Talk:Paradise by the Dashboard Light

Older comments
Oh my gosh. This was the best song ever. I didn't get it when I was little but now that I'm older I got it. My dad laughs at me everytime I sing it because I used to be confused about the radio part. TearAwayTheFunerealDress 16:17, 4 November 2005 (UTC)

I dont have anything to add, I just want to say this is a fantastic article, at least, as of 4-08-06. Keeperoftheseal 03:19, 9 April 2006 (UTC)

Uh...what is the disputed neutrality of this article??? Afabbro 22:08, 9 August 2006 (UTC)

I know that the album itself is considered a rock opera, but this is the only part of it that really is an opera. So shouldn't this be categorized as an opera instead of the album itself? —Preceding unsigned comment added by DEADHAWK076 (talk • contribs)

My interpretation of the song title and “Paradise” (Part 1)
Isn’t it important to explain the meaning of the song title??? I believe that the song writer used the word “paradise” to describe how the girl’s body looked “in the deep dark night” by the dim glow of the “dashboard light”:

“Parking by the lake And there was not another car in sight And I never had a girl Looking any better than you did And all the kids at school They were wishing they were me that night” … “Though it's cold and lonely in the deep dark night I can see paradise by the dashboard light”

I also think that the description of part 1 “Paradise” should be changed to reflect that the two lovers are clearly parked by the lake (not driving) at night because there’s “no other cars in sight” and they can fool around there.

Karacter0 (talk) 06:38, 1 November 2008 (UTC)

Unreferenced
99% of this article has zero references. Can somebody possibly find some and add them in? I'll try and find what I can later. If there are no references that meet WP:RS, then i'll sprinkle little citation needed tags all over and, eventually, remove the unsourced material if nobody comes forward with sources.Firestorm (talk) 19:33, 4 January 2009 (UTC)

Uncredited quote
A distinctive and significant portion of this song was quoted (as a conversation) by the two lead characters in the (bad) horror movie Dead Inn. should this be mentioned, that the song was plagiarized in this way? KhayPrower (talk) 08:39, 10 April 2009 (UTC)

Both characters can't stand each other by the end
The article implied she ended up happy, whereas he was miserable. In the song, both sing that they are praying for the end of time. And if you watch a live version on Youtube, she looks pretty hostile to him in the last verse! 144.32.126.12 (talk) 15:01, 19 May 2011 (UTC)

billboard hot 100 rank
This article contradicts itself - it claims the song made it to #39 on the US Billboard Hot 100, then it claims #31 one section later for the same chart. Which is it? K7L (talk) 03:38, 21 April 2013 (UTC)

Covers
I am surprised no attempts have been made to mention notable covers of the song. Example in point: Glee covered this song in season 3, episode 21 set in the New Directions title-winning performance at the mythical 2012 Show Chior Championship performance. The segment from the episode is posted on You Tube. The two leads are portrayed by character FinnHudson (Cory Monteith) and Rachel Berry (Lea Michelle).

Theschnauzers (talk) 04:23, 9 August 2020 (UTC)


 * There are cover versions of most notable songs. Listing all of them is neither possible nor encyclopedic (there are tens of thousands of released covers of "Yesterday" and everyone from Jimi Hendrix, Roseanne Barr and dozens of Olympics' orchestras have performed "The Star Spangled Banner" at notable events, for example). So, we need criteria for determining which to include.


 * WP:COVERSONG essentially says we should include cover versions if and only if the cover versions would be notable independent of the original version. So, We include three covers of the Beatles "With a Little Help from My Friends" which have charted (so they would independently meet WP:NSONG). The other 50 or so released covers fail. Most songs are not notable. Had the Glee! version been released as a single and charted (as a good number of songs from the show did), it would merit at least a mention. Otherwise, it's trivial. - Sum mer PhD v2.0 14:31, 9 August 2020 (UTC)

Mix of Musical Styles, Tempo changes and Voice Interplay
This song, though very long by music standards, combines Boogie-Woogie, Do Wop and even Beguine stylings in the final section. That is what makes it so interesting. It could be also characterized as a musical in four sections, completed in eight minutes. It is amazing what they were able to get away with considering this was the late seventies. Thanks, Meatloaf, may you rest in peace. 98.43.62.150 (talk) 21:43, 14 September 2023 (UTC)