123. Who Needs The Young?

[White of High]

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

Who Needs The Young? (4)

I have never been a fan of this song, it's one of the weakest song of Jim Steinman. I know it's his first ever written song, but it's not good enough for a Meat Loaf album.

Meat says in interviews that he sang the songs as a 19 years old guy. Do you really want to see Robert de Niro and Diane Keaton in 2016 as Romeo & Juliet? I don't! Why does an almost 70 years old singer want to be a 19 years old character with his deep, trembling voice?

I have big problems with the vocal. The second line with harsh ends of the words is utterance problem, the vocal in the verses on the end of the song is flat. Chorus and production is nice, but I would have never chosen this song as an opener.

My score: 4

[CarylB]

I had never heard this song before. I listened to this new album for the first time with no pre-conceptions, expectations or comparisons.

To me this is the perfect opening to a ground breaking album. The lyrics are strong and capture so well the bitter anger and frustration of youth in response to an older generation that seems resentful and jealous of what it has experienced, lost and wasted.

The vocals are in my view genius. It was only later it occurred to me that the almost operatic recitative delivery set the scene for just how far this work is from an album of songs. It was this track that instantly took me to a darkened theatre, a single figure standing to one side of a stage, lit by one soft spotlight, whilst on a screen set back and centre stage I saw images of those jealous older faces. It set me up to simply allow the whole to unfold before my eyes in one seamless musical pageant. And it was the opening song and the style Meat used that did that.

Sheer genius. My score is 10. (Only because I can't give it 15)

[ThatWriterGuy]

I have to agree with Caryl (!!!!WHAT?!??! WHATTTT!!!! It's true) -- this is a 10/10 for me (in the context of this album, not in comparison to say, AFL, which is 10/10 on a completely different scale). I 'get' the track, and, considering I've had the privilege of hearing three different versions -- all with Jim's vocals -- over the past two years (and some pretty lengthy discussions with him about it) I can honestly say that I think this is the definitive version of the song, and the arrangement is sublime. I can see how it wouldn't be everybody's 'cup of tea', but for me it's EXACTLY the song I wanted this album to open with.

RE the '19 year old' thing. I don't quite see it that way. Sure, that might've the frame of mind that worked for Meat when he was delivering the vocals and getting into character, but that's where it ends for me (if you want to get all Barthes you can call it 'Death of the Artist' or something) -- so I really don't see it as 'a 68 year old man playing a 19 year old kid'. That's not what I see when I listen to the song (you don't want to know what I see ... I live there, folks -- it ain't pretty).

10/10



(though it's still interesting to hear who DIDN'T like the track, and why).

[Adje]

Originally Posted by ThatWriterGuy

(though it's still interesting to hear who DIDN'T like the track, and why).

Okay then. Beause you asked for it

For me there are so many issues with this song. Terrible terrible opener. As a song it is too carnavalesque and gives a complete wrong indication on the rest of the songs on the album.

Meat's vocals are weak. Another reason not to start with this song on the album. I wouldn't be surprised if this, as an opener, has influenced some of the harsh critiques the album got.

And sure, meat uses a charater for this song and the album. Doesn't mean I need to. I just want an album with good songs. This isn't the kind of music I like. And even if it fits a storyline/character theme, the song is too weird and out of place to me.

All in all I dislike this song and think that it's one of the worst two on this album.

2/10

[Meat Loaf_fan]

Who Needs The Young

At first - I love new album, but I have problem with two songs. This is one of them.

I like vocals (to me - it fits perfectly into the idea of the album) and I very like lyrics, but ... the melody is quite bizarre - in fact it's good, but different. In my opinion it will be better with piano only (but this is only my opinion ).

Score: 5/10 (version with piano only will have: 8/10)

[LisaT]

Don't like it. Glad it's the first track - it means I can start the album at track 2 and then just let it play! Love the rest of the songs, though - some more than others, but no others that I have to skip!

[ashkent7]

For me the fact is a twisted circus of horrors is what makes it perfect for me.

As has been said, I see an old theatre, darkened with one person opening. It is basically the Usherette in Rocky Horror.

Grandiose, unsettling and Vauderville all at once to usher in the following carnival of beasts and freaks that the so called music moguls would rather see shackled in the cellars than walking the streets.

10/10 for being so different from anything else (probably the closest thing musically was My Chemical Romance's Welcome To The Black Parade ten years ago) and showing that music can produce visuals as strong as anything put on screen.

[CarylB]

Just a thought .. I'm guessing all those "Liking" the posts which give this track the 10/10 it (imo) deserves, must like this track?

WoH won't count Likes when he does his average .. so how about posting? Even if you just type your score out of 10 ..

[BostonAngel]

This is definitely one of my fave songs on the album. 10/10

[ninja]

Who NeedsTheYoung is bloody brilliant!! I LOVE that song!!
My score: better than 10/10!!

[Vickip]

It's catchy and fun .. the perfect opener for the CD
My score is 10/10

[Evil One]

I despise this song. I've never liked it. It is one of the worst I've ever heard. That said, Meat's vocals are good and it's a decent attempt at polishing a total turd. I do think the 'My ___ just aren't what they were' section would have been better as a call and response, with someone else singing that part and Meat doing the 'Is there anyone left' part.

Objectively I'd give this song a 7 but because I hate the lyrics, it gets a 2.

[nightinr]

One of the worse Meat Loaf songs ever. Terrible music, terrible lyrics, terrible vocals.

I refuse to listen to it anymore.

1/10

[MarkS]

Possibly the worst song meat has ever recorded. Sounds like it belongs in a circus musical. Listened to it all of twice and can't stand it. 1/10

[JennaG]

I can't pinpoint exactly what it is about this track but I just don't feel that I enjoy listening to it as much as some of the other tracks on the album.

It's not one I dislike as much as to skip it if it came up in my playlist, it's also not one that would be one of my first choices.

6/10

[AndrewG]

Not a big fan of this one.

I could see it being fun with a music video within a crazy circus and Meat playing a ringmaster. The audience are all old (enjoying a free bar) and all the performers and acrobats are old too. This would have been wicked. But without anything visually this song to me is difficult to digest and near impossible to digest as the album starter when all songs that follow are far more "normal".
It sounds slightly My Chemical Romancy but of course I appreciate this song existed ages ago.

I don't get the Meat thing "I sing every song as a 19 year old" at all when we have a song like this. Nor do I think this would have worked on Bat out of Hell at all. Would Jim really have considered this???

In my opinion it would have better been served as a bonus track or much later on in the album.

Starting the album with GATW would have been far, far, far better imo. This song is far too polarising to start the last album with.

5/10

[Frying Bat]

(at this moment) the Average Score = 5.78