Bat Out of Hell

This article is about the album. For the title track, see Bat Out of Hell (song). For other uses, see Bat Out of Hell (disambiguation).

Bat Out of Hell
Futuristic motorcycle rider; the motorcycle has jet exhaust. A bat-like figure on the tower of a building.
Studio album by
Meat Loaf
with songs by Jim Steinman
ReleasedOctober 21, 1977 (1977-10-21) (US)
Recorded1975–1976
Studio
  • Bearsville (Woodstock, New York)
  • Utopia Sound (Lake Hill, New York)
  • The Hit Factory (New York City)
  • House of Music (West Orange, New Jersey)
GenreWagnerian rock
Length46:25
Label
ProducerTodd Rundgren
Meat Loaf
with songs by Jim Steinman chronology
Stoney & Meatloaf
(1971) 		Bat Out of Hell
(1977) 		Dead Ringer
(1981)
Singles from Bat Out of Hell
  1. "You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)"
    Released: October 1977
  2. "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad"
    Released: March 1978
  3. "Bat Out of Hell"
    Released: May 1978 (Aus)
  4. "Paradise by the Dashboard Light"
    Released: August 1978
  5. "All Revved Up with No Place to Go"
    Released: October 1978 (UK)[1]

Bat Out of Hell is the debut studio album by American rock singer Meat Loaf and composer Jim Steinman. The album was developed from the musical Neverland. Neverland is a futuristic rock version of Peter Pan which Steinman wrote for a workshop in 1974. It was recorded during 1975–1976 at various studios, including Bearsville Studios in Woodstock, New York. The album was produced by Todd Rundgren, and released in October 1977 by Cleveland International/Epic Records.[2] Bat Out of Hell spawned two Meat Loaf sequel albums: Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell (1993) and Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose (2006).

Bat Out of Hell has sold over 43 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time.[3] It is certified 14× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[4] It is the best-selling album in Australia, having been certified 26× platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).[5] As of June 2019, it has spent 522 weeks in the UK Albums Chart, the fourth longest chart run by a studio album.[6] In 2012, Rolling Stone ranked it at number 343 on its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[7][8]

A musical based on Bat Out of Hell, staged by Jay Scheib, opened at the Manchester Opera House on February 17, 2017, before transferring to the London Coliseum and Toronto's Ed Mirvish Theatre in late 2017.[9] Between April 2, 2018 and January 5, 2019, the show was performed at the Dominion Theatre in London,[10] before a short run the same year in the United States.[11]

  1. ^ "Meat Loaf singles".
  2. ^ Meat Loaf. (1999). To hell and back : the autobiography by Meat Loaf. Dalton, David, 1945–. London: Virgin. p. 128. ISBN 1852278803. OCLC 40926454.
  3. ^ Whitaker, Sterling (October 21, 2012). "35 Years Ago: Meat Loaf's 'Bat Out of Hell' Released". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved December 28, 2014.
  4. ^ "RIAA Database, Bat Out of Hell". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 11, 2011.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference aria was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Meat Loaf: In and Out of Hell". BBC. July 15, 2015.
  7. ^ "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. May 31, 2012. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  8. ^ "500 Greatest Albums of All Time Rolling Stone's definitive list of the 500 greatest albums of all time". Rolling Stone. 2012. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  9. ^ "BAT OUT OF HELL flies into London". London Box Office. August 19, 2016. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
  10. ^ batoutofhellmusical.com, Bat Out of Hell |. "Bat Out of Hell". Bat Out of Hell. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  11. ^ "A Meat Loaf musical might actually end up on Broadway". New York Post. November 8, 2017. Retrieved April 8, 2018.