Hang Cool Teddy Bear

In May 2009, Meat Loaf began work on the album in the studio with Green Day's American Idiot album producer Rob Cavallo, whom he credits with rescuing the project after the initial recordings were made. "I went into the studio with 19 songs and three of them made the record," Meat Loaf said. "Rob said, 'Look, these other songs are for a different album than the one we're making.'" A friend, Hollywood screenwriter Kilian Kerwin, gave Meat Loaf the idea of making a concept album. Meat Loaf and Kerwin discussed the idea of a soldier lying near death on a battlefield, but instead of his life flashing before his eyes, his possible future flashes before them. Each song presents "a different scenario in his future". Meat Loaf recruited eight songwriters for the album— including Jon Foreman, Desmond Child, former American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi,Spillane, Sean, "Meat Loaf: Not done yet and back in Connecticut for Mohegan Sun concert", article, "Go" entertainment supplement, The Advocate of Stamford, Connecticut (also in The News-Times of Danbury, Connecticut Post of Bridgeport and Greenwich Time newspapers), July 8, 2010 The Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins, Rick Brantley, Eric Sean Nally, Tommy Henriksen and Jon Bon Jovi.{{cite web |url=http://www.vidtweeter.com/show.php?id=9jcbn |title=A VidTweet From @RealMeatLoaf - Meat Loaf |publisher=Vidtweeter.com |date=2009-08-11 |access-date=2010-09-01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130205151245/http://www.vidtweeter.com/show.php?id=9jcbn |archive-date=2013-02-05 }} "I didn't tell [the songwriters] what the story was and I'm kind of glad I didn't because it becomes too literal when you do that," Meat Loaf said.

Much of the work on the album was done in July 2009. It was officially completed as of December 12, 2009.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0Slf8MLfkw |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211220/w0Slf8MLfkw |archive-date=2021-12-20 |url-status=live|title=VID00065.MP4 |publisher=YouTube |access-date=2010-09-01}}{{cbignore}}

Guest musicians on the album include guitarists Steve Vai and Brian May of Queen, a longtime friend of Meat Loaf, Brooklyn musician Adam Ahuja, as well as actors Hugh Laurie and Jack Black, also old friends.

Thirteen songs appear on the album, with a fourteenth, "Prize Fight Lover," included as a free MP3 download from hangcoolteddybear.com.

A fifteenth song was recorded as a B-side to "Los Angeloser" entitled "Boneyard." It features Meat Loaf's daughter, Pearl Aday. A further B-side is available for purchase on iTunes (US store only) entitled "Don't Get Me Going" on the "If I Can't Have You" EP. That EP also includes a single edit of "If I Can't Have You" and a live version of "Hot Patootie (Bless My Soul)" recorded on the 2010 tour.

{{Track listing

| all_writing =

| title1 = Peace on Earth

| writer1 = Rick Brantley

| length1 = 6:38

| title2 = Living on the Outside

| writer2 = Brantley

| length2 = 5:03

| title3 = Los Angeloser

| writer3 = James Michael

| length3 = 4:09

| title4 = If I Can't Have You

| note4 = feat. Kara DioGuardi and Hugh Laurie

| writer4 = Kara DioGuardi, Paul Freeman, Raine Maida

| length4 = 5:00

| title5 = Love Is Not Real/Next Time You Stab Me in the Back

| note5 = feat. Brian May and Steve Vai

| writer5 = Rob Cavallo, Justin Hawkins, Meat Loaf, Eric Sean Nally

| length5 = 7:33

| title6 = Like a Rose

| note6 = feat. Jack Black

| writer6 = Kevin Kadish, Jake Scherer

| length6 = 3:16

| title7 = Song of Madness

| note7 = feat. Steve Vai

| writer7 = Brantley, Meat Loaf, Jamie Muhoberac

| length7 = 5:31

| title8 = Did You Ever Love Somebody

| writer8 = Marsha Malamet, Liz Vidal

| length8 = 4:01

| title9 = California Isn't Big Enough (Hey There Girl)

| note9 = *Not included on some editions

| writer9 = Hawkins, Nally

| length9 = 4:43

| title10 = Running Away from Me

| writer10 = Jon Foreman

| length10 = 3:54

| title11 = Let's Be in Love

| note11 = feat. Patti Russo

| writer11 = Gregory Becker, John Paul White, Mathius Wollo

| length11 = 5:11

| title12 = If It Rains

| writer12 = Jaren Johnston, Neil Mason

| length12 = 3:56

| title13 = Elvis in Vegas

| writer13 = Desmond Child, Billy Falcon, Jon Bon Jovi

| title14 =

| length14 =

| title15 =

| length15 =

| title16 =

| length16 =

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| total_length =

| length13 = 6:01

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Bonus tracks

| title14 = Boneyard

| note14 = iTunes bonus track

| writer14 = Tom Hambridge

| length14 = 5:02

| title15 = Prize Fight Lover

| note15 = free download bonus track [http://www.hangcoolteddybear.com www.hangcoolteddybear.com]

| writer15 = Dave Bassett, Rick Brantley, Tommy Henriksen

| length15 = 5:50

| title16 = Don't Get Me Going

| note16 = iTunes and Napster B-side to If I Can't Have You EP

| length16 = 2:53

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Disc 2: Casa de Carne Live Album (with Deluxe and Super Deluxe Editions only)

| title1 = I Want You So Hard (Boy's Bad News)

| note1 = 8/11/08, Helsinki Ice Hall, Finland

| writer1 = Jesse Hughes, Josh Homme

| length1 = 3:09

| title2 = If It Ain't Broke, Break It

| note2 = 7/9/08 Nottingham Arena, UK

| writer2 = Jim Steinman

| length2 = 4:59

| title3 = Blind as a Bat

| note3 = 7/13/08, Blickling Hall, Norfolk, UK

| writer3 = Desmond Child, James Michael

| length3 = 6:21

| title4 = Amnesty Is Granted

| note4 = 7/21/08, Zitadelle Spandau, Berlin, Germany

| writer4 = Sammy Hagar

| length4 = 5:11

| title5 = Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through

| note5 = 7/23/08, Stadtpark, Hamburg

| writer5 = Steinman

| length5 = 7:34

| title6 = I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)

| note6 = 6/29/08, The Marquee, Cork, Ireland

| writer6 = Steinman

| length6 = 10:01

| title7 = Two Out of Three Ain't Bad

| note7 = 12/2/08, Chevrolet Centre, Youngstown, Ohio

| writer7 = Steinman

| length7 = 6:25

| title8 = Bat Out of Hell

| note8 = 12/6/08, United Palace Theatre, New York

| writer8 = Steinman

| length8 = 12:51

| title9 = Roadhouse Blues/Why Don't We Do It in the Road?

| note9 = 8/8/08, Grieghallen, Bergen, Norway

| writer9 = The Doors/John Lennon, Paul McCartney

| length9 = 9:29

| title10 = Out of the Frying Pan (And Into the Fire)

| note10 = 7/26/08, Atlântico Hall, Lisbon (iTunes exclusive)

| writer10 = Steinman

| length10 = 10:39

}}

During Meat Loaf's 2010 UK tour, a special two-disc tour edition was given out. The second disc included four songs recorded live at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey, on July 16, 2010.

{{Track listing

| title1 = Peace on Earth

| writer1 = Rick Brantley

| length1 = 7:03

| title2 = Living on the Outside

| writer2 = Brantley

| length2 = 5:58

| title3 = Song of Madness

| writer3 = Brantley, Meat Loaf, Jamie Muhoberac

| length3 = 6:25

| title4 = Los Angeloser

| writer4 = James Michael

| length4 = 4:59

}}

{{Album ratings

| rev1 = The Guardian

| rev1Score = {{Rating|3|5}}

| rev2 = The Independent

| rev2Score = {{Rating|2|5}}

| rev3 = AllMusic

| rev3Score = {{Rating|2.5|5}}{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r1778581|pure_url=yes}} |title=Hang Cool Teddy Bear review |work=allmusic.com}}

| rev4 = 411mania

| rev4Score = {{Rating|9|10}}{{cite web |url=http://www.411mania.com/music/album_reviews/138660 |title=Hang Cool Teddy Bear review |work=411mania |access-date=2010-05-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100514130051/http://www.411mania.com/music/album_reviews/138660 |archive-date=2010-05-14 |url-status=dead }}

| rev5 = The Times

| rev5Score = {{Rating|4|5}}

| rev6 = Mojo Radio

| rev6Score = 8.4/10{{cite web |first=Rustyn |last=Rose |title=Review: Hang Cool Teddy Bear |url=http://mojoradio.us/cd-review-meat-loaf-hang-cool-teddy-bear/ |publisher=Mojo Radio |access-date=26 April 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101226005349/http://mojoradio.us/cd-review-meat-loaf-hang-cool-teddy-bear/ |archive-date=26 December 2010 }}

}}

Writing for The Guardian, Caroline Sullivan said: "Hang Cool, Teddy Bear is of a piece with the rest of his catalogue: the pounding guitars never slacken, emotions are writ very large and the lyrics rarely lack sly wit...less happily, the tempo never varies – this album desperately needs a ballad – and 13 unrelenting tracks is a good deal more than enough."{{cite news|author=Caroline Sullivan |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/apr/15/meat-loaf-cd-review |title=Meat Loaf: Hang Cool, Teddy Bear | CD review | Music |work=The Guardian |date= 2010-04-15|access-date=2010-09-01 | location=London}} The Times gave a positive review, saying: 'Everything about Meat's eleventh album screams novelty cabaret “metal”, yet this is his most credible record in three decades. Ditching the theatrical cheese, Meat, 62, can still bellow an anthem of youthful lust.'{{cite news|url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/cd_reviews/article7096419.ece |title=Meat Loaf Hang Cool Teddy Bear |date=2010-04-17 |access-date=2010-09-01 |location=London |work=The Times |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615081431/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/cd_reviews/article7096419.ece |archive-date=June 15, 2011 }} The Independent was more skeptical, pointing to correlation between recruiting guest-performers and the weakness of 'a high-profile performer's output'.{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-meat-loaf-hang-cool-teddy-bear-mercury-1946190.html |title=Album: Meat Loaf, Hang Cool Teddy Bear (Mercury) - Reviews, Music |work=The Independent |date=2010-04-16 |access-date=2010-09-01 | location=London | first=Andy | last=Gill}}

The album charted at number 4 in the official UK Albums Chart on April 25, 2010. It peaked at number 27 on the US Billboard 200.

The Hang Cool Tour commenced on July 3, 2010, in support of the album and consisted of three legs through Europe and North America until August 5, 2011.

• Produced by Rob Cavallo
• Mixed by Chris Lord-Alge
• Engineered by Doug McKean
• Mastered by Ted Jensen
• String and percussion arrangements on "Peace on Earth": David Campbell

The album art is by Boris Vallejo.{{Cite web|url=https://www.borisjulie.com/portfolio/hang-cool-teddy-bear/|title = Hang Cool Teddy Bear}}

• Meat Loaf – lead vocals

• Paul Crook – guitar
• Randy Flowers – guitar, backing vocals (tracks 1–4, 7, 8, 10–13)
• Kasim Sulton – bass guitar, backing vocals
• John Miceli – drums
• Patti Russo – female lead vocals (track 11), featured vocals (track 2), backing vocals (tracks 1–3, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13)
• Carolyn "C.C." Coletti-Jablonski – backing vocals (tracks 2, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13)

• James Michael – guitar, backing vocals (track 3)
• Tim Pierce – guitar
• Pearl Aday – backing vocals ("Boneyard")

• Adam Ahuja – "3rd verse R&B guitar" (track 5)
• Rob Cavallo – additional guitar (track 5)
• Chris Chaney – bass guitar
• Jamie Muhoberac – keyboards
• Eric Dover, Jaime Neely, Julian Raymond, Eric Skodus – backing vocals (track 9)
• Carmen Carter – backing vocals (tracks 2, 11)
• Marcus Blake, Georgia Haege (also track 2), Jim Wilson – backing vocals (tracks 7, 8, 10, 12, 13)

• Rick Brantley – guitar, backing vocals (tracks 1, 2, 7)
• Justin Hawkins – guitar, backing vocals (tracks 3, 5, 9)
• Steve Vai – additional guitar (tracks 5, 7)
• Brian May – additional guitar (track 5)
• Hugh Laurie – piano (track 4)
• Kara DioGuardi – female lead and backing vocals (track 4)
• 78violet – backing vocals (track 4)
• Jack Black – backing vocals (track 6)
• Jake Scherer – backing vocals (track 6)

{{Certification Table Top}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|relyear=2010|certyear=2024|title=Hang Cool Teddy Bear|artist=Meat Loaf|type=album|award=Gold|id=8604-853-2|access-date=September 29, 2024}}

{{Certification Table Bottom | noshipments=true|nosales=true|streaming=true}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{Official website|http://www.hangcoolteddybear.com}}

{{Meat Loaf}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Albums produced by Rob Cavallo

Category:Meat Loaf albums

Category:2010 albums

Category:Mercury Records albums