You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth
"You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth" is the first solo single by the American singer Meat Loaf, released in 1977. It is a track from his album Bat Out of Hell, written by Jim Steinman.
Background
The song begins with a spoken word introduction by Jim Steinman and actress Marcia McClain:Steve Popovich reportedly listened to the intro to the song and it became a key factor of his accepting Bat Out of Hell for Cleveland International Records.
According to his autobiography, Meat Loaf asked Jim Steinman to write a song that was not 15 or 20 minutes long, and, in Meat Loaf's words, a "pop song." His autobiography also dates the writing of the song to 1975, the song reportedly being a key factor in Meat Loaf and Steinman deciding to do an album together.
The song was the first single released from the album, with an edit of "For Crying Out Loud" as the B-side. The record peaked at No. 73 in the Record World singles chart, but only reached No. 97 in Cash Box didn't appear at all in Billboard Hot 100. Billboard reviewed the single, finding the guitar introduction to be energetic, the beat to be "catchy" and the vocal performance to be somewhat similar to Bruce Springsteen. Billboard also commented on how occasional pauses in the instruments allow the "infectious" vocals to be highlighted. Following the success of the next two singles, "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad" and "Paradise by the Dashboard Light", the song was re-released in October 1978 with "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" as the B-side. This issue peaked at No. 39 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, over a year after the first release of the song.
Music video
The video, as with "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad", "Paradise by the Dashboard Light", and the others in the "Bat out of Hell" set, was filmed on a soundstage as if it were a live performance, with Meat Loaf in his signature suspenders, ripped formal shirt, and bearing a red scarf.Personnel
- Meat Loaf - lead vocals, percussion
- Todd Rundgren - guitar, percussion, backing vocals
- Kasim Sulton - bass guitar
- Roy Bittan - piano, keyboards
- Jim Steinman - keyboards, percussion, male dialogue intro
- Roger Powell - synthesizer
- Edgar Winter - saxophone
- Max Weinberg - drums
- Rory Dodd, Ellen Foley - additional backing vocals
Charts and certifications
Weekly charts
| Chart | Peak position |
| Australia | 3 |
| Belgium | 4 |
| Canada RPM Top Singles | 31 |
| Germany | 22 |
| Netherlands | 4 |
| New Zealand | 2 |
| UK Singles Chart | 33 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 39 |
| US Cash Box Top 100 | 42 |
| US Record World Singles Chart | 49 |