An important question drawn from the econjobrumors board.
What is the "that" that Meatloaf won't do for love?
(24 posts) (3 voices)-
Posted 2 years ago #
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He won't share his doctor pepper, if I recall correctly.
Posted 2 years ago # -
See Wikipedia
Posted 2 years ago # -
This question is clearly answered in the movie 'Spiceworld.' He will not unblock toilets.
Posted 2 years ago # -
This is Bob. Bob had **** tits.
Posted 2 years ago # -
math
Posted 2 years ago # -
^
What a ridiculous answer. How do you think he determined that E[U(do 'that')] < E[U (not do 'that')] without math?Posted 2 years ago # -
^ Pure empathetic understanding of his imagined self in the relevant possible worlds. Duh.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Its pretty obviously oral sex. And if you were Mrs. Meatloaf, you would probably agree to that as a general rule for the marriage.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Best thread title ever.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Given the quality of threads on this board, ^ may well be true.
Posted 2 years ago # -
I believe an earlier thread indicated that the answer is: give up tenure.
Posted 2 years ago # -
^ nice
Posted 2 years ago # -
Perceived ambiguity of "that"
Each verse mentions two things that he would do for love, followed by one thing that he will not do. The title phrase repetition reasserts that he "won't do that" previously stated one thing. Each mention of "that" is a reference to the particular promise that he made earlier in the same verse.[7] For example, one such line is "But I'll never forget the way you feel right now ..."[7] In addition, at the song's conclusion, the female vocalist predicts two other things that he will do: "You'll see that it's time to move on" and "You'll be screwing around". To both of these, he emphatically responds, "I won't do that!"
Some people misunderstand the lyrics, claiming that the singer never identifies what "that" thing is, which he will not do.[8] Steinman predicted this confusion during production.[9] An early episode of the VH1 program Pop-up Video made this claim at the end of the song's video: "Exactly what Meat Loaf won't do for love remains a mystery to this day."[10] A reviewer writing for Allmusic commented that "The lyrics build suspense by portraying a romance-consumed lover who pledges to do anything in the name of love except 'that,' a mysterious thing that he will not specify."[5] The reviewer concludes that the mystery is revealed during the closing stages of the song, incorrectly implying that all references of "that" refer to the female vocalist's predictions at the end. Others assume that "that" is a reference to a sex act.[11] Scholar Anne Bader interprets this as providing "an enlightening example of how listeners project their own thoughts, values, and concerns onto the meaning of the song with misconstrued lyrics."[3]
Although Meat Loaf believed that the lyrics were unambiguous, the singer recalls that Steinman predicted that they would cause confusion.[12] Meat Loaf says that the question, "What is 'that'?" is one of the most popular questions he is asked.[11] In his 1998 VH1 Storytellers special, he even explained it on stage using a blackboard and a pointing stick.[7] In a 1993 promotional interview, Steinman states that the definition of "that" is fully revealed in the song in each of the several verses in which it is mentioned.
It sort of is a little puzzle and I guess it goes by - but they're all great things. 'I won't stop doing beautiful things and I won't do bad things.' It's very noble. I'm very proud of that song because it's very much like out of the world of Excalibur. To me, it's like Sir Lancelot or something - very noble and chivalrous. That's my favorite song on the record - it's very ambitious.[13][14]
Posted 2 years ago # -
What ^ said.
Posted 2 years ago # -
That = rat choice theory
Posted 2 years ago # -
No, rat choice. Why would anybody bother, for that matter. Waste of time.
Posted 2 years ago # -
I just always assumed it involved the butt.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Meatloaf told me personally that it was anal sex.
Posted 2 years ago # -
^That's funny, because Mr. Loaf (or "Meat," as I call him) told me personally that "that" referred to riding naked on a tubercular unicorn on a beach along the Caspian Sea, while thousands of Nubian women wearing Richard Nixon masks shoot poison-tipped arrows at him. He also thought that the meaning was clear to anyone who listens closely to the lyrics.
Posted 2 years ago # -
The question is clearly answered in the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTPko-aXvJMPosted 2 years ago # -
Backward induct?
Posted 2 years ago # -
Leaving an Ivy to go to the Midwest. Meatloaf would never do that!
:)
Posted 2 years ago #