Couldn't Have Said It Better

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Couldn't Have Said It Better
Studio album by Meat Loaf

Publication
(s)

March 31, 2003

Label (s) Polydor , Sanctuary (USA)

Genre (s)

skirt

running time

55:23

production

James Michael , Tony Flores, Peter Mokran

chronology
VH1 Storytellers (1999) Couldn't Have Said It Better Bat Out of Hell: Live with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (2004)

Could not Have Said It Better (English for. " Had it not have said it better ") is the ninth studio album by the US rock singer Meat Loaf . It was released in 2003. It was only the third time that Meat Loaf released an album without any song by Jim Steinman . Meat Loaf claimed it was "the best album since Bat Out of Hell ".

Nevertheless, the album was only a small success and reached number 11 in the German. Album Charts, # 4 on the UK Charts and only # 85 on the Billboard Charts. There were many songwriters on the album, including Diane Warren and James Michael . Diane Warren has written for Meat Loaf in the past and has had some very big hits such as I'd Lie For You (And That's A Truth) . James Michael has never written for Meat Loaf before and only his songs have been released as a single.

Different versions of the album have been released, some with bonus material. Also, the color of the album cover in the UK is different (blue) than in other areas (red).

tour

The album was accompanied by a sold out world tour that was used to promote the album and some of Meat Loaf's greatest hits. On November 17, 2003, while performing at London's Wembley Arena , it collapsed and was later diagnosed as Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome . The following week, he underwent surgery to correct the problem. As a result, Meat Loafs Versicherung limited its performance time per concert to a maximum of 1¾ hours.

Meat Loaf ended its tour and came back 2 years later. His Hair of the Dog That Bit You world tour, with over 160 concerts, was sold out. In addition to all of his classic songs, he also sang a cover version of the hit single "Black Betty." During this tour, Meat Loaf also sang a song from his album Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose entitled "Only When I Feel". He mentioned that it wasn't one of the most challenging songs on the album, but it had to sing after it was struck off the album track list. Meat Loaf said it could have been his last "world tour" and if he promotes Bat Out of Hell III he will only be doing a fifth of the concerts he did during that tour.

Track list

  • Chapter One
  1. Couldn't Have Said It Better feat. Patti Russo - 7:03 ( James Michael / Nikki Sixx )
  2. Did I Say That? - 6:02 (James Michael)
  3. Why Isn't That Enough? - 4:00 (Jo Davidson)
  4. Love You Out Loud - 4:10 (James Michael / Nikki Sixx)
  5. Man of Steel - 4:42 (James Michael / Nikki Sixx)
  6. Intermezzo - 1:28 (Peter Mokran)
  • Chapter Two
  1. Testify - 4:56 (Kevin Griffin)
  2. Tear Me Down - 3:37 (Stephen Trask)
  3. You're Right, I Was Wrong - 3:44 ( Diane Warren )
  4. Because of You - 3:54 (Rick Jude / Steve Balsamo)
  5. Do it! - 2:36 (Billy Rankin)
  6. Forever Young - 5:05 ( Bob Dylan )
  7. Mercury Blues ( Hidden Track ) - 3:42 (KC Douglas / Robert L Geddins )
  8. Bat out of Hell (Live Bonustrack) (UK Edition only) - 11:25 ( Jim Steinman )

Australian Edition Bonus Special Live CD

The Australian release of Couldn't Have Said It Better includes a bonus live CD with 6 live songs from the 2003 American tour, compiled by Meat Loaf.

  1. Life Is a Lemon and I Want My Money Back - 6:47 (Jim Steinman)
  2. Tear Me Down - 4:00 (Stephen Trask)
  3. Love You Out Loud - 4:34 (James Michael / Nikki Sixx)
  4. I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That) - 10:32 (Jim Steinman)
  5. Couldn't Have Said It Better - 8:18 (James Michael / Nikki Sixx)
  6. Bat Out of Hell - 11:47 (Jim Steinman)

Special Edition Bonus CD

The special edition of the UK and international release includes a bonus CD with 2 video clips and an MP3 file for Meat Loafs 1999 VH1 Storytellers DVD and CD, and a promotional video for Did I Say That? .

  1. I'd Do Anything For Love (Video from Meat Loaf Storytellers DVD) - 8:04 (Steinman)
  2. A Kiss Is a Terrible Thing to Waste (Video from Meat Loaf Storytellers DVD) - 5:24 ( Andrew Lloyd Webber / Jim Steinman)
  3. Did I Say That? (Video) - 4:46 (James Michael)
  4. Two Out of Three Ain't Bad (Meat Loaf VH1 Storytellers DVD, MP3 ) - 4:47 (Jim Steinman)

Single releases

Three singles were released, "Did I Say That?", "Couldn't Have Said It Better" and "Man Of Steel" (only in UK), all with moderate chart success. Most of it was caused by extremely bad advertising by the record company (a major criticism of Sanctuary Records, the US label that released the album) and few actual singles, especially in the UK - the biggest market. However, the single "Couldn't Have Said It Better" reached number 1 in the English rock charts, even if it was on a tight budget, in stark contrast to its 90s videos.

  • Did I Say That? : # 18 in Germany
  • Couldn't Have Said It Better Myself : # 80 in Germany, # 31 in UK
  • Man of Steel : # 21 in UK

Contributors

  • Meat Loaf - vocals
  • Patti Russo - vocals on "Couldn't Have Said It Better," backing vocal
  • Michael Hart Thompson - guitar
  • Tim Pierce - guitar
  • Peter Mokran - guitar, synthesizer , drum programming
  • Kasim Sulton - bass , backing vocal
  • Mark Alexander - piano
  • Tom Brislin - piano
  • Aaron Zigman - piano
  • Kenny Aronoff - drums
  • John Miceli - drums
  • Luis Conte - percussion
  • Dan Higgins - Tin Whistle
  • Stephen Erdody - cello
  • Tony Flores - poetry
  • Pearl Aday - vocals on "Man of Steel," backing vocal
  • Tanja Reichert - spoken intro on "Man of Steel"
  • Giselda Vatcky - spoken cutscene in "Tear Me Down"
  • Maxi Anderson - backing vocal
  • Alexandra Brown - backing vocal
  • Lynn Davis - backing vocal
  • James Michael - backing vocal
  • Todd Rundgren - Backing Vocal
  • Rose Stone - Backing Vocal
  • Eric Troyer - backing vocal