You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth
{{short description|1977 single by Meat Loaf}}
{{Redirect|Hot Summer Night|other uses|Hot Summer Night (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox song
| name = You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth
| cover = You Took the Words Right out of My Mouth by Meat Loaf US vinyl.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Side-A label of U.S. 7-inch vinyl single
| type = single
| artist = Meat Loaf
| album = Bat Out of Hell
| B-side =
- "For Crying Out Loud"
- "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" (1978 reissue)
| released = October 1977 (US)
| recorded = 1976
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = *Rock{{cite magazine | url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/meat-loaf-best-songs-1288632/ | title=Meat Loaf: 10 Essential Songs | magazine=Rolling Stone | date=21 January 2022 }}
| length = 4:15 (w/o spoken intro)
5:04 (w/ spoken intro)
| label = Epic
| writer = Jim Steinman
| producer = Todd Rundgren
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| next_title = Two Out of Three Ain't Bad
| next_year = 1978
| misc = {{external music video|{{YouTube|_wO8toxinoc}}}}
}}
"You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth" (also known as "You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)") is the debut solo single by the American singer Meat Loaf, released in 1977 as the lead single from his debut album Bat Out of Hell. The song was written by Jim Steinman.{{cite web |title=You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night) by Meat Loaf - Songfacts |url=https://www.songfacts.com/facts/meat-loaf/you-took-the-words-right-out-of-my-mouth-hot-summer-night |website=www.songfacts.com |access-date=17 April 2025 |language=en}}
Background
According to his autobiography, Meat Loaf asked Jim Steinman to write a song that was not 15 or 20 minutes long, and, in Meat Loaf's words, a "pop song." His autobiography also dates the writing of the song to 1975, the song reportedly being a key factor in Meat Loaf and Steinman deciding to do an album together.
The song was the first single released from the album, with an edit of "For Crying Out Loud" as the B-side. The record peaked at No. 73 in the Record World singles chart, but only reached No. 97 in Cash Box and didn't appear at all in Billboard Hot 100. Billboard reviewed the single, finding the guitar introduction to be energetic, the beat to be "catchy" and the vocal performance to be somewhat similar to Bruce Springsteen.{{cite news|title=Top Single Picks|newspaper=Billboard|access-date=2020-07-11|page=90|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/70s/1977/Billboard%201977-10-22.pdf|date=October 22, 1977}} Billboard also commented on how occasional pauses in the instruments allow the "infectious" vocals to be highlighted.
==Commercial performance==
Following the success of the next two singles, "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad" and "Paradise by the Dashboard Light", the song was re-released in October 1978 with "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" as the B-side. This time it peaked at #39 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #42 on the Cash Box Top 100 over a year after the first release of the song. {{cite book|last=Whitburn|first=Joel|title=Joel Whitburn’s CashBox Pop Hits 1952-1996|year=2014|publisher=Record Research|isbn=978-0-89820-209-0}}
Spoken introduction
The power ballad{{Cite web|url=https://www.forsyths.co.uk/music/song-books-sheets-pop-rock/mixed-albums/38553-the-big-book-of-power-ballads-.html|title=The Big Book of Power Ballads|website=Forsyths.co.uk}} begins with a spoken word introduction by Jim Steinman and actress Marcia McClain:
:Steinman: On a hot summer night, would you offer your throat to the wolf with the red roses?
:McClain: Will he offer me his mouth?
:Steinman: Yes.
:McClain: Will he offer me his teeth?
:Steinman: Yes.
:McClain: Will he offer me his jaws?
:Steinman: Yes.
:McClain: Will he offer me his hunger?
:Steinman: Yes.
:McClain: Again, will he offer me his hunger?
:Steinman: Yes!
:McClain: And will he starve without me?
:Steinman: Yes!
:McClain: And does he love me?
:Steinman: Yes.
:McClain: Yes.
:Steinman: On a hot summer night, would you offer your throat to the wolf with the red roses?
:McClain: Yes.
:Steinman: I bet you say that to all the boys.
Steve Popovich reportedly listened to the intro to the song and it became a key factor of his accepting Bat Out of Hell for Cleveland International Records.
Reception
Cash Box called it "a classic rocker from its Spector-esque drum sound to the a capella coda with handclaps" and said that it "is a perfect rock synthesis."{{cite news|title=CashBox Singles Reviews|date=October 15, 1977|page=22|newspaper=Cash Box|accessdate=2021-12-26|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/70s/1977/CB-1977-10-15.pdf}} It also said that Meat Loaf provides a "shivering performance."{{cite news|title=CashBox Singles Reviews|date=November 4, 1978|page=26|newspaper=Cash Box|accessdate=2022-01-01|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/70s/1978/CB-1978-11-04.pdf}} Record World called it a "powerful pop-rocker" and said that "the title/hook is as good as any this year."{{cite magazine|magazine=Record World|date=October 15, 1977|accessdate=2023-02-16|title=Hits of the Week|page=1|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/70s/77/RW-1977-10-15.pdf}}
Music video
The video, as with "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad", "Paradise by the Dashboard Light", and the others in the "Bat out of Hell" set, was filmed on a soundstage as if it were a live performance, with Meat Loaf in his signature suspenders, ripped formal shirt, and bearing a red scarf.
Personnel
- Meat Loaf - lead vocals, percussion (as Marvin Lee)
- Todd Rundgren - guitar, percussion, backing vocals
- Kasim Sultan - bass guitar
- Roy Bittan - piano, keyboards
- Jim Steinman - keyboards, percussion, male dialogue intro
- Roger Powell - synthesizer
- Edgar Winter - saxophone
- Max Weinberg - drums
- Rory Dodd, Ellen Foley - additional backing vocals
- Marcia McClain - female dialogue intro
Charts
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
=Weekly charts=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| align="left"|Chart (1977)
! style="text-align:center;"|Peak |
|---|
| US Cash Box Top 100{{cite book |last=Whitburn |first=Joel |date=2015 |title=The Comparison Book |location=Menonomee Falls, Wisconsin |publisher=Record Research Inc. |page=299 |isbn=978-0-89820-213-7}}
| style="text-align:center;"|97 |
| US Record World Singles Chart
| style="text-align:center;"|73 |
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| align="left"|Chart (1978–79)
! style="text-align:center;"|Peak |
|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report){{cite book|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|type=doc|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|publisher=Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W |year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6}}
| style="text-align:center;"|3 |
| {{single chart|Flanders|4|artist=Meat Loaf|song=You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)|access-date=February 3, 2022}} |
| {{single chart|Canadatopsingles|31|chartid=0103a|access-date=June 30, 2023}} |
| {{single chart|Dutch40|3|year=1979|week=8|access-date=February 3, 2022}} |
| {{single chart|Dutch100|4|artist=Meat Loaf|song=You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)|access-date=February 3, 2022}} |
| {{single chart|New Zealand|2|artist=Meat Loaf|song=You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)|access-date=February 3, 2022}} |
| {{single chart|UKsinglesbyname|33|artist=Meat Loaf|artistid=20647|access-date=February 3, 2022}} |
| {{single chart|Billboardhot100|39|artist=Meat Loaf|access-date=February 3, 2022}} |
| US Cash Box Top 100
| style="text-align:center;"|42 |
| US Record World Singles Chart
| style="text-align:center;"|49 |
| {{single chart|West Germany|22|songid=90874|artist=Meat Loaf|song=You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)|access-date=February 3, 2022}} |
{{col-2}}
=Year-end charts=
{{col-end}}
Certifications
{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for "You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth"}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|type=single|artist=Meat Loaf|title=You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)|award=Platinum|relyear=2004|certyear=2022|access-date=7 February 2022}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|artist=Meat Loaf|title=You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth|award=Gold|relyear=2004|certyear=2023|id=15860-853-1|access-date=June 30, 2023}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|noshipments=true|streaming=true}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Meat Loaf}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth}}
Category:Songs written by Jim Steinman
Category:Song recordings produced by Todd Rundgren