Meat Loaf – I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That)

About The Song

“I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That)” is a song written by Jim Steinman, and recorded by American rock singer Meat Loaf featuring Lorraine Crosby. The song was released in August 1993 by MCA and Virgin as the first single from the singer’s sixth album, Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell (1993). The last six verses feature Crosby, who was credited only as “Mrs. Loud” in the album notes. She does not appear in the accompanying music video, directed by Michael Bay, in which her vocals are lip-synched by SAS Alison James. Meat Loaf promoted the single with American singer Patti Russo.

The power ballad was a commercial success, reaching number one in 28 countries. The single was certified platinum in the United States and became Meat Loaf’s first and only number-one and top ten single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also became Meat Loaf’s first and only number-one single on the UK Singles Chart, and was the best-selling single of 1993 in the United Kingdom. The song earned Meat Loaf a Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Solo.
The song reached number one in the charts in 28 countries. In most countries, it was Meat Loaf’s first and only number one solo single.[citation needed] It was number one in the US for five weeks and sold over 1.4 million copies there. In the UK, it topped the singles chart for seven weeks,[20] and at seven minutes and 52 seconds, “I’d Do Anything for Love” becoming the longest song on top there since The Beatles’ hit “Hey Jude”. This was then broken when Oasis released their 1998 single “All Around the World”, clocking in at 9 minutes and 38 seconds.

In the United Kingdom, this was the biggest hit of 1993, selling 723,000 copies in 1993. As a result of its success, “Bat Out of Hell” was reissued in the UK, this time reaching the top ten (which it did not achieve on its first release in 1979), meaning Meat Loaf achieved the rare feat of having two singles in the UK top ten at the same time.

Meat Loaf won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Solo for the song. In Germany, the song is the seventh best-selling pop hymn ever.

Video

Lyrics

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And I would do anything for love, I’d run right into hell and back
I would do anything for love, I’ll never lie to you and that’s a fact
But I’ll never forget the way you feel right now, oh no, no way
And I would do anything for love, but I won’t do that, I won’t do that
Anything for love, oh I would do anything for love
I would do anything for love, but I won’t do that, oh I won’t do that

Some days it don’t come easy, and some days it don’t come hard
Some days it don’t come at all, and these are the days that never end
Some nights you’re breathing fire, and some nights you’re carved in ice
Some nights you’re like nothing I’ve ever seen before or will again
Maybe I’m crazy, but it’s crazy and it’s true
I know you can save me, no one else can save me now but you

As long as the planets are turning, as long as the stars are burning
As long as your dreams are coming true, you better believe it
That I would do anything for love, and I’ll be there til the final act
I would do anything for love, and I’ll take a vow and seal a pact
But I’ll never forgive myself if we don’t go all the way tonight
And I would do anything for love, oh I would do anything for love
Oh I would do anything for love, but I won’t do that, no I won’t do that

I would do anything for love, anything you’ve been dreaming of
But I just won’t do that

Some days I pray for silence, and somedays I pray for soul
Some days I just pray to the God of s.ex and drums and rock ’n roll
Some nights I lose the feeling, and some nights I lose control
Some nights I just lose it all when I watch you dance and the thunder rolls
Maybe I’m lonely and that’s all I’m qualified to be
There’s just one and only, the one and only promise I can keep

As long as the wheels are turning, as long as the fires are burning
As long as your prayers are coming true, you better believe it
That I would do anything for love, and you know it’s true and that’s a fact
I would do anything for love, and there’ll never be no turning back
But I’ll never do it better than I do it with you, so long, so long
And I would do anything for love, oh I would do anything for love
I would do anything for love, but I won’t do that, no no no I won’t do that
I would do anything for love, anything you’ve been dreaming of
But I just won’t do that

But I’ll never stop dreaming of you every night of my life, no way
And I would do anything for love, oh I would do anything for love
I would do anything for love
But I won’t do that
No I won’t do that

Will you raise me up, will you help me down?
Will you get me right out of this godforsaken town?
Will you make it all a little less cold?
I can do that! I can do that!

Will you hold me sacred? will you hold me tight?
Can you colorize my life, I’m so sick of black and white?
Can you make it all a little less old?
I can do that! oh oh, now I can do that!
Will you make me some magic, with your own two hands?
Can you build an emerald city with these grains of sand?
Can you give me something I can take home?
I can do that! oh oh now, I can do that!

Will you cater to every fantasy I got?
Will ya hose me down with holy water, if I get too hot?
Will you take me places I’ve never known?
I can do that! oh oh now, I can do that!
After a while you’ll forget everything
It was a brief interlude and a midsummer night’s fling
And you’ll see that it’s time to move on
I won’t do that! no I won’t do that!

I know the territory, I’ve been around
It’ll all turn to dust and we’ll all fall down
And sooner or later, you’ll be screwing around
I won’t do that! no I won’t do that!
Anything for love, oh I would do anything for love
I would do anything for love, but I won’t do that, no I won’t do that