107. California Isn't Big Enough (Hey There Girl)
 

This is the START OUT OF HELL & ARRIVE TO HEAVEN topic.
Let's Go to Rock 'n' Roll!!!!!!!

California Isn't Big Enough (Hey There Girl) (8)

This is the funny song, not Los Angeloser. I like its '80ies style of the song, the synthesizers, guitars and chorus. Okay, it's not epic. It might be on Bad Attitude as well. Meat's voice is manipulated in this song, but... Okay, no more words, it's a good funny stuff.

My score: 8

Have no idea why you keep posting that Meat's voice is manipulated, particularly given his frequent assertions that it has not been on this record, however imo Meat SINGS this song brilliantly. It's a great song, in your face outrageous as it's meant to be, with Meat again showing his impressive range and demonstrating he's singing as well as he did many years ago. Love it, can't fault it, so

10

Caryl

Meat's voice is manipulated in this song:roll: WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT? It's so ridiculous to suggest that!!!

I really love this, some of Meat's best vocals:D 10/10

His high notes in the song are computer contolled. Listen!

oh well, I like to think he can still hit those high notes:cool:

It's pretty obvious his voice has been tampered with :shock: There's no question 99% of it is his own voice, but there is no way he is hitting all (any?) of the incredibly high notes without a little help. LOTO, Elvis, California and If It Rains. I might be forgetting more.

Anyway, for California Isn't Big Enough. 10. Amazing song, with one of the best chorus's. Ever :cool:

I love this song. It's outrageous, funny and cheesy all rolled into one. And the "whoop whoop's" in the background sum it up perfectly for me.

8 out of 10 :D

You must be listening to a completely different record then, because it's obvious to everyone that his voice has been manipulated on this track and other ones on the album.

Anyway I like this song it's one hell of rocker. Will look forward to hearing it live in December.

7 for me.

It's extremely catchy and a great song.
I agree with Elijah's way about the high notes :cool:

I still give it an 8/10.

5

You can't say its obvious to everyone,:roll: when people are saying they don't think his voice has been manipulated:roll: Hence not everyone thinks it has been done. I for one don't think it has, i love this song i give it a 9. The ringtone of the chorus, makes me smile everytime it goes on my phone.:lol: LOL..

My thoughts exactly. The 1980s style makes it amusing, it probably would sound creepy with another arrangement.

6.5 (Maybe I would have given it a better rating if it hadn't come along with that stupid "Patrick's obsession with a hooker" explanation.)

10/10 baby. I LOVE DIS SONG

I like Meat's vocals but I'm not too keen on the song.

5/10

9 with potential for a 10. (I would give it a 10, but I have to censor it from my young kids). It's about 4 years before this song will be a rightful 10. ;)

Offence childish lyrics ("I wanna smash your face in"/"I can barely fit my Dick in my pants"). In a complete anti-poetic world in comparison to for example For Crying Out Loud is in. I am disappointed with the fact that Meat Loaf chose to record this one. Belongs in the garbage in my opinion.
I can't even consider rating this properly but if you force me to I'd really have to say a 1! Along with "Like a Rose" this song is a huge contributing factor to why I started disliking HCTB so much after several plays. The music and synths are not too bad but nothing can save a song that has such lyrics imo. Haven't listened to it in months and will probably not hear it ever again unless it's performed at a show I guess.

I like this song, I find it funny especiially ''I'm no Fred but I'll make your bed-rock baby''
9/10

Well, you know it was essential for the story. :twisted: If you take the song seriously, it may indeed appear stupid and offensive. I played it to a number of people and their reaction usually was "yuck" as soon as they heard the "dick in my pants" line because they neither knew nor cared for the "story". (As has been pointed out already, you can't get the story from the song.)

I had to listen to Rammstein's Pussy before I heard California and even saw the (porn) video it came along with. I thought it was disgusting and (involuntarily?) amusing at the same time. I somehow feel the same way when listening to California but I can tell you California is true art compared to that. :)) Childish lyrics indeed, but wrapped in a catchy tune and good music. I rather listen to Meat's ... er ... Patrick's ... ah, what the hell... complaints about the trouble with his dick than to the boring tearjerkers on HCTB.

Maybe people don't have an open mind for subtle lyrics anymore.

I'm curious to know if that idea was stolen from Lil' Wayne's "Bedrock" song which was leaked September last year and released November thereafter. Considering the recording schedules etc I doubt this was the case though?

Exactly. I don't know why when Meat says his voice has not been manipulated by software like Melodyne etc but left alone, those of us who accept that and love the sound of HCTB can't just be allowed to say it without being told we're listening to another record ..

Love this song .. love it's contribution to the story, and love the different style to FCOL, the style of which imo couldn't have had the same aggressive impact at all.

Caryl

Rather from The Flintstones, LOL. Interesting question, there are striking similarities.

Maybe I don't, but I am not demanding anything amazingly witty. My own lyrics are probably nothing to write home about either but some of the things on HCTB are just beyond acceptable imo. I was very happy with the quality and ideas on WTTN and CHSIB and Bat 3, thus proving I don't demand Steinman to be behind every song. Meat's got a good enough voice to make even flat ideas sound good. I definitely think though Meat has hit a low with these songs lyrics and I know some less hardcore Meat Loaf enthusiasts who think exactly the same way. HCTB definitely divided fans and I am certainly on the side of not liking it. This is not to say Meat's voice or the production were bad. These were beyond amazing imo but overall the songs simply sucked hence my extremely low ratings for most of these. The voice manipulation I also don't get. As we have discussed before Meat would have had to have sung these songs quite decently for him to sound THAT good.

This sums up my feelings perfectly too - loving the whoops :) Great one to sing along to, and the lyrics fit the character and scenario.

8.5.

Sorry but I think there is a huge difference between Meat Loaf and Rammstein. And I think in this case age and "brand name" DEFINITELY DO have something to do with it.

This is the only Meat Loaf album I haven't bought for my mother or for a girlfriend/close friend. Heck I wouldn't even consider it as I actually feel embarrassed by this album!

This song is simply not what I expect from the person who brought us some of the most amazing rock music in history. It's a downright insult imo, a big "~~~~ you" to the fans.

Andrew, maybe I can coex you into loving the song :shrug:



http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r...arioSmiley.gif

Sorry buddy but I can appreciate you like it and others as well. I do not want to change any of your opinions whatsoever and do not think any less of me just because I have a complete opposite opinion.

I find it interesting where American's are stereotyped as prudish, the ones here like this song and rate it high.

I'm sorry Andrew, I don't think the song is a big "~~~~ you" to the fans.

Whether the song is about Patrick's endowment or whatever. I can't help but take my mind straight into the gutter because the song makes me smirk through the whole thing and I can't compare it to the anthem of FCOL at all.

IMO: I don't know anyone else that can sing about a Dick and make it sound friggin' fantastic and matter of factly. Meat is not beyond singing about a Dick and I love it. Give him some lyrics about a flag pole and he'll make it you think it's a Dick. It's just a different lyric.

I too love the whoop whoops! The thing is it's an outrageous song with outrageous lyrics in it and it's very funny. But once you put that to the side you actually realise hey this is a cracking song! I actually think this song has Meats best vocalson the album, don't ask me why I just do. The music is great, the 80's style is great, the cheese is great! I actually really would love to see him do this live, not just for the laugh but because it's great music.

9

What if he'd sung i can barely fit my flag in my pants? Would that appease some people? I'm not bothered myself but just wondoring.

Love the song.

10/10 from me.

As for the accusations regarding voice manipulation, I personally don't believe. Meat says the weren't and I have no reason not to believe. I guess I'm just not a trained studio engineer who can instantly pick out voice manipulation like several around here seem to be able to do.

As for the story behind the song, "Fred" and "John" are both terms that prostitutes use to identify their customers, so I was able to figure out that the story was about a hooker pretty quickly.

On tfo the accusations that the songs on HCTB are crap, while I respect that everyone has different taste in music, I can't agree with this. The songs, in my opinion, are lyrically strong and they help to tell the story that goes along with the album...much to some peoples dismay.

I often have to deal with music and art and I noticed that many people have gotten too lazy to try to interpret and discover something on their own. You must not bother them with too many details and they expect an explanation for the most simple things. Maybe that's why you have to keep it simple and even be offensive to get their attention. :shrug:

I still haven't gotten an answer to the question who exactly picked the song(writer)s. Meat Loaf is not a songwriter himself, he depends on others providing him with material, maybe his preferences include such lyrics? Maybe that's what he considers good songwriting? But then again, there was an interview in which he stated that he hesitated to sing the "dick" line at first and that he had to be convinced to do it because it was important for the story. :? (Which brings me back to the first sentence of my post.) Considering how often he has felt the urge to explain what the album allegedly is all about, I wonder if he believes in the strentgh of the lyrics and what they are supposed to express himself at all. :??:

You compared California to FCOL. Regardless of the different styles and the skills of the songwriters, I believe it also matters if an album is written by one and the same person (or a small, dedicated team) or if it's a compilation of songs contributed by several, more or less independent people. I bet when Steinman works on an album he has a certain idea he wants to convey with it, it's not just a "oh, I wrote three songs for Meat Loaf's latest album" thing. One of the reason's why HCTB will never work as a "concept" album, regardless how often Meat tells the Patrick story. I also think that the idea of him "playing" a 24-year old chap wasn't very clever. Casual listeners tend to misunderstand California and are probably troubled by some unpleasant images when hearing the lyrics.

And I agree, although I don't have a big issue with California I think that "can't you see my faded Levi's bursting apart" is far suprior to "I can barely fit my dick in my pants".

@ Wario: I don't think that that's the ideal strategy to convince Andrew. :lawl:

There is indeed. I was just comparing the songs, not the artists. Rammstein have an image such songs fit into ;) perfectly, sometimes I think they have become a parody of themselves. I mentioned the word credibility in another thread and some time ago (in the "Another new album" thread, I think) I asked which road Meat is going to take and which audiences he is going to target. What does the current Meat Loaf image look like?

From what I remember reading, they are going to be 15 songs Meat wanted to do and didn't fit the concept of the HCTB album. Outside of that vagueness....it sounds like another Meat Loaf album, driven by Meat Loaf and perhaps another love of his life will be produced. Here comes Hell in a Handbasket folks.

Then again if walmart has a say it will be only 8 tracks on a CD by then.

The fact that I liked HCTB at first (even this song yes) but grew tired of it very quickly actually points out I had an extremely open mind about it all and wasn't sceptical. I'm just used to Meat Loaf songs being "growers", they get better with each listen and not worse such as with California. The CD usually sits in my car cd changer for months. Not so with this type of stuff.
I was all for Meat Loaf trying something different but in hindsight I'm not so sure this was the right approach or if these song writers are in fact suitable for him.

I'm not a trained studio engineer either, but I've heard him singing countless times live these days, and to be honest it's just plainly obvious his vocals have been manipulated. I can hear it on this track, and it's even more obvious on "Song Of Madness". They changed the "pitch" of his voice. It's not a bad thing at all so don't get me wrong, I still like the tracks.

I don't recall anyone calling the album crap on here, they may dislike certain elements of it alright. It's only their opinion though.

'So open up your eyes, I got a big surprise, it'll feel alright, well I wanna make your motor run' can be considered as childish and offensive as anything in California isn't big enough, because i'm sure the line wasn't meant as a salute to mechanics everywhere.

Will it ever be considered the greatest meat loaf song to have been recorded? No

Is it something that is a break from the norm on the album? yes

i don't really care what has or hasn't been worked on in terms of the vocals to be honest, but what has always been an issue is how Meat can sound incredible in the studio, which let's be honest gives every listener their impression of the artist, and sounds a few levels down from that live.

I like the song, like how it's produced like how it has some good variation, i think it'd be fun to try live (hell if they can shoot t-shirts out of the 'machine', to use a polite phrase, during a show then a song like california will fit in with the tone nicely.

oh yeah, the song gets a 9 for me...

Really? How often have you been to Meat Loaf concerts which accumulates it to being countless? I thought you were only 19?
I've been going to shows for the last 14 years and I wouldn't exactly call it countless. :?

In fact it's been 13 times for me so far.

I disagree. I think there is a difference between singing "I want to ~~~~ you" and "I want to make your motor run." :?

I have also heard Meat sing live many times, 3 times just within the last 2 months. After hearing this I believe that he is perfectly capable of hitting the notes on this album on his own without any assistance. I believe that we will simply have to agree to disagree on this matter.

As for the crap songs comment I direct your attention to post #22 where the assertion was made that the album was full of crap songs.

Andrew you don't even have to go to concerts just go to You Tube, there's countless live videos there to listen to. Just take your pick, and don't tell me "ohhh sure those videos on You Tube are manipulated".
These days he sounds exactly the same at every live show he does. I'm comparing that to what I'm hearing on HCTB. It's nothing to complicated, I do have ears. I get the feeling people are getting upset everytime someone mentions "vocal manipulation". What's the big deal???? it doesn't bother me, who cares.

Nuff said, can we get back on topic please

Now that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard, and an insult to Meat to say that, who put his whole heart and soul into this album and is so very proud of it. I love the song, it's cheeky and outrageous and funny, and not to be taken too seriously. And I don't believe Meat's vocals have been manipulated either.

10

Carole

Unfortunately that doesn't have an impact on how some people perceive the song. Meat can put as much "heart and soul" in it as he wants to, it won't save it from being disliked by a number of people. I don't think California is an "insult" but I also understand why others think it is one.

Average: 8.16 (155/19)