Meat Loaf, Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad | Throwback Vibez

In the 71st edition of Throwback Vibez (2025), we recollect and reflect on “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad” by Meat Loaf.   

The vibes, the vibes, those Throwback Vibez ! Throwback Vibez is a column that celebrates awesome songs from the past.  The records that grace this column are older, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re ancient – no fossils ! All genres of music are welcome. In the 71^st edition of Throwback Vibez ️ (2025), we recollect and reflect on “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad” performed by Meat Loaf.

“I want you, I need you / But there ain’t no way I’m ever gonna love you.” Uh-oh! It’s those universal, pesky matters of the heart rearing their ugly head! Grammy-winning singer and actor Meat Loaf (Michael Lee Aday) (1947 – 2022) continues singing, “Now don’t be sad (Don’t be sad ‘cause) / ‘Cause two out of three ain’t bad.” “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad” is the fifth track from Meat Loaf’s lauded 1977, diamond-certified album, Bat Out of Hell. Hall of Fame songwriter Jim Steinman (1947 – 2021) wrote “Two,” while Todd Rundgren produced it.  A huge hit, the song peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100.  It was certified platinum by the RIAA. 

So, what is going on in “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad?” An ice-cold relationship.  “Baby, we can talk all night / But that ain’t getting us nowhere,” Meat Loaf sings in the first verse of the ballad.  In the second, he asserts, “I poured it on, and I poured it out,” adding “I’m tired of words and I’m too hoarse to shout / But you’ve been cold to me so long.” It’s poetically giving unrequited love.  On the bridge, Aday speaks to the extreme that his soon-to-be ex is seeking, cleverly singing, “I know you’re lookin’ for a ruby in a mountain of rocks / But there ain’t no Coupe de Ville hidin’ / At the bottom of a Cracker Jack box.” By the third verse, she exits, expressing those memorable, titular lyrics in the chorus.  Meat Loaf sings authentically and beautifully throughout “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad” – he sells it to the audience like a champ.  Beyond his honest vocal performance, the music is stunning.  This is 1970s pop/rock at its best, with rhythm section (including keys), strings, and lit background vocals supporting Meat Loaf’s dynamic lead. Can I get an amen?! The greatness of “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad” endures well beyond the 1970s.

Meat Loaf // Bat Out of Hell // Sony Music Entertainment // 1977

Meat Loaf, Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad: Throwback Vibez ️ No. 71 (2025) [: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Sony Music Entertainment; AcatXlo, OpenClipart-Vectors, Clker-Free-Vector-Images, Speedy McVroom from Pixabay]