Crying Out Loud".
Despite these flaws, and after all, "Bat Out Of Hell" is an album that happens only once in a lifetime, even for someone like Jim Steinman, "Bad For Good" deserves its due, and it's no coincidence that many of the songs on this album would later be taken up by Mr. Meat Loaf, without ever reaching the level and momentum of the original compositions; maybe it’s better this way, maybe it’s for the best that "Bad For Good" remained associated with Jim Steinman’s name: after all, "Love And Death And An American Guitar" is its constitutional statute, the very essence of his message.
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
08 Dance in My Pants (07:58)
Girl:
Hey! Listen now it's coming so close
I'll let the rhythm surround me
I'm getting itchy and I'm ready to move
I'm mighty glad that you found me
There's a drummer going at it way down in the core of my soul
There's no escaping the music and I'm psyching up my feet
And they're telling me we're ready to roll
There are times when I can fight it but now's the time I want to give in
Sooner or later we'll get around to love
But now's the time to shake it
Oh Baby let the party begin
Baby let the party begin
When I woke up this morning and I looked out my window
I could see the sky was cloudy and gray
There was a chill in the air and a pain in my heart
And the thunder it was coming my way
Oh, it was looking pretty bad and I was so alone
And there was any place to go
But now I'm out of the blue, I know what I got to do
And something in me's starting to grow
I can feel it in me starting to grow...grow...grow...grow...
I got dance in my pants
Every time I feel the power in a radio wave
I turn it up all the way
I got dance in my pants
Every time I see the glory of a good-looking face
Well I just got to say:"Hey now, don't you worry baby, everything'll be fine
We got nothing but the best and we got nothing but time
And there'll always be a time when they'll be waiting in line
To be dancing, dancing..."
You don't say nothing all week, you're getting ready for
Dancing, dancing
And now your body really knows how to speak, you're getting ready for
Dancing, dancing
You don't say nothing all week, you're getting ready for
Dancing, dancing
Now your body really knows how to speak, you're getting ready
Come on, take a chance
You got a whole lotta style and a load of romance
And me, me, me... I got dance in my pants...
I got dance in my pants...
I got dance in my pants...
Boy:
I'm a lover not a dancer
I'm a lover not a dancer
Don't want to be on my feet when I can be on my back
Don't want to be on the floor when I can be in the sack
I'm a lover not a dancer
I'm a lover not a dancer
I'm just a little bit tired if you know what I mean
Don't want to be in a crowd when I can be in a dream
I'm a lover not a dancer, Baby
Baby let me prove it to you
Baby let me prove it to you
Girl:
We can rock it really hard or we can roll it really slow
We can lift it really high or we can dip it really low
We can hold it in tight or we can let it all out
Or we can work up a sweat and really stomp it and shout
Let me pull you so close and then we'll break away fast
We'll be the best on the floor we got the cool and the flash
We'll make a dangerous turn but we'll come out of it fine
I know the best of the moves we'll get them right every time
Boy:
I'm a lover not a dancer
I'm a lover not a dancer
Don't want to be on my feet when I can be on my back
Don't want to be on the floor when I can be in the sack
I'm a lover not a dancer
I'm a lover not a dancer
I'm just a little bit tired if you know what I mean
Don't want to be in a crowd when I can be in a dream
I'm a lover not a dancer, Baby
Baby let me prove it to you
I don't care what you say
Ain't nothing going to get me out on that floor...
Girl:
Oh baby, you know there may be some moves, that you haven't even seen yet
Boy:
No way, Jose!
Girl:
Well, I got a new step for you-
Made it up all by myself.
I bet you never tried this before.
Boy:
Oh, jeez.
Girl:
Come on.
Boy:
Oh, jeez.
Girl:
Come on!
Boy:
Oh, jeez!
Girl:
Now that you know how it's done, it's only a matter of practice
Boy:
Well, I could sure use some of that practice
Girl:
Now that you know how it's done, it's only a matter of practice
Boy:
Well, I could sure use some of that practice....
Grow, grow, grow, grow... grow, grow, grow, grow....
I got dance in my pants
Every time I feel the power in a radio wave I turn it up all the way
I got dance in my pants
Every time I see the glory of a good-looking face
Well I just got to say:
"Hey now, don't you worry, baby, everything'll be fine
We got nothing but the best and we got nothing but time
And there'll always be a time when they'll be waiting in line
To be dancing, dancing..."
You don't say nothing all week, you're getting ready for
Dancing, dancing
And now your body really knows how to speak, you're getting ready for
Dancing, dancing
You don't say nothing all week, you're getting ready for
Dancing, dancing
Now your body really knows how to speak, you're getting ready
Come on, take a chance
You got a whole lotta style and a load of romance
And me, me, me... I got dance in my pants...
I got dance in my pants...
I got dance in my pants...
Girl:
I'll crank it up all the way
They'll never get me to stop
I gotta stay in motion 'til the moment that I finally drop
When they decide that I'm gone
I know they're gonna try to put me to rest but I won't be afraid
Because I know, I know there's dance after death
Boy:
Oooh, I know there's dance after death
And I don't ever want to be rescued
I don't ever want to be saved
I got a feeling that I'm gonna be alive forever
Dancing on the edge of a grave
Dancing on the edge of a grave
Both:
And I don't ever want to be rescued
I don't ever want to be saved
I got a feeling that I'm gonna be alive forever
Dancing on the edge of a grave
Dancing on the edge of a...
Dancing on the edge of a...
Dancing on the edge of a grave
09 Left in the Dark (07:12)
Where did he touch you and how did it feel
And why did you let it begin
What did he whisper and when did you cry
And where do you think it will end
How long did you do it and why did you stop
Did you get to try anything new
How good was he honestly and were did you go
And who made the very first move
——————————
You don't have to sneak in the door
Just come on into the room
I've been lying in our bed in the dark all alone
And I've been waiting, I've been waiting for you
There's been no reason to move
It's been as still as a tomb
I needed you oh, so badly tonight
But I guess you had better things to do
I should have known that it was coming to this
But I must have been blind
I bet you still got a trace of his love in your eyes
And you still got his eyes on your mind
You swore you'd be with me at 7 o'clock
Now it's a quarter to three
And whatever you got and whoever it was
I guess you couldn't get it from me
I know that you love me, there's no need to talk
I see the look in your eyes and I got the proof
And there are no lies on your body, so take off your dress
I just want to get at the truth
I know that you love me, there's no need to talk
I see the look in your eyes and I got the proof
And there are no lies on your body, so take off your dress
I just want to get at the truth
And there are so many things that I just got to know
You tell me who! You tell me where! You tell me when!
But don't tell me now, I don't need any answers tonight
I just need some love so turn out the lights
And I'll be left in the dark again
I just need some love so turn out the lights
And I'll be left in the dark again
I just need some love so turn out the lights
And I'll be left in the dark again
Left in the dark again
I should have known that it was coming to this
But I must have been blind
I bet you still got a trace of his love in your eyes
And you still got his eyes on your mind
You swore you'd be with me at 7 o'clock
Now it's a quarter to three
And whatever you got and whoever it was
I guess you couldn't get it from me
I guess you couldn't get it from me
But down in my soul, down in my soul
I know - I know that you love me, there's no need to talk
I see the look in your eyes and I got the proof
And there are no lies on your body, so take off your dress
I just want to get at the truth
There are so many things that I just got to know
You tell me who! You tell me where! You tell me when!
But don't tell me now, I don't need any answers tonight
I just need some love so turn out the lights
And I'll be left in the dark again
I just need some love so turn out the lights
And I'll be left in the dark again
I just need some love so turn out the lights
And I'll be left in the dark again
I just need some love so turn out the lights
And I'll be left in the dark again
I just need some love so turn out the lights
And I'll be left in the dark again
I just need some love so turn out the lights
And I'll be left in the dark again
Left in the dark again....
——————————
Did he ever get rough
Did you ever get tender
Did it leave any scars
Do you expect them to heal
What did he look like
Did he remind you of me
Were you willing to beg or to kneel
Did he keep his eyes open
Did you bother to look
Or was he only a kid after all
Where did he touch you and how did it feel
If you need him again will he still be on call
And who made the very first move
Who made the very first move
Who made the very first move...
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