Meat Loaf: 10 Incredible Forgotten Songs
6. Man Of Steel/Intermezzo
2003's Couldn't Have Said It Better was not one of Meat Loaf's most commercially successful albums but it was the most consistent he released that didn't feature any Jim Steinman tracks.
Man Of Steel (often combined with the Irish folk-tinged instrumental Intermezzo) was the closest Meat Loaf made it to the Steinman sound without his partner writing for him.
Meat Loaf's female companion for Man Of Steel was Pearl Aday, his stepdaughter. Her breathy spoken intro has the melodrama of peak Meat Loaf and their voices work well together, if you can ignore the fact they are singing a song of sexual gratification and longing to each other.
The lyrics, by James Michael and Mötley Crüe's Nikki Sixx, came out on the right side of camp as all of Meat Loaf's best songs did. "But as strong as I am/Why can't I break your heart?" being the standout line.
Meat Loaf was in fine voice on the track, emotive and exasperated, making Man Of Steel one of his finest songs.