I don't understand "Paradise by Dashboard Lights" by Meatloaf

[battlezoby]

https://genius.com/Meat-loaf-and-ellen-foley-paradise-by-the-dashboard-light-lyrics

A) Are they in a 2-seater? Why not use the backseat?

B) Even in a 2-seater next to the dashboard lights, why not turn them off?
They drain the battery and attract the cops.

I think most/all cars back then couldn't even turn on the dashboard lights without
at least turning on the running/parking lights which is worse. But either way...

You could still have the engine off and accessory mode on to run the radio.

[Devsman]

I mean, looking for plot holes in a meatloaf song is like eating ice cream and complaining that it's cold.

[Ganger]

The only real song I fully understood by meatloaf was "Objects in the rear view mirror". The boy in the song was a happy young lad with his own life ahead of him until one day tragedy stuck and basically his family disintergrated as his father spiral into depression and his only way out of this was to run away. Great song... infact most of Meatloaf's songs are great with a added story to them.

[battlezoby]

Postat inițial de Ganger:

most of Meatloaf's songs are great with a added story to them.

Yes, you're very much correct. In fact this post was intended as kind of a joke; the kind where people who get the joke probably won't reply so I hope they did.

"Paradise by Dashboard Lights" also tells a long story, in a very funny way.

The joke was the title of this thread sounds like I don't get the long story, I do.
But about four decades after buying the album(*), I realized that I didn't understand
the litteral title so I posted that because it was funny but true.

I feel like posting a play-by-play of the song for you, which is a joke unto itself.
It's about a couple of teenagers who are making out in the back of a car.
It then cuts into a some (famious maybe) baseball announcer going into
a speil about "he's safe at first" leading up to "He's trying for home - I
think he's going to make it!"

It's done in multiple parts, most pretty unrelated musically and lyrically
to the previous one, although they all end up telling the same story.

As a partial spoiler: The last part of really funny one. BTW... "He's trying for home - I think he's going to make it" is followed by: "Stop right there! I got to know right now!" ... "Will you make me your wife?"

I'm not going to include the final part(s) [yet], but give it a listen... it's pretty cool.

Round five different parts in less than 8 and half minutes, which succeeds in actually
make it that long, but "fast paced" none the less. (At least by the then-current standards.)

I can (and has) actually led to a little a little gender-controversy - someone I knew
actually took the (IMO idiotic) side of saying "he's taking advantage of her."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTwRLzIK8ZE

Note: After listening to it again, I only paraphrased the lines above, but close enough.

* - On vinyl of course... I didn't even own an 8-track player. (And I could copy the record to cassette for playing in the car, as I did.)

[LeviathanWon]

I understand this.

[Grendalcat]

"OK, here we go, we got a real pressure cooker going here
Two down, nobody on, no score, bottom of the ninth
There's the windup, and there it is, a line shot up the middle
Look at him go. This boy can really fly!
He's rounding first and really turning it on now
He's not letting up at all, he's gonna try for second
The ball is bobbled out in center
And here comes the throw, and what a throw!
He's gonna slide in head first, here he comes, he's out!
No, wait, safe - safe at second base
This kid really makes things happen out there
Batter steps up to the plate
Here's the pitch and he's going, and what a jump he's got
He's trying for third, here's the throw, it's in the dirt - safe at third!
Holy cow, stolen base! He's taking a pretty big lead out there
Almost daring him to try and pick him off
The pitcher glances over, winds up, and it's bunted
Bunted down the third base line, the suicide squeeze is on!
Here he comes, squeeze play, it's gonna be close
Here's the throw, here's the play at the plate
Holy cow, I think he's gonna make it!"

[Hobbit XIII]

I came here to be inspired and now....

I WANT MY MONEY BACK!

[LeviathanWon]

Postat inițial de Hobbit XIII:

I came here to be inspired and now....

I WANT MY MONEY BACK!

Yeah but would you do anything for love?

[battlezoby]

Postat inițial de Grendalcat:

it's in the dirt - safe at third!

OMG - I can't believe you posted something that filthy!

On the other hand, I wonder how many of the 18 - 40 year old crowd will
get the pun.

[Hobbit XIII]

Postat inițial de LeviathanWon:

Postat inițial de Hobbit XIII:

I came here to be inspired and now....

I WANT MY MONEY BACK!

Yeah but would you do anything for love?

Anything ....but I won't do that!

[battlezoby]

Postat inițial de LeviathanWon:

I understand this.

Awesome. So you if you understand it, tell me!

Why would they keep the dashboard lights on?

[Grumb]

God I miss Meatloaf. RIP you legend. I think I’ll give Bat Out Of Hell a play tomorrow

[Your_White_Knight]

Postat inițial de battlezoby:

I don't understand "Paradise by Dashboard Lights" by Meatloaf

https://genius.com/Meat-loaf-and-ellen-foley-paradise-by-the-dashboard-light-lyrics

A) Are they in a 2-seater? Why not use the backseat?

B) Even in a 2-seater next to the dashboard lights, why not turn them off?
They drain the battery and attract the cops.

I think most/all cars back then couldn't even turn on the dashboard lights without
at least turning on the running/parking lights which is worse. But either way...

You could still have the engine off and accessory mode on to run the radio.

I would explain it to you OP... but somehow I think you still just wound't understand

Postat inițial de Grumb:

God I miss Meatloaf. RIP you legend. I think I’ll give Bat Out Of Hell a play tomorrow

Agree... well said.

[↑↑↓↓←→←→BASelect]

Postat inițial de Ganger:

The only real song I fully understood by meatloaf was "Objects in the rear view mirror". The boy in the song was a happy young lad with his own life ahead of him until one day tragedy stuck and basically his family disintergrated as his father spiral into depression and his only way out of this was to run away. Great song... infact most of Meatloaf's songs are great with a added story to them.

Can't forget to give Jim Steinman credit also.

[Hobbit XIII]

What I really like about Meatloaf and did not realize this for a very long time was how he was with the fans.

Everyone he met meant something to him and he understood how he made them feel on a personal respectful level.

If they were a bit nuts he'd be with them in that moment, Bo Selecta!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdUxEWD8wlE

[Birds]

Front seats were one long bench back in the day.

The idea is that the portrayal of romance in film, which is what everyone was emulating since it was new and hip, hadouken, was basically just impregnating someone in your car while you killed the battery, more or less ending both of your adult lives right as it begins. And that this was a part of a larger attempt to portray the deathwish in media, which never made any sense as a unifying theme or a mass media ploy.

The dissolution of reality as the song goes on is a subtle way to reference the nonsensical nature of the deathwish campaigns, since Meatloaf found the whole thing incredibly sick and difficult to understand. His network of producers eventually managed to talk him down from making the song more overt, as Meatloaf was a mass-market name and more or less wanted to release Operation Northwoods in song form to discuss deathwish marketing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDCWVcrA4Mo

In an interview he later intimated his producers had suggested people might kill him if he released the song he wanted to, ("haha, jk.") And that several of them in a row had made this same joke, apropos of nothing. Before someone in charge of conglomerating labels basically told him flat-out that people might.