This song is about a teenage boy trying to convince a girl to have sex with him in a car. Sex would be the "paradise" for him, but she holds out until he says he loves her and will stay with her forever. Overcome by passion, he does, and honors his word to spend the rest of his life with her even though he can't stand her.
Like all the tracks on Bat Out of Hell, "Paradise By The Dashboard Light" was written by Jim Steinman, who had a very theatrical style perfect for Meat Loaf's operatic rock voice. Steinman said the songs on the album are not directly personal, but are based on "obsessions and images."
Two members of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band played on this track: Roy Bittan (keyboards and piano) and Max Weinberg (drums). The song's composer, Jim Steinman, also contributed keyboards and is credited with "Lascivious Effects," which we assume are some of the lovemaking sounds during the baseball narration. The Springsteen influence goes beyond the two musicians who played on the track. Steinman and the album's producer, Todd Rundgren, cite the Born To Run album, and especially the songs "Thunder Road" and "Jungleland," as an influence. Bat Out of Hell was an even more grandiose collection of passionate songs about looking for something better in life - the Springsteen hallmarks dialed up a few notches.
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