by 
Meatloaf was gone when the morning came today, and all the words have gone out of my mouth.
Born Marvin Aday (he gained his nickname after a football coach joked about his weight) he got his big break, like many others, in The Rocky Horror Show and promptly went on to record Bat Out of Hell – one of the ten biggest-selling albums of all time.
He possessed a voice that took the most absurd and dramatic pomp that rock and roll could devise and imbued it with a compelling, heartfelt sincerity that transmitted itself through the medium of vinyl straight into the souls of people around the globe.
Bat Out Of Hell and its sequels made entire generations keenly remember what it was like to be an American teenager in the 1950s, even though they never had been.
They also provided the backdrop music to every single garage when you were having your tyres changed in the 80s and 90s, so you could pretend you were having your hotrod souped-up whilst you sipped cheap coffee and waited for the bill.
After a career spanning five decades, heaven couldn’t wait any longer. It’s to be hoped there will be a dashboard light when he gets there, or at least rock and roll and brew.
Hot patootie bless his soul, he really loved that rock and roll. And he did anything for that love, which he shared with millions.
Written by Davywavy and Cavalorn
You can read our other Meat Loaf tribute here.
