“Stop right there! I gotta know right now!.”
How many times over the years have Larry and I performed a pseudo karaoke version of this in the car when it’s just the two of us? Probably more times than I should ever admit to. We have talked about actually doing a karaoke performance, but I believe I have mentioned before my lack of musical talent, so there is no way I have any intention of doing that. This song is a blast to sing to so maybe I shouldn’t totally rule out the possibility…..so consider that your warning.
This song has been around for almost as long as I have, I would have been 6 when it was released in 1977, so I have memories of it going all the way back to childhood. None of them are anywhere near as enjoyable as the ones that Larry and I have made just goofing around singing this song, especially the end.
“So now I'm praying for the end of time
To hurry up and arrive
'Cause if I gotta spend another minute with you
I don't think that I can really survive
I'll never break my promise or forget my vow
But God only knows what I can do right now
I'm praying for the end of time
It's all that I can do
Praying for the end of time,
So I can end my time with you!
It was long ago and it was far away
And it was so much better that it is today”
It definitely was long ago and far away but I think it is better today.
If "So Cruel" was the original pre-marriage sarcasm song, this is clearly our #1 post-marriage sarcasm song.
You can't count high enough to equal the number of times Shannon and I have performed this duet - at home, in the car, in public - you name it, we've done it. And it has always been sung to each other with the deepest sincerity - seriously!
But let's talk about the "Bat Out of Hell album first. If I'm keeping score correctly, this is the second album so far on this journey that I consider to be sheer perfection from beginning to end (Achtung Baby being the first).
I know the album name is enough to turn off half the population, let alone the cover. And if you make it past those two things, then you have to make it through the content material.
But I'm telling you - the combination of Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf is a match made in heaven. At least for this album. There was a lot of friction over the years between those two - but this small moment in the span of time was all that was needed to create this masterpiece. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the work Todd Rundgren did producing the album, though his work on this song is not what ultimately made it to the album.
If you've never listened to the album, I implore you to give it a chance.
If you've never heard this song, it is a duet - and it is widely considered the greatest rock duet of all time. And although it clocks in at eight minutes twenty-nine seconds, you can breathe easier knowing Meat Loaf once stated it should really be 27 minutes long.
And although it is that grand eight minutes twenty-nine seconds long, the best bit is basically at the end. And it goes a little something like this:
"So now I'm praying for the end of time
To hurry up and arrive
'Cause if I gotta spend another minute with you
I don't think that I can really survive
I'll never break my promise or forget my vow
But God only knows what I can do right now
I'm praying for the end of time
It's all that I can do
Praying for the end of time
So I can End. My. Time. With. You!"
Rest In Peace, Meat Loaf AKA Robert Paulsen - 09/27/1947 - 01/20/2022
Ghost of a Chance 