Hit Parade Podcast Summary: "Turn Around, Bright Eyes, Part 1"
Host: Chris Molanphy
Date: October 16, 2020
Podcast: Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Slate Podcasts)

Episode Overview

This episode of Hit Parade delves into the life, career, and inimitable style of songwriter and producer Jim Steinman, the architect behind some of pop’s most bombastic, theatrical chart-toppers. Host Chris Molanphy traces Steinman’s rise, his landmark collaborations with Meat Loaf, and his uncanny ability to craft instantly recognizable mega-hits—culminating in October 1983, when he astonishingly wrote and produced both the #1 and #2 songs on the Billboard Hot 100: Bonnie Tyler’s "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and Air Supply’s "Making Love Out of Nothing at All."

Along the way, Molanphy places Steinman in the lineage of influential pop producers, examining what makes a "smash"—from talent to timing to the unmistakable mark of larger-than-life producers.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The October 1983 Chart Feat & Steinman’s Signature Sound

• Main Event:
  In October 1983, the top two songs in America were the melodramatic twin anthems "Total Eclipse of the Heart" (Bonnie Tyler) and "Making Love Out of Nothing at All" (Air Supply)—both written and produced by Jim Steinman.
  • [00:00–06:44]

“Jim Steinman has a style so well defined, florid and grand, it often outshines the performers brave enough to take his songs on, even when those performers are pretty grand themselves.”
— Chris Molanphy [05:40]

• Steinman’s background as a theatrical composer is clear in his productions; his music is “operatic, bombastic, Wagnerian, even tragic” and features “knowingly absurd” song titles, lending pop an irresistible grandeur.
  • [13:13–14:50]

Chart-Topping Producers and Their “Auteurs”

• Comparison to Other Producers:
  Molanphy draws parallels to Phil Spector, Giorgio Moroder, and Max Martin, emphasizing how producers can leave a mark so indelible that the songs become theirs as much as, or more than, the performers'.

  • [07:53–13:12]

• Phil Spector is the model: “Spector produces the way Martin Scorsese or Christopher Nolan directs a film. He is the author or auteur of his material.” [08:38]

• Unlike the more chameleonic styles of Moroder and Martin, Steinman’s sonic and lyrical fingerprints are instantly obvious.

  • [13:13–14:34]

Jim Steinman’s Theatrical Roots

• Beginnings:
  Steinman was a precocious talent, writing and staging epic rock musicals at Amherst College, most notably The Dream Engine (1969), whose melodies and motifs would reappear in his later hits.
  • [14:51–17:45]
• He moved to New York, collaborating with the Public Theater and Joseph Papp, while refining his rock-opera sensibilities.

The Genesis of the Steinman–Meat Loaf Partnership

• Meeting Meat Loaf:
  Steinman met Marvin Lee Aday, aka Meat Loaf, during the 1973 Public Theater production of More Than You Deserve. Steinman was instantly struck by Meat’s huge vocal and physical presence.
  • [21:41–23:18]

“Meat was the most mesmerizing thing I’d ever seen… all my heroes were larger than life. I can seem arrogant at times because I’m certain of things, and I was certain of him.”
— Jim Steinman, quoted by Chris Molanphy [22:55]

• Meat Loaf had already dabbled in recording, Broadway, and—most notably—the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

  • [21:30–22:44]

• Steinman and Meat Loaf began working as a songwriting/performance partnership, with Steinman providing the material and Meat Loaf the unmatched full-throttle vocals.

"Bat Out of Hell" and Its Legendary Creation

• The Album’s Conception:
  Initially conceived as a Peter Pan-inspired rock musical called Neverland.

  • Influenced by Bruce Springsteen’s Born to Run (1975) and its “cinematic maximalist” sound.
    • [25:04–26:02]

• Industry Rejection and Todd Rundgren’s Role:
  Despite repeated rejections ("legendary executive Clive Davis… told Steinman he couldn’t write and that Meat Loaf couldn’t sing"), Todd Rundgren eagerly produced the album, seeing the humor and epic quality in Steinman's songs.

  • [27:47–28:36]

“So what’s the big problem? We just record it and that’s it.”
— Todd Rundgren, per Chris Molanphy [28:30]

• Rundgren not only produced but also played guitar, simulated a motorcycle with his guitar, and helped arrange vocals. Musicians included E Street Band members Max Weinberg and Roy Bittan.

  • [29:00–32:00]

• The Album’s Theatrics:

  • Dialogue and spoken-word intros (“Would you offer your throat to the wolf with the red roses?”), campy arrangements, and a baseball-style play-by-play from Yankees’ Phil Rizzuto made the album unique.
    • [32:20–34:08]

Bat Out of Hell’s Slow Burn to Classic

• The album “was a slow grower,” debuting low on the charts and gaining traction after a memorable 1978 Saturday Night Live performance and UK TV airplay.
  • [36:15–37:28]
• Singles like “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad” and “Paradise by the Dashboard Light” gradually found success. The album’s longevity is legendary—over 522 weeks on the UK charts.
  • [37:28–38:34]

The Fallout: Attempts at a Follow-Up and Artistic Fracture

• Failed Sequels and Struggles:
  Attempts at a Bat Out of Hell follow-up (such as Renegade Angel and Bad for Good) were stymied by Meat Loaf’s vocal breakdown. Steinman released Bad for Good himself, but with modest success.

  • [42:00–43:37]

• Dead Ringer and 1980s Obstacles:
  When Meat Loaf and Steinman finally regrouped, the resulting album Dead Ringer was out of step with the MTV era, despite a Cher duet (“Dead Ringer for Love”). The album faltered on the charts.

  • [44:57–46:30]

• Legal Battles and Splintering:
  Following Dead Ringer’s failure, Steinman and Meat Loaf became tangled in lawsuits and ceased direct collaboration for nearly a decade, just as Steinman was about to hit new chart highs with other artists.

  • [46:30–end]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Steinman Sound:

  “If you know the Jim Steinman sound the first time you hear one of his songs, no matter who the frontline artist is, you know it’s him. Steinman’s songs are operatic, bombastic, Wagnerian, even tragic.”
  — Chris Molanphy [13:19]

• The Meat Loaf Revelation:

  “Meat was the most mesmerizing thing I’d ever seen… all my heroes were larger than life… I was certain of him.”
  — Jim Steinman, quoted by Chris Molanphy [22:55]

• About Rejection:

  “Clive Davis… told Steinman he couldn’t write and that Meat Loaf couldn’t sing.”
  — Chris Molanphy [26:50]

• Todd Rundgren’s Nonchalance:

  “So what’s the big problem? We just record it and that’s it.”
  — Todd Rundgren, per Chris Molanphy [28:30]

Timeline/Timestamps of Key Segments

• 00:00–06:44 — Setting up 1983’s dual Steinman chart-toppers
• 07:53–13:12 — Producer auteurs: Spector, Moroder, Martin, and the uniqueness of Steinman
• 14:50–17:45 — Steinman’s precocious theatrical beginnings
• 21:30–23:18 — The arrival and impact of Meat Loaf
• 25:04–26:02 — Influence of Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run”
• 27:47–28:36 — Todd Rundgren becomes Bat out of Hell’s producer
• 32:20–34:08 — Theatrical production choices and dialogue
• 36:15–38:34 — Bat Out of Hell’s slow-burning commercial breakthrough
• 42:00–43:37 — The “Bad for Good” detour
• 44:57–46:30 — Dead Ringer and the era of MTV
• 46:30–End — Lawsuits and the split between Steinman and Meat Loaf

Tone and Style

Chris Molanphy’s narration is witty, encyclopedic, and infused with reverence for pop’s grand eccentrics. He is careful to note both the spectacle and “over-the-top, glorious schlock” of Steinman’s music while underscoring its chart impact and enduring fandom.

Summary

Part 1 of Turn Around, Bright Eyes offers a rich narrative of Jim Steinman’s dramatic ascent: from college rock-music prodigy to the bombastic genius behind Bat Out of Hell, and ultimately, to the pop overlord who, for three weeks in 1983, owned America’s chart summit. The episode charts the artistic highs, the industry skepticism, the odd-couple magic of the Steinman–Meat Loaf partnership, and the complex interplay between grand vision, timing, and music-biz luck. Part 2 will continue Steinman’s story, including his continued chart reign—a must-listen for fans of pop history's theatrical side.