Meat Loaf – Objects In The Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are

About The Song

“Objects in the Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are” is a song composed and written by Jim Steinman, recorded by Meat Loaf, and released on April 23, 1994, as the third single from his sixth studio album Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell on MCA Records and Virgin Records. The song reached No. 38 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 26 on the UK Singles Chart, and No. 26 on Canada’s RPM Top Singles chart, where it held that position for four weeks. It also peaked at No. 52 in Australia and No. 32 in New Zealand, marking it as a notable hit with its 52-character un-bracketed title, the longest of its kind on charts as of 2007.

The recording occurred at Ocean Way Recording in Hollywood and other studios, produced by Steinman and Meat Loaf, with additional production by Roy Bittan. The session featured Todd Rundgren on guitar, Kasim Sulton on bass, and a 50-piece orchestra conducted by Bittan, alongside background vocals by Rory Dodd, Ellen Foley, and a children’s choir. The track’s epic arrangement starts with gentle piano and synthesizer, building into power chords and choir-styled vocals arranged by Rundgren. Steinman described it in a 1993 interview as “the hardest song to write and get across,” noting its blend of religious, sexual, and car imagery, inspired by his own childhood and the death of a friend.

The lyrics are a three-part narrative tied to the seasons—summer, winter, and spring—recounting the loss of a friend in a car accident, an abusive father, and a lost love. Lines like “The skies were pure and the fields were green” set the tone, while “Objects in the rear view mirror may appear closer than they are” repeats to emphasize haunting memories. The song’s melody partly derives from Steinman’s earlier “Surf’s Up” on his 1981 album Bad for Good, later adapted into “Die Unstillbare Gier” for Tanz der Vampire and “Confession of a Vampire” for the U.S. version of the musical. Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell, released on September 14, 1993, sold over 14 million copies worldwide, hitting No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

The music video, directed by Michael Bay for Propaganda Films, premiered in 1994, filmed in Texas with a $1 million budget and a 200-person cast, including actors Robert Patrick and Will Estes. It depicts the song’s narratives with scenes of a car crash, abuse, and romance, ending with Meat Loaf seeing ghosts of his past. The video earned an MTV Video Music Award nomination for Best Cinematography in 1995. The song was performed live during the 1994-1995 world tour with a 14-piece band, with a live version on Live Around the World (1996), and featured on the 1994 TV special Meat Loaf: Bat Out of Hell II – The Videos.

The single was released in CD and cassette formats, with B-sides including “Wasted Youth” and “Heaven Can Wait.” It appeared on compilations like The Very Best of Meat Loaf (1998) and was noted for its complex production, requiring multiple vocal takes due to Meat Loaf’s vocal strain.

Video

Lyric

The skies were pure and the fields were green
And the sun was brighter than it’s ever been
When I grew up with my best friend Kenny
We were close as any brothers that you ever knew

It was always summer and the future called
We were ready for adventures and we wanted them all
There was so much left to dream and so much time to make it real
But I can still recall the sting of all the tears when he was gone

They said he crashed and burned, I know I’ll never learn
Why any boy should die so young
We were racing, we were soldiers of fortune
We got in trouble but we sure got around

There are times I think I see him peeling out of the dark
I think he’s right behind me now and he’s gaining ground

But it was long ago and it was far away, oh God it seems so very far
And if life is just a highway, then the soul is just a car
And objects in the rear view mirror may appear closer than they are
And objects in the rear view mirror may appear closer than they are

And when the sun descended and the night arose
I heard my father cursing everyone he knows
He was dangerous and drunk and defeated
And corroded by failure and envy and hate

There were endless winters and the dreams would freeze
Nowhere to hide and no leaves on the trees
And my father’s eyes were blank as he hit me again and again and again

I know I still believe he’d never let me leave, I had to run away alone
So many threats and fears, so many wasted years before my life became my own
And though the nightmares should be over
Some of the terrors are still intact

I’ll hear that ugly coarse and violent voice
And then he grabs me from behind and then he pulls me back

But it was long ago and it was far away, oh God it seems so very far
And if life is just a highway, then the soul is just a car
And objects in the rear view mirror may appear closer than they are
And objects in the rear view mirror may appear closer than they are

There was a beauty living on the edge of town
And she always put the top up and the hammer down
And she taught me everything I’ll ever know
About the mystery and the muscle of love

The stars would glimmer and the moon would glow
I’m in the back seat with my Julie like a Romeo
And the signs along the highway all said, “Caution! Kids at Play!”

Those were the rights of spring and we did everything
There was salvation every night
We got our dreams reborn and our upholstery torn
But everything we tried was right

She used her body just like a bandage, she used my body just like a wound
I’ll probably never know where she disappeared
But I can see her rising up out of the back seat now

Just like an angel rising up from a tomb

But it was long ago and it was far away, oh God it seems so very far
And if life is just a highway, then the soul is just a car
And objects in the rear view mirror may appear closer than they are
And objects in the rear view mirror may appear closer than they are

[Repeats]