Paradise by the Dashboard Light - wikipedia Paradise by the Dashboard Light `` Paradise by the Dashboard Light '' Side - A label of U.S. 7 - inch vinyl single Single by Meat Loaf from the album Bat Out of Hell B - side `` Bat Overture '' Released August 1978 Format 7 '' / 12 '' Recorded 1976 Genre Rock and roll, hard rock, glam rock, funk rock Length 8 : 28 ( album version ) 5 : 32 ( single edit ) Label Epic Songwriter ( s ) Jim Steinman Producer ( s ) Todd Rundgren Meat Loaf singles chronology `` Two Out of Three Ai n't Bad '' ( 1978 ) `` Paradise by the Dashboard Light '' ( 1978 ) `` Bat Out of Hell '' ( 1979 ) `` Paradise by the Dashboard Light '' is a song written by Jim Steinman. It was first released in 1977 on the album Bat Out of Hell, with vocals by the American musician Meat Loaf alongside Ellen Foley. The song is most notable for its unique structure and length, and has become a staple of classic rock radio. Entitled `` Let Me Sleep on It, '' the song was also recorded by Brotherhood of Man. ( 1 ) Contents 1 Background and recording 2 Composition 3 Music video 4 Reception 5 Personnel 6 Chart performance 7 Cover versions 8 References 9 Further reading 10 External links Background and recording `` Paradise by the Dashboard Light '' is one of the longest songs to be released uncut on one side of a 45 RPM record. The only difference between the single ( 45 RPM ) and album versions is that the single version fades out almost immediately after the final line is sung. In some countries, a shorter 5 : 32 edit was released. The largest change is the complete removal of the `` baseball play - by - play '' section. Jim Steinman had stated that he wanted to write `` the ultimate car / sex song in which everything goes horribly wrong in the end. '' According to Meat Loaf on VH1 Storytellers, the original length of the track was to be 27 minutes. Composition The song is divided into three parts : Part I. Paradise The song opens with the characters reminiscing about days as a young high school couple on a date. They are parking by a lake and having fun, experiencing `` paradise by the dashboard light '', until the male character insists they 're `` gon na go all the way tonight '' ( the audio track suddenly cuts out, quickly pans through the left and right channels once before slowly returning to both channels ). Baseball broadcast His pushing the matter is mirrored by New York Yankees announcer Phil Rizzuto broadcasting a portion of a baseball game that serves as a metaphor for his attempts to achieve his goal, accompanied by funk instrumentation and the two characters talking in the two individual left and right channels. Rizzuto 's baseball play - by - play call was recorded in 1976 at The Hit Factory in New York City by producer Todd Rundgren, Meat Loaf and Steinman. Rizzuto publicly maintained he was unaware that his contribution would be equated with sex in the finished song, but Meat Loaf asserts that Rizzuto only feigned ignorance to stifle some criticism from a priest and was fully aware of the context of what he was recording. Part II. Let Me Sleep on It Just as the boy is about to score ( via the suicide squeeze ), the girl bursts out telling him to `` Stop right there ! '' She refuses to go any further unless the boy first promises to love her forever and marry her. Reluctant to make such a long - term commitment, the boy repeatedly asks her to continue on for the time being and promises to give his answer in the morning. However, she is not giving in that easily, so he finally cracks and gives his promise : `` I started swearing to my God and on my mother 's grave / That I would love you to the end of time ''. Part III. Praying for the End of Time Back in the present, the male character can no longer stand the woman 's presence. As the man can not possibly break his vow and hence is now praying for the end of time to relieve him from his obligation. The song fades out on the situation, juxtaposing his gloomy `` It was long ago, it was far away, it was so much better than it is today ! '' in the left channel with her nostalgic `` It never felt so good, it never felt so right, we were glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife '' in the right channel. In early live performances of the song, this part ( and thus the conclusion of the song itself ) was followed by a spoken - word epilogue by Meat Loaf and Karla DeVito, where they, still in character as the two protagonists, argued about what to keep after the couple 's divorce ( having been presumably married for a number of years ). The argument was cut short by DeVito shouting ``... And I 'll keep the baby ! '', which left Meat Loaf 's character speechless as he apparently ignored the existence of a baby ; immediately after, he ended the argument by screaming incoherently at her. The exchange was repeated with different female vocalists, in different versions and with different endings, in most of Meat Loaf 's subsequent live tours and remains in the set to the present day, when it is still occasionally performed by Meat Loaf and his current featured vocalist Patti Russo. Music video 35mm prints of a live - on - soundstage performance of `` Paradise '' were struck and initially sent to many theaters holding midnight screenings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, as a short subject to play before the feature. Very few of these prints are still extant and / or in playable condition. The video also received healthy airplay in the first years of MTV, despite its relative age to the new artists the channel was showcasing. Although Ellen Foley is recorded on the album, another singer, Karla DeVito, was used for the music video and for live performances. This would also happen for Meat Loaf 's 1993 hit `` I 'd Do Anything for Love ( But I Wo n't Do That ) '', where Dana Patrick mimed to Lorraine Crosby 's vocals. In the original video as released to television and in 35mm prints, the male / female `` Hot Summer Night '' prologue from `` You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth '' was spoken live by Jim Steinman and Karla DeVito before the song performance. On the Hits Out of Hell music video compilation, the prologue was removed and spliced in front of the video for `` You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth '', ostensibly to properly replicate the album Bat Out of Hell, and the video for `` Paradise by the Dashboard Light '' goes right into the performance. Reception This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( August 2017 ) The single had modest success in the United States, peaking at number 39 on the Billboard Hot 100. However, the song is very well known and is a classic rock staple. In the United Kingdom, it did not chart at all. However, in the Netherlands, the single became Meat Loaf 's biggest all - time hit, reaching number one at the end of 1978. `` Paradise '' became a hit there again in 1988. In various all time charts, such as the Radio 2 Top 2000 or Radio Veronica 's All Time Top 1000, it consistently charts inside the top 30. In Belgium, the single stalled at number 2 where it stayed for 5 weeks, the whole time being held back from the Number 1 by Y.M.C.A. by the Village People. Personnel Meat Loaf - male lead vocals, backing vocals ( as Marvin Lee ) Ellen Foley - female lead vocals, backing vocals Todd Rundgren - guitar, backing vocals Kasim Sulton - bass guitar Roy Bittan - piano, keyboards Jim Steinman - keyboards, `` lascivious effects '' Roger Powell - synthesizer Edgar Winter - saxophone Max Weinberg - drums Phil Rizzuto - baseball play - by - play Rory Dodd - additional backing vocals Chart performance Chart ( 1977 - 78 ) Peak position Dutch Top 40 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 39 Ultratop ( Belgium ) Cover versions The Glee club ' New Directions ' covered the song for the third season episode called `` Nationals ''. They closed their set for the national show choir competition with the song. Jyll Saskin of MTV called it a `` quirky yet catchy song choice '' that `` was the episode 's standout. '' Michael Slezak of TVLine gave it an `` A '' grade and said it was the `` real group number '' of the three and added, `` The vocals, choreography and energy were all top - notch. '' It charted on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 and debuted at number ninety - four. References Jump up ^ Rolling Stone Jump up ^ New York Times Jump up ^ `` Meat Loaf -- Paradise by the Dashboard Light ''. discogs.com. Retrieved October 22, 2012. Jump up ^ Pearlman, Jeff ( August 29, 2007 ). `` Phil and Meat Loaf will always have `` Paradise '' ``. ESPN. Retrieved 2009 - 08 - 28. Jump up ^ The full argument is featured in the 2009 Eagle Vision Meat Loaf : Bat Out of Hell - The Original Tour DVD release of a 1978 concert in Offenbach am Main, Germany. Jump up ^ `` Karla DeVito 's biography ''. Karl Devito. Retrieved 2006 - 09 - 24. Jump up ^ `` I 'd Do Anything For Love ( But I Wo n't Do That ) ''. songfacts.com. Retrieved 2006 - 08 - 29. Jump up ^ http://www.ultratop.be/nl/song/3394/Meat-Loaf-Paradise-By-The-Dashboard-Light ^ Jump up to : Saskin, Jyll ( May 16, 2012 ). `` ' Glee ' Recap : ' Props / Nationals ' ''. Hollywood Crush. MTV Networks. Retrieved May 20, 2012. Jump up ^ Slezak, Michael ( May 15, 2012 ). `` Glee ( Hour 2 ) Recap : The Prize Winners of Lima, Ohio ''. TVLine. Mail.com Media. Retrieved May 20, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Glee Album & Song Chart History : Billboard Canadian Hot 100 ''. Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 10, 2012. Further reading James F. Harris ( 1993 ). Philosophy at 33 ​ ⁄ Rpm : Themes of Classic Rock Music. Open Court Publishing. pp. 116&ndash, 118. ISBN 0 - 8126 - 9241 - 1. External links Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics Bat Out of Hell Meat Loaf Songs by Jim Steinman Produced by Todd Rundgren Side 1 `` Bat Out of Hell '' `` You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth '' `` Heaven Can Wait '' `` All Revved Up with No Place to Go '' Side 2 `` Two Out of Three Ai n't Bad '' `` Paradise by the Dashboard Light '' ( duet with Ellen Foley ) `` For Crying Out Loud '' Related articles Bat Out of Hell II : Back into Hell Bat Out of Hell III : The Monster Is Loose Bat Out of Hell : Live with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Cleveland International Records Meat Loaf Studio albums Stoney & Meatloaf ( 1971 ) Bat Out of Hell ( 1977 ) Dead Ringer ( 1981 ) Midnight at the Lost and Found ( 1983 ) Bad Attitude ( 1984 ) Blind Before I Stop ( 1986 ) Bat Out of Hell II : Back into Hell ( 1993 ) Welcome to the Neighbourhood ( 1995 ) Could n't Have Said It Better ( 2003 ) Bat Out of Hell III : The Monster Is Loose ( 2006 ) Hang Cool Teddy Bear ( 2010 ) Hell in a Handbasket ( 2011 ) Braver Than We Are ( 2016 ) Live albums Live at Wembley ( 1987 ) Live Around the World ( 1996 ) VH1 : Storytellers ( 1999 ) Bat Out of Hell : Live with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra ( 2004 ) 3 Bats Live ( 2008 ) Compilations Hits Out of Hell ( 1984 ) Heaven & Hell ( 1989 ) Heaven Can Wait -- The Best Ballads of Meat Loaf Vol. 1 ( 1996 ) The Very Best of Meat Loaf ( 1998 ) Videography Live Hits Out of Hell Bad Attitude -- Live ! Bat Out of Hell II : Picture Show VH1 : Storytellers To Hell and Back Bat Out of Hell : Live with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra 3 Bats Live Meat Loaf : In Search of Paradise Tours The Seize the Night Tour ( 2006 -- 07 ) The Casa de Carne Tour ( 2008 ) The Hang Cool Tour ( 2010 -- 11 ) Guilty Pleasure Tour ( 2011 ) Mad, Mad World Tour ( 2012 ) Last at Bat Tour ( 2013 ) Singles `` What You See Is What You Get '' `` It Takes All Kinds of People '' `` You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth '' `` Paradise by the Dashboard Light '' `` Two Out of Three Ai n't Bad '' `` Bat Out of Hell '' `` I 'm Gonna Love Her for Both of Us '' `` Dead Ringer for Love '' `` Read ' Em and Weep '' `` Peel Out '' `` In Europe ' 82 '' `` If You Really Want To '' `` Razor 's Edge '' `` Midnight at the Lost and Found '' `` Modern Girl '' `` Nowhere Fast '' `` Rock ' n ' Roll Mercenaries '' `` Blind Before I Stop '' `` Special Girl '' `` I 'd Do Anything for Love ( But I Wo n't Do That ) '' `` Life Is a Lemon and I Want My Money Back '' `` Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through '' `` Objects in the Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are '' `` I 'd Lie for You ( And That 's the Truth ) '' `` Not a Dry Eye in the House '' `` Runnin ' for the Red Light ( I Gotta Life ) '' `` A Kiss Is a Terrible Thing to Waste '' `` No Matter What '' `` Is Nothing Sacred '' `` Did I Say That ? '' `` Could n't Have Said It Better '' `` Man of Steel '' `` It 's All Coming Back to Me Now '' `` Cry Over Me '' `` Los Angeloser '' Related articles Discography Neverland Express Stoney & Meatloaf Ted Nugent Jim Steinman Patti Russo Shaun Murphy Amanda Aday Pearl Aday Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Paradise_by_the_Dashboard_Light&oldid=865401931 '' Categories : 1977 singles Meat Loaf songs Songs written by Jim Steinman Vocal duets Song recordings produced by Todd Rundgren 1977 songs Epic Records singles Rock operas Songs about sexuality Songs about cars Hidden categories : Use mdy dates from July 2014 Articles with hAudio microformats All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from September 2013 Articles needing additional references from August 2017 All articles needing additional references Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Nederlands Português Edit links This page was last edited on 23 October 2018, at 18 : 50 ( UTC ). 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Question: who sang on paradise by the dashboard light
Answer: Meat Loaf