Talk:I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)

Text
[The following text originally appeared on the page:] To the record company, Meat Loaf's comeback record. The one that went number one in over 25 countries! Released in 1993 from 'Bat Out Of Hell II'! Written by Jim Steinman and with a 7 and a half minute music video that has a Beauty And The Beast 1993 theme to it. Twelve minutes on the album, with a classic instrumental opening.

Video
I am not sure there is any point in citing this "I think the cinematography is pure, and it tells a story about the song" because I can hardly see a connection between the text and the video. I say this both after reading carefully the lyrics of the song, and after reading the two section in the wikipedia page "Text" and "Video". Lyrics are about love and doing anything for it, where is the place for Beauty and Beast, Dracula, lesbian vampires etc etc??? Of course they had the right to that, but this rather already interprets lyrics in some way, not tells the story of the song - so no reason to quote that sentence. I loved this song and video when I was 15, now I have read the wiki page I think people are trying to find deeper things than they are, and I do not like that at all... But hey, everybody needs to have a god, right.
 * The comment about B&tB is sourced. The JPS talk to me  18:47, 5 October 2008 (UTC)

Dead Link
The link in reference 5 is dead - Joe King

Vampirism?
I've seen the theory, which I believe is based on the music video (wherein Meat Loaf plays a vampire, or at least a disfigured human with qualities attributed to mythical vampires, who admires a female human. When she notices him, she chases him and he runs away): That 'it' is turning the woman into a vampire herself. However, I'm not sure where I came up with this (I know I didn't come up with it on my own, at least) and I can't find a credible source. Evidence is mostly found in the music video, but I think some of the lyrics might support this theory. Notably:

"I'll never forget the way you feel right now" : If she becomes a vampire, her appearance would change, her body temperature would lower, etc.

"I know you can save me, no one else can save me now but you"

"Maybe I'm lonely and that's all I'm qualified to be"

Its hard for me to say, and I don't want to toss something on there with no real evidence. Thus, I leave it to the discretion of whoever happens to come along later and read this.
 * I have a twenty minute documentary on video about the marketing of Bat II and the making of this video &mdash; the video is based on Beauty and the Beast. The JPS 10:17, 12 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * It's pretty much evident that it's the Beauty and the Beast. EliasAlucard|Talk 12:46, 12 Jun, 2005 (UTC)
 * Why is there a scene taken from the Dracula (Bram Stoker) film then? (Meat Loaf sitting in his chair, her in bed and some vampire women touching her). It's definitely taken from this movie, and it IS about vampires. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.37.194.174 (talk) 22:24, 30 August 2010 (UTC)
 * Interpretation must be supported by reliable sources. No matter how obvious it is, or how much we agree, we need reliable sources. The JPS talk to me  08:46, 1 September 2010 (UTC)

Mixing of two concepts
I have read a few sources crediting this video to Beauty and the Beast, which is obviously consistent with the make-up and most of the concept. It seems that there are others who believe that this is about vampirism, to which I completely agree also.

I say this because a there are at least a few scenes that directly relate to the legend of Dracula. Very specifically at 3:30 with the mystically moving chair and more significantly at 4:22 when the girl is laying on the bed and twisting around while sinister-faced women (dracula's wives) crawl over her. Both are historically famous as part of Bram Stoker's Dracula. There are also a couple of shots with broken glass that also appears to have come from a mirror (maybe or maybe not, plenty of glass breaks in the video). It seems that the disappearing act at the end could be related either to dracula or simply a general move used in tons of music videos for effect

+++i understand what you meanm but i think its nothing more than a coincidence. im sure those were just ideas that steinman possibly added to play along with the theme of the video, theres also no significant facts that say it is partially based on the legend o dracula or vampirism...Kaleb666 (talk) 06:32, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Censored?
Is there a reference for the claim "sex, drums, and rock 'n' roll" is a censored version? It sounds more like an intentional play on words to me. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.63.24.51 (talk • contribs) 18:05, 11 September 2006
 * Now cited. The JPS talk to me  18:18, 11 September 2006 (UTC)

Yes, the original and New Zealand version when released was "Pray to the god of sex drugs and rock and roll." Talk about PC nanny state America! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 222.154.56.126 (talk) 00:46, 14 January 2012 (UTC)

Interesting coincidence -- worth a mention?
There's an interesting blog article here demonstrating the lyrical and musical similarities between the chorus of "I'd Do Anything ..." and the outsider musician Y. Bhekhirst's 1986 song "I Will Sing." This is almost certainly pure coincidence (Bhekhirst is extremely obscure, and not the sort of composer Jim Steinman would be looking to for ideas), but it's so remarkable that I wondered if it was worth a mention in the article. If you'd like to hear Bhekhirst's song for yourself, you can download an MP3 of it here (wait about 40 seconds for the vocals to come in). I really was struck by the resemblance. Perodicticus 20:59, 20 October 2006 (UTC)
 * I see what you mean! It's bloody dreadful tho'!! We can't really put in the article, though, because it would be original research. The JPS talk to me  09:23, 21 October 2006 (UTC)

Lyrics
ok, why have you undone my changes. i feel offended by the fact that you disappreciate my work. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.234.110.198 (talk • contribs) 21:36, 29 October 2006
 * Unfortunately we cannot accept copyrighted lyrics into Wikipedia. Normally I would leave an explaination for removing others' work, but since your changes effectively consisted of copy and pasting, and hence little to be offended about, I belived that it wasn't an issue. There is an external link to a site with the lyrics.  The JPS talk to me  21:23, 29 October 2006 (UTC)

"That"
What won't he do?--Kingforaday1620 22:39, 30 October 2006 (UTC)
 * You're joking, right? The JPS talk to me  09:37, 1 November 2006 (UTC)

Yeah.--Kingforaday1620 22:48, 1 November 2006 (UTC)
 * :P The JPS talk to me  01:18, 2 November 2006 (UTC)
 * You know, when this song came out I remember thinking that "that" could either be interpreted as what Meat Loaf says he won't do or as something unspecified, or as both, and now that it has been revealed innumerable times that the former was intended, it seems that the lyric was structured very awkwardly, referring to antecedents that came a minute before, etc. bleh.  I hated this song when it came out, the campy costumes in the music video, and I hate the song today. 67.185.99.246 23:18, 31 December 2006 (UTC)
 * Thanks for your interesting opinion. The JPS talk to me  23:20, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

The current explanation of what "that" is has to be one of the worst things I have ever read. It was written in a form that no one would be able to interpret.
 * Depends if they were above the age of 12, or were willing to learn more complex terms than "before". The JPS talk to me  22:21, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

It seems to me that "that" is clearly a variable in this song. The character is agreeing to anything the elusive woman is asking of him and agrees to not do anything that she is afraid he might do. In short, his end goal is to "..go all the way tonight..", and he's willing to say whatever is necessary to achive it. The fact that some believe it to be more complex, romatic, or sophisticated surely gives both Jim and Meatloaf endless hours of giggles. He could just as easily be saying "yah, yah, whatever, let's go". —Preceding unsigned comment added by RobertGary1 (talk • contribs) 23:09, 17 October 2007 (UTC)
 * I think the common (mis)interpretation is hardly sophisticated. What Neanderthals don't like is the sophisticated vocabulary used to explain it in this article. The JPS talk to me  08:48, 18 October 2007 (UTC)

He states what "That" is during the song: see linky — Preceding unsigned comment added by 130.102.158.16 (talk) 00:53, 22 June 2012 (UTC)

I always assumed it was oral sex. Surely I am not the only one... — Preceding unsigned comment added by 223.194.196.116 (talk) 06:16, 19 March 2016 (UTC)

Its so obvious in the song what "that" is. He says it over and over. She won't sleep with him unless he does A,B,C. He said "I'll do A, B,C". She says I won't sleep with you unless you don't fool around on me. He said "I won't do that". He's not thinking at all but just echoing whatever she wants to hear for sex. Amusing that people believe its something esoteric. You are all totally over thinking it. Plus if you've ever heard anything else Jim has written you'd know he writes about simple subjects. --RobertGary1 (talk) 22:02, 30 September 2020 (UTC)

Good Article
This is a good article! Yay! Twinxor t 08:53, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

What he won't do
Clearly "love" = "sex" in this song. He'll do anything to get laid except that he won't take advantage of her (forget her feelings, screw around on her, etc).

-Robert —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 192.25.240.225 (talk) 22:17, 29 December 2006 (UTC).

Ook al is deze vrouw Nog zo bloedmooi, en zal hij alles doen om haar te bezitten , alles wat een man zou doen om haar te houden , hoe hij ook smacht naar haar , hij krijgt het niet over zijn hart zo een schoonheid naar zijn wereld te brengen en haar in een Nosferatu “beast” te veranderen. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2A02:1811:4409:5600:3449:1AE6:AEEB:D99E (talk) 22:31, 7 December 2019 (UTC)

He'll do anything she asks and he won't do anything she doesn't want him to do if he gets laid. Seriously folks, this is a simple song. Just ask a 15 year old boy want it means and he'll tell you immediately. Jim doesn't write complex songs. --RobertGary1 (talk) 22:04, 30 September 2020 (UTC)

The All Music Guide review
This is a poorly written review. The song is rendered "...I won't do hat" and "prophesizes" is not a word. Shiggity 23:39, 31 December 2006 (UTC)
 * So correct it then. It seems to me that you are being a troll. The JPS talk to me  10:59, 1 January 2007 (UTC)


 * JPS, I believe you wrong to snap that Shiggity. It sounds like they are complaining about All Music Guide's review that is used frequently as a reference here... NOT the Wikipedia article itself. I believe it was an attempt to question whether a given source was a good quality one, not complain about this article's coverage in general. This doesn't sound at all like a "troll" to me, quite the opposite. Whereas you came off as sounding like you had never read WP:Civility or WP:AGF before, and seem to have failed to notice the title of this section of the talk page, which clearly denotes the subject as referring the the All Music Guide review. If Shiggity was unfamiliar with All Music Guide, perhaps he was merely trying to ask if it was considered a generally good source before he removed it, which I don't blame him for at all, since many times editors on here do add sources that are less than ideal, and even the article itself claims that "one reviewer" for All Music Guide does not understand the song's lyrics. I'm not sure I care enough to check All Music Guide at this point as the last time I looked on that site (ages ago) I didn't find much use in it, but honestly, you were quite unnecessarily rude, and give the impression that you completely misunderstood what Shiggity was actually talking about in the first place. Runa27 (talk) 22:36, 8 December 2007 (UTC)
 * Yes, my mistake. I didn't read the subheading. I'm so used to dealing with dickheads who make similar drive-by comments. Of course, if I could be bothered, I could write a paragraph indicating how you could have drawn attention to my error more politely,  The JPS talk to me  18:45, 5 October 2008 (UTC)


 * I agree with that though. I won't do hat either! :) --66.60.137.134 (talk) 16:34, 5 June 2009 (UTC)

Quanity of fair use lyrcis
Whereas the anon makes some useful edits, we might be breaching the acceptable amount of lyrics we can quote. The JPS talk to me  13:32, 3 January 2007 (UTC)

There was an interview on UK TV when this song first came out where Meat Loaf was asked what "that" was and he jokingly replied "Eat a worm!" I wish I could remeber what show it was on, it was definately daytime TV.

Oh, and no I am not Joking! Can anyone else remeber this?
 * I guess he was just bored at having to answering the same question two billion times. I can imagine him doing that. 08:55, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

why no reference to the plagiarism of the Dracula movie?
the lesbo vampire girls in the video. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 58.142.51.31 (talk) 16:08, 3 October 2007 (UTC)
 * What plagiarism of which Dracula movie? Do you have a reliable source? Dracula (1991, wasn't it?) wasn't the first to feature "lesbo vampire girls." It wasn't entirely original itself. The JPS talk to me  17:14, 3 October 2007 (UTC)
 * We even have an article on Lesbian vampires. In this case, the correct word, I feel, is homage. --Agamemnon2 18:43, 3 October 2007 (UTC)

Title
Is it "I Would..." or "I'd..." as we seem to have a mixture in the article:


 * Article title: I'd


 * Bold text in lead: I would


 * Infobox title: I would


 * Infobox image: I'd

--Jameboy (talk) 12:00, 29 April 2009 (UTC)

So who plays the cop in charge?
There are only 3 actors in the music video (the rest are extras). These are the male singer, the female singer and the cop who leads the hunt on them. The article already names the first two, but what about the third? -82.80.23.45 (talk) 14:31, 5 December 2009 (UTC)

Bram Stoker's Dracula
Yet again, editors are trying to insert references to Bram Stoker's Dracula. Per no original research, any comparison/interpretation must be supported by reliable sources. The JPS talk to me  20:49, 30 November 2010 (UTC)

"Others assume that "that" is a reference to anal sex."
Really? Who? And why does their conjecture warrant inclusion in this article? Given the tone of the lyrics and thematic structure of the song, why would anyone think that anal sex is the one reason for Meat Loaf to give up on love? Just for the hell of it, can we go ahead and plant the same conjecture in the JFK assassination article? "Some assume he was killed by anal sex!" It would be every bit as insane as this. --63.230.55.145 (talk) 01:48, 7 March 2011 (UTC)

Anne Bader
Why exactly do 'Anne Bader's' opinions need to be in this article? Isn't Wikipedia supposed to be non-opinionated? Further, what is it that makes her opinion notable to begin with? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 204.99.250.45 (talk) 17:06, 11 November 2011 (UTC)
 * She's a published academic, writing in a book published by a reputable publisher. The JPS talk to me  21:24, 11 November 2011 (UTC)

Cunnilingus?
Cunnilingus? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 50.103.147.233 (talk) 21:54, 2 March 2013 (UTC)

direct quotations
Per this, short direct quotations are perfectly acceptable if highlighted as such and referenced correctly. The JPS <sup style="color:purple;">talk to me  21:04, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

External links modified
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Early 1980s reference/inspiration?
Listening to a 1984 Jim Steinman remix of the Bonnie Tyler song, "It's A Jungle Out There," Tyler declares at the beginning of the song, "I'd do anything for love, but I won't do that." I think this is worth noting in the history of the song, but I'm not sure where one would put it. Normally, one might say, "coincidence," save for Steinman's production of the Tyler song and his writing of the Meat Loaf song. Though he didn't write the Tyler song, the phrase doesn't appear on the album version, but it does in his remix of it. Furthermore, is it possible he'd written the song many years prior, and this is a reference to it?

Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCpaMZ2-zx8

Release: https://www.discogs.com/Bonnie-Tyler-Its-A-Jungle-Out-There/release/8457265


 * Jim Steinman's own article mentions that he is credited with speaking that line on "Getting So Excited" (rather than "It's A Jungle Out There") though that's not mentioned on the Faster Than the Speed of Night article. It looks like something he originated around that time, anyway - rather than something he picked up from someone else. --Walnuts go kapow (talk) 15:59, 20 November 2017 (UTC)

Cassette vs CD
I don't know why you replaced the cassette with the CD. I reverted your replacement of the cassette single. I think you took it from a European release (ebay) and misidentified it as the US CD commercial. Right? Two US CD releases are promo-only (one: discogs (1), ebay (1); another: discogs (1), ebay (1), ebay (2)). Only American customers receive the vinyl and the tape (ebay) on retail. They haven't had retail CD single releases printed in the US. Or, as I must say, the US CD wasn't released in retail stores, unfortunately. --George Ho (talk) 11:28, 2 February 2022 (UTC)