Best known for the songs he wrote for Meat Loaf’s epic Bat Out of Hell, Jim Steinman was a monolith of the music industry. Sadly, Steinman passed away this past Monday from kidney failure, after the star was ill for some time. However, as time passes, fans of the music have been speaking of their appreciation of the icon and sharing their favourite hits.
Jim Steinman worked with music’s rising stars throughout the decades and has collaborated with a number of big names. From Air Supply to the Sisters of Mercy, Meat Loaf to Bonnie Tyler, the songwriter had huge success with his catalogue of songs performed by others. Following the songwriter’s death on Monday at the age of 73, here are 10 of his best.
Bonnie Tyler – Total Eclipse of the Heart
Total Eclipse of the Heart was a 1983 #1 hit for Welsh singer, Bonnie Tyler, whose previous U.S. hit had been the Seventies folk-rock ditty It’s a Heartache. Releasing in 1983, the track peaked at #1, where it stayed for two weeks, and lasted 16 weeks in the charts.
Jim Steinman – Bad for Good
Steinman originally conceived his 1981 LP, Bad for Good, as Meat Loaf’s follow-up to Bat Out of Hell, but when the singer suffered significant vocal problems, he decided to simply record the tunes himself and release it under his own name. Bad for Good was a commercial disaster, with the musician never releasing another solo album. Entering the charts in 1981, the track peaked at #63 and lasted 17 weeks in the charts.
Meat Loaf – I’d Do Anything for Love (but I Won’t Do That)
Meat Loaf reunited with Jim Steinman for the long-delayed sequel to Bat Out of Hell, and the leadoff single, I’d Do Anything for Love (but I Won’t Do That), was a raging success. With the radio version clocking in at just over five minutes, the hit tells a story of heartache, lust, and mystery. Releasing in 1993, the tracked peaked at #1 and stayed on top for 7 weeks, lasting a total 18 weeks in the charts.
Bonnie Tyler – Holding Out for a Hero
For the massively successful soundtrack for the 1984 film Footloose, Steinman contributed with Holding Out for a Hero. Not an immediate success, the track still became a pop-culture and karaoke staple, appearing in movies like Shrek 2. First released in 1984, the track only reached #96, with one solitary week in the charts. Rereleasing in 1985, it peaked at #2 and lasted 13 weeks on chart.
Celine Dion – It’s All Coming Back to Me Now
“It’s like Heathcliff digging up Cathy’s corpse and dancing with it in the cold moonlight,” said Steinman. “You can’t get more extreme, operatic, or passionate than that.” Releasing with Dion in 1996, the track peaked at #3 and spent 14 weeks in the charts.
Meat Loaf – Paradise by the Dashboard Light
Off Bat Out of Hell and sung by Meat Loaf with Ellen Foley, “Paradise” is a horny, over-the-top tale of a young couple preparing to “go all the way tonight.” Released in 1978, the track peaked at #39, staying in the charts for 10 weeks.
Barry Manilow – Read ‘Em and Weep
The Meat Loaf track, Dead Ringer was revived by Steinman for a Barry Manilow compilation. The song peaked at #1 in 1983 and stayed in the charts for 18 weeks.
The Sisters of Mercy – More
Steinman worked on a number of genres and partnered up with late-Eighties and early-Nineties British goth rockers, Sisters of Mercy. The band’s frontman, Andrew Eldritch once said of Steinman: “Every time you think to yourself, do we really want to go this far, and you say to Jim, ‘Jim, are you sure about this?’ and anybody else will go, ‘Don’t do it!’ Jim goes, ‘More! More! More people, singing!’ It works.” The track peaked at #14, staying in the charts for 4 weeks.
Meat Loaf – Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad
“Meat has Elvis in him,” Steinman said in 2003. “I mean, I’ve never seen him with a peanut-butter-and-banana sandwich, but he’s the closest thing to an Elvis. And I loved Elvis.” Released in 1978, the track peaked at #32 and stayed in the charts for 8 weeks, only to rerelease in 1992, peaking at #69 and lasting a mere week in the charts.
Air Supply – Making Love Out of Nothing at All
Steinman wrote this power ballad in 1983 and landed with Australian duo, Air Supply. Playing on drums is Max Weinberg, with Roy Bittan on the piano intro and a ripping guitar solo by Rick Derringer. The track peaked at #2 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
