"Bad For Good" sarebbe dovuto essere il secondo album di Meat Loaf, l'erede designato di quel meraviglioso ed intramontabile discone che fu "Bat Out Of Hell", ma il destino ha voluto diversamente: dati i problemi vocali dell'istrionico ma sregolato ed instabile cantante Jim Steinman, geniale compositore e songwriter, artefice di quella fusione tra opera-rock ed AOR che rese grande "Bat Out Of Hell" decise di tenere per sé le canzoni, esponendosi in prima persona e pubblicando l'album a suo nome: come cantante il buon Jim è una spanna inferiore a Marvin Lee Aday, di cui non possiede il carisma ma se la cava egregiamente: ha una voce gradevole, limpida, ben intonata ed incisiva al punto giusto, e le sue composizioni la valorizzano nel migliore dei modi, rendendo "Bad For Good" un perfetto manifesto dello stile inconfondibile del musicista newyorkese.

Come è giusto che sia, la copertina è splendidamente pacchiana ed il contenuto musicale è in tutto e per tutto degno continuatore della tradizione steinmaniana: rock bombastico, iperprodotto, arrangiato sontuosamente abbinato ad un'attitudine squisitamente pop, spensierata, disimpegnata e "take it easy", fin quasi caricaturale; perché questo è il rock secondo il credo di Jim Steinman: divertimento, colore, simpatica spacconeria ma anche qualità, cura dei dettagli e, in ultima analisi, grande musica. Le grandiose, "wagneriane" cavalcate che hanno fatto la fortuna di Meat Loaf e Bonnie Tyler sono ampiamente presenti in questo album, a partire da "Bad For Good" che l'archetipo del perfetto anthem steinmaniano: epico ed altisonante nonostante una struttura relativamente semplice, caratterizzata da un bel riff iniziale e da una melodia carica e coinvolgente, ma non è tutto: c'è anche la più elaborata "Stark Raving Love", i cui cori e la linea di piano iniziale verranno ripresi per "Holding Out For A Hero" di Bonnie Tyler, il midtempo "Rock And Roll Dreams Come Through", arricchito da un gradevole ed inaspettato assolo di sax, una movimentata e travolgente "Out Of The Frying Pan (And Into The Fire)", epica e ricca di cambi di tempo, perfetta erede di "Paradise From The Dashboard Light" ed infine "Dance In My Pants", affidata alla voce squillante di Karla DeVito, perfetta per un musical.

Il piatto è indubbiamente ricco ed assai invogliante ed appetitoso, eppure "Bat Out Of Hell" rimane una vetta irraggiungibile: "Bad For Good" infatti non presenta nella sua tracklist delle power-ballads all'altezza del mitico album del 1977 a parte la sognante e quasi fatata "Lost Boys And Golden Girls", che mette in risalto l'abilità di pianista di Steinman nonché le sue ottime doti vocali. "Surf's Up" risulta fin troppo mielosa e convenzionale, e fa rimpiangere il timbro graffiante di Meat Loaf che avrebbe potuto dare qualcosa in più al pezzo e la conclusiva "Left In The Dark" anche se si fa apprezzare per la sua raffinatezza non riesce a convincere appieno: la fusione tra la componente rock e quella orchestrale non riesce appieno e la canzone finisce per girare un po' a vuoto per i suoi otto minuti di durata, senza centrare il bersaglio come l'analoga "For Crying Out Loud".

Nonostante queste pecche, e dopotutto "Bat Out Of Hell" è un album che riesce una volta sola nella vita, anche per uno come Jim Steinman, "Bad For Good" merita, e non è un caso se molte delle canzoni presenti su questo album verranno poi effettivamente riprese da Mr. Polpettone, senza tuttavia mai raggiungere il livello e lo slancio delle composizioni originali; forse è giusto così, forse è stato un bene che "Bad For Good" rimanesse associato al nome di Jim Steinman: dopotutto "Love And Death And An American Guitar" è il suo statuto costituzionale, l'essenza stessa del suo messaggio.    

Elenco tracce testi samples e video

01   Bad for Good (08:45)

02   Lost Boys and Golden Girls (04:36)

03   Love and Death and an American Guitar (02:38)

04   Stark Raving Love (07:23)

05   Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through (06:29)

06   Out of the Frying Pan (and Into the Fire) (06:12)

07   Surf's Up (05:25)

08   Dance in My Pants (07:58)

Girl:
Hey! Listen now it's coming so close
I'll let the rhythm surround me
I'm getting itchy and I'm ready to move
I'm mighty glad that you found me
There's a drummer going at it way down in the core of my soul
There's no escaping the music and I'm psyching up my feet
And they're telling me we're ready to roll

There are times when I can fight it but now's the time I want to give in
Sooner or later we'll get around to love
But now's the time to shake it
Oh Baby let the party begin
Baby let the party begin

When I woke up this morning and I looked out my window
I could see the sky was cloudy and gray
There was a chill in the air and a pain in my heart
And the thunder it was coming my way

Oh, it was looking pretty bad and I was so alone
And there was any place to go
But now I'm out of the blue, I know what I got to do
And something in me's starting to grow
I can feel it in me starting to grow...grow...grow...grow...

I got dance in my pants
Every time I feel the power in a radio wave
I turn it up all the way
I got dance in my pants
Every time I see the glory of a good-looking face
Well I just got to say:"Hey now, don't you worry baby, everything'll be fine
We got nothing but the best and we got nothing but time
And there'll always be a time when they'll be waiting in line
To be dancing, dancing..."

You don't say nothing all week, you're getting ready for
Dancing, dancing
And now your body really knows how to speak, you're getting ready for
Dancing, dancing
You don't say nothing all week, you're getting ready for
Dancing, dancing
Now your body really knows how to speak, you're getting ready
Come on, take a chance
You got a whole lotta style and a load of romance
And me, me, me... I got dance in my pants...

I got dance in my pants...
I got dance in my pants...

Boy:

I'm a lover not a dancer
I'm a lover not a dancer
Don't want to be on my feet when I can be on my back
Don't want to be on the floor when I can be in the sack

I'm a lover not a dancer
I'm a lover not a dancer
I'm just a little bit tired if you know what I mean
Don't want to be in a crowd when I can be in a dream

I'm a lover not a dancer, Baby
Baby let me prove it to you
Baby let me prove it to you

Girl:

We can rock it really hard or we can roll it really slow
We can lift it really high or we can dip it really low
We can hold it in tight or we can let it all out
Or we can work up a sweat and really stomp it and shout
Let me pull you so close and then we'll break away fast
We'll be the best on the floor we got the cool and the flash
We'll make a dangerous turn but we'll come out of it fine
I know the best of the moves we'll get them right every time

Boy:

I'm a lover not a dancer
I'm a lover not a dancer
Don't want to be on my feet when I can be on my back
Don't want to be on the floor when I can be in the sack
I'm a lover not a dancer
I'm a lover not a dancer
I'm just a little bit tired if you know what I mean
Don't want to be in a crowd when I can be in a dream
I'm a lover not a dancer, Baby
Baby let me prove it to you

I don't care what you say
Ain't nothing going to get me out on that floor...

Girl:

Oh baby, you know there may be some moves, that you haven't even seen yet

Boy:

No way, Jose!

Girl:

Well, I got a new step for you-
Made it up all by myself.
I bet you never tried this before.

Boy:

Oh, jeez.

Girl:

Come on.

Boy:

Oh, jeez.

Girl:

Come on!

Boy:

Oh, jeez!

Girl:

Now that you know how it's done, it's only a matter of practice

Boy:

Well, I could sure use some of that practice

Girl:

Now that you know how it's done, it's only a matter of practice

Boy:

Well, I could sure use some of that practice....
Grow, grow, grow, grow... grow, grow, grow, grow....
I got dance in my pants
Every time I feel the power in a radio wave I turn it up all the way
I got dance in my pants
Every time I see the glory of a good-looking face
Well I just got to say:
"Hey now, don't you worry, baby, everything'll be fine
We got nothing but the best and we got nothing but time
And there'll always be a time when they'll be waiting in line
To be dancing, dancing..."

You don't say nothing all week, you're getting ready for
Dancing, dancing
And now your body really knows how to speak, you're getting ready for
Dancing, dancing
You don't say nothing all week, you're getting ready for
Dancing, dancing
Now your body really knows how to speak, you're getting ready
Come on, take a chance
You got a whole lotta style and a load of romance
And me, me, me... I got dance in my pants...
I got dance in my pants...
I got dance in my pants...

Girl:

I'll crank it up all the way
They'll never get me to stop
I gotta stay in motion 'til the moment that I finally drop
When they decide that I'm gone
I know they're gonna try to put me to rest but I won't be afraid
Because I know, I know there's dance after death

Boy:

Oooh, I know there's dance after death
And I don't ever want to be rescued
I don't ever want to be saved
I got a feeling that I'm gonna be alive forever
Dancing on the edge of a grave
Dancing on the edge of a grave

Both:

And I don't ever want to be rescued
I don't ever want to be saved
I got a feeling that I'm gonna be alive forever
Dancing on the edge of a grave
Dancing on the edge of a...
Dancing on the edge of a...
Dancing on the edge of a grave

09   Left in the Dark (07:12)

Where did he touch you and how did it feel
And why did you let it begin
What did he whisper and when did you cry
And where do you think it will end
How long did you do it and why did you stop
Did you get to try anything new
How good was he honestly and were did you go
And who made the very first move

——————————

You don't have to sneak in the door
Just come on into the room
I've been lying in our bed in the dark all alone
And I've been waiting, I've been waiting for you

There's been no reason to move
It's been as still as a tomb
I needed you oh, so badly tonight
But I guess you had better things to do

I should have known that it was coming to this
But I must have been blind
I bet you still got a trace of his love in your eyes
And you still got his eyes on your mind

You swore you'd be with me at 7 o'clock
Now it's a quarter to three
And whatever you got and whoever it was
I guess you couldn't get it from me

I know that you love me, there's no need to talk
I see the look in your eyes and I got the proof
And there are no lies on your body, so take off your dress
I just want to get at the truth

I know that you love me, there's no need to talk
I see the look in your eyes and I got the proof
And there are no lies on your body, so take off your dress
I just want to get at the truth

And there are so many things that I just got to know
You tell me who! You tell me where! You tell me when!
But don't tell me now, I don't need any answers tonight
I just need some love so turn out the lights
And I'll be left in the dark again

I just need some love so turn out the lights
And I'll be left in the dark again
I just need some love so turn out the lights
And I'll be left in the dark again

Left in the dark again

I should have known that it was coming to this
But I must have been blind
I bet you still got a trace of his love in your eyes
And you still got his eyes on your mind

You swore you'd be with me at 7 o'clock
Now it's a quarter to three
And whatever you got and whoever it was
I guess you couldn't get it from me
I guess you couldn't get it from me

But down in my soul, down in my soul
I know - I know that you love me, there's no need to talk
I see the look in your eyes and I got the proof
And there are no lies on your body, so take off your dress
I just want to get at the truth

There are so many things that I just got to know
You tell me who! You tell me where! You tell me when!
But don't tell me now, I don't need any answers tonight
I just need some love so turn out the lights
And I'll be left in the dark again
I just need some love so turn out the lights
And I'll be left in the dark again

I just need some love so turn out the lights
And I'll be left in the dark again
I just need some love so turn out the lights
And I'll be left in the dark again
I just need some love so turn out the lights
And I'll be left in the dark again
I just need some love so turn out the lights
And I'll be left in the dark again

Left in the dark again....

——————————

Did he ever get rough
Did you ever get tender
Did it leave any scars
Do you expect them to heal
What did he look like
Did he remind you of me
Were you willing to beg or to kneel
Did he keep his eyes open
Did you bother to look
Or was he only a kid after all
Where did he touch you and how did it feel
If you need him again will he still be on call
And who made the very first move
Who made the very first move
Who made the very first move...

10   The Storm (04:28)

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