Jim Steinman

Over the course of his five-decade career, Jim Steinman constantly defied trends and fashions, permeating international pop-rock culture with songs, music videos and phrases that became part of the global zeitgeist. Steinman once described his songs as "poised between the exhilarating and the ridiculous." In truth, it was precisely Steinman's perfect balance of emotional impact and self-aware irony that made him unique.

The author of songs that became international classics, with credited sales of over 190,000 million units, Steinman was inducted into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame in 2012 and the Long Island Music Hall Of Fame in 2016. He also received an honorary doctorate in humane letters from Amherst University in 2013.

It was at Amherst that Steinman began shaping the vision and crafting the melodies that would eventually define his career. His senior project, "The Dream Engine," was commissioned by Joseph Papp, founder of the New York Shakespeare Festival. It was at Papp's Public Theatre that Jim and Meat Loaf first met. Spin Magazine called that meeting "one of the 10 most important moments in the history of rock and roll." Meat Loaf's rare tenor voice fit perfectly with Steinman's incredible multi-octave songs, but it was his natural charisma that made him such a recognizable antihero.

The credit "Songs by Jim Steinman" first appeared on Meat Loaf's 1977 debut album, "Bat Out Of Hell," which has sold more than 50 million copies. Produced by Todd Rundgren and recorded with two members of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, Roy Bittan and Max Weinberg, the album became a rock classic, staying on the UK Top 100 Album Chart for a staggering 522 weeks and still selling more than 200,000 copies a year.

Sixteen years later, Steinman reunited with Meat Loaf for 1993's "Bat Out Of Hell II: Back Into Hell." The album topped the charts in 38 countries, propelled by the Grammy-winning worldwide mega-hit "I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)." Three accompanying music videos for the album were written by Steinman and directed by then-newcomer Michael Bay.

Jim Steinman is also the only songwriter to have written and produced songs that simultaneously held the #1 and #2 spots on Billboard's Hot 100. For four weeks in 1983, "Total Eclipse Of The Heart" held the top spot, ahead of "Making Love," which he wrote for Air Supply.

"Total Eclipse Of The Heart" earned Bonnie Tyler a Grammy nomination and propelled her to international stardom. With this song, the Welsh singer became the first woman to reach number one on the UK charts. The video for "Total Eclipse Of The Heart" is as culturally significant as the song itself. Conceived by Steinman, the video was directed by Russell Mulcahy and received two Billboard Video Music Award nominations. Thirty-seven years after its release, "Total Eclipse Of The Heart" remains central to pop culture. It's one of the most beloved, most streamed, most karaoke-sung songs in the world, and was even requested by Pope Francis at a concert in the Vatican.

Likewise, it was a Jim Steinman song that cemented Celine Dion's status as a global superstar. Steinman won a Grammy as producer and received the BMI Song Of The Year award in 1996 for “It’s All Coming Back To Me Now,” the opening track of Celine Dion's fourth album, “Falling Into You.” His songs written for Walter Hill's film “Streets Of Fire” also proved hugely successful, unlike the ill-fated (but brilliant) material from the “Original Sin” project, released under the name Pandora's Box, which nonetheless went on to become a cult object adored by its fans.

Initially sought after as a lyricist for “Phantom Of The Opera,” Steinman later worked with Andrew Lloyd Webber on the musical “Whistle Down The Wind.” Together, Steinman and Lloyd Webber wrote the best-selling single ever taken from a musical, “No Matter What,” performed by Boyzone. The song hit number 1 in 18 countries and sold 5 million copies. It was the best-selling single of 1998.

Jim also wrote the score for “Tanz der Vampire,” directed by Roman Polanski. The musical was based on Polanski's film “The Fearless Vampire Killers.” It won 6 Image Awards (the European equivalent of the Tonys), including Best Musical and Best Score. It has been seen by 10 million people and staged in 15 countries in 13 languages.

His production work also touched songs by artists such as Barbra Streisand, Barry Manilow, Sisters Of Mercy, and Air Supply. More recently, Steinman had once again turned his attention to his lifelong dream of creating a musical based on “Bat Out Of Hell.” Directed by Jay Scheib, “Bat Out Of Hell The Musical” premiered in Manchester, England, in 2017. Praised for its innovative staging, lavish set design and inventive use of video projections, the show went on to run in London, Toronto, Oberhausen and New York, winning the London Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Musical.

Meanwhile, his songs have appeared countless times in TV shows and films, including “Glee,” “Family Guy,” “Criminal Minds,” “Better Call Saul,” “Modern Family,” “Stranger Things,” “Footloose,” “Streets Of Fire,” “Shrek 2,” “Sausage Party,” “Angry Birds” and “Trolls.”

But his legacy isn't just about sales figures and hit songs. He leaves behind a unique, unmistakable style built on songs and records with an epic, grandiose touch, marrying his own theatrical sensibility to the expressive power of rock.

Jim Steinman passed away in Putnam Valley, New York, at the age of 73.

(Main source: jimsteinman.com/)

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