October 23rd

On October 23...

1956, Dwight Yoakam, famous country singer, was born.

1962, Stevie Wonder, then 12-years-old, recorded his first single entitled, "Thank You For Loving Me All The Way."

1963, The Beatles headed to Stockholm, Sweden to begin their first foreign tour.

1966, The Jimi Hendrix Experience recorded their first single "Hey Joe" at De Lane Lea Studios in London.

1976, Led Zeppelin made their debut on American television on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert.

1989, Nirvana performed at Newcastle's Riverside Club in England, their first show in Europe.

1993, Meat Loaf's "I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)" was his first song to reach No. 1 on the UK charts and stayed at the spot for seven weeks.

1993, English band Take That's second album Everything Changes was their first to reach No. 1 on the UK charts.

1995, Def Leppard scored a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for playing three gigs in three continents in only 24 hours; Tangier, London, and Vancouver.

Paradise by the Dashboard Light

Paradise by the Dashboard Light by Meat Loaf is the eight minute 28 second long song off the iconic album Bat Out of Hell.  The song is divided into three parts:

     I.  Paradise - Part one starts with two people thinking back to when they were a high school couple at a lake when the boy (Meat Loaf) is positive he and the girl are "gonna go all the way tonight."

     II.  Let Me Sleep on It - The girl (Ellen Foley) immediately interrupts the boy's vision by yelling "Stop right there!" and asks the boy if he will love her forever but he keeps responding by saying how he will give her "an answer in the morning".  Because the girl keeps asking, he gives in and says he will love her until the end of time.

     III.  Praying for the End of Time - The couple does not like each other anymore, but the boy is "praying for the end of time" because then he will not have to fulfill the promise he made to her.

Bat Out Of Hell

Side One:
1. Bat Out of Hell
2. You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)
3. Heaven Can Wait
4. All Revved Up With No Place To Go

Side Two:
1. Two Out of Three Ain't Bad
2. Paradise By the Dashboard Light
I. Paradise
II. Let Me Sleep On It
III. Praying for the End of Time
3. For Crying Out Loud

This album of Meat Loaf's is incredible. "Bat Out of Hell" is a legend on its own, and the rest of the songs are the icing on the cake. Ellen Foley (as you know she is one of my favorites at the moment) sounds great, and Meat Loaf sounds fantastic himself. If I had to pick a song from the record, I'd say my favorite is part II of "Paradise By the Dashboard Light", "Let Me Sleep On It". I love the sound and the lyrics of this one.