Meat Loaf has said the song was intended for Bat out of Hell II and given to the singer in 1986, but that they both decided to use "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)" for Bat II, and save this song for Bat III.
In interviews, Meat Loaf has said that, in his mind, the song was always meant to be a duet. It was recorded as a duet by Meat Loaf and Marion Raven for the album Bat out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose, produced by Desmond Child. Raven had been working on her solo album with Child, and was chosen because the timbre of her voice starkly contrasts to Meat Loaf's.
In promotional interviews, Meat Loaf said that "I believe that the version that Marion Raven and myself did on this album is the definitive version."
Meat Loaf cried when he first heard the song, which "is the only time that's happened." He has also said that the song could refer to Steinman and himself, with an array of emotions coming back every time they work together. Referring to lines like 'when I kiss you like that', he said that although "I love Jim Steinman', he wouldn't French kiss him!"
To me it wasn't a song about romance, it was about me and Jim Steinman. We'd had a load of problems with managers in the early '80s and all of a sudden after five years we started to communicate. After I'd been to his house, he sent me the song, and it was "It's All Coming Back To Me Now". Not the line 'When you kiss me like that', but the emotional connection. It doesn't have to be literal."
The website Allmusic called the song 'a tormented ballad about romantic loss and regret built on a spooky yet heart-wrenching piano melody'. The torment is present in the song's opening ('There were nights when the wind was so cold'), from which the singer recovers ('I finished crying in the instant that you left... And I banished every memory you and I had ever made'). However, the defiance in the verses are replaced by the return of the 'subservient' feelings in the chorus ('when you touch me like this, and you hold me like that...'); this juxtaposition continues throughout the song.
'There were those empty threats and hollow lies
'And whenever you tried to hurt me
'I just hurt you even worse and so much deeper.'
Eroticism is implied in the lines 'There were nights of endless pleasure' and 'The flesh and the fantasies: all coming back to me'. The song ends with a passionate, quiet reprise of the chorus. Critics have also identified Wagner, of whom Steinman is an admirer, as an inspiration. Specifying this song, the Sunday Times said "the theme of Wagner's opera Tristan and Isolde, with its extreme passions and obsessive love, informs all his best work."
It's All Coming Back to Me Now
Meat Loaf Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴
That my body froze in bed if I just listened to it right outside the window
There were days when the sun was so cruel
That all the tears turned to dust and I just knew my eyes were drying up forever
I finished crying in the instant that you left
And I can't remember where or when or how
And I banished every memory you and I have ever made
But when you touch me like this (touch me like this)
And you hold me like that (hold me like that)
I just have to admit that it's all coming back to me
When I touch you like this (touch you like this)
And I hold you like that (hold you like that)
It's so hard to believe but it's all coming back to me now
It's all coming back
It's all coming back to me now
There were moments of gold and there were flashes of light
There were things I'd never do again but then they'd always seemed right
There were nights of endless pleasure
It was more than any laws allow, baby, baby!
If I kiss you like this (kiss you like this)
And if you whisper like that (whisper like that)
It was lost long ago but it's all coming back to me
If you want me like this (if you want me like this)
And if you need me like that (if you need me like that)
It was dead long ago but it's all coming back to me
It's so hard to resist and it's all coming back to me
I can barely recall, but it's all coming back to me now
But you were history with the slamming of the door
And I made myself so strong again somehow
And I never wasted any of my time on you since then!
But if I touch you like this (touch you like this)
And if you kiss me like that (kiss me like that)
It was so long ago but it's all coming back to me
If you touch me like this (touch me like this)
And if I kiss you like that (kiss you like that)
It was gone with the wind but it's all coming back to me now
It's all coming back
It's all coming back to me now
There were moments of gold and there were flashes of light
There were things we'd never do again but they'd always seemed right
There were nights of endless pleasure
It was more than all your laws allow, baby, baby, baby!
When you touch me like this (touch me like this)
And when you hold me like that (hold me like that)
It was gone with the wind but it's all coming back to me
When you see me like this (see me like this)
And when I see you like that (see you like that)
Then we see what we want to see, all coming back to me
The flesh and the fantasies, all coming back to me
I can barely recall, but it's all coming back to me now
If you forgive me all this (forgive me all this)
If I forgive you all that (forgive you all that)
We forgive and forget and it's all coming back to me now
It's all coming back to me now
And when I touch you like that
It's all coming back to me now
If you do it like this
It's all coming back to me now
And if we
break all the rules, and if you tear me apart
It's all coming back to me now
In "It's All Coming Back to Me Now," Meat Loaf sings about memories of a past relationship. The lyrics describe the pain and suffering experienced when the singer is alone, but also the joy and pleasure when they are together. The opening lines of the song highlight the contrast between the harsh, cold wind outside and the warmth of the bed the singer is in, creating a sense of isolation and loneliness. The lyrics also touch on the idea that some memories are so painful that they are best forgotten. However, when the two lovers are reunited, the emotions and memories come flooding back.
The song was written by Canadian songwriter Jim Steinman, who wrote many of Meat Loaf's greatest hits. The song was originally written for a female singer and was inspired by Emily Brontë's novel Wuthering Heights. The song was first recorded by Pandora's Box in 1989, with Steinman as the lead vocalist, but it wasn't until Meat Loaf's version was released in 1993 that the song became a hit.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Jim Steinman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Freakboysays
There were nights when the wind was so cold
That my body froze in bed if I just listened to it right outside the window
There were days when the sun was so cruel
That all the tears turned to dust and I just knew my eyes were drying up forever
I finished crying in the instant that you left
And I can't remember where or when or how
And I banished every memory you and I have ever made
But when you touch me like this (touch me like this)
And you hold me like that (hold me like that)
I just have to admit that it's all coming back to me
When I touch you like this (touch you like this)
And I hold you like that (hold you like that)
It's so hard to believe but it's all coming back to me now
It's all coming back
It's all coming back to me now
There were moments of gold and there were flashes of light
There were things I'd never do again but then they'd always seemed right
There were nights of endless pleasure
It was more than any laws allow-baby, baby!
If I kiss you like this (kiss you like this)
And if you whisper like that (whisper like that)
It was lost long ago but it's all coming back to me
If you want me like this (if you want me like this)
And if you need me like that (if you need me like that)
It was dead long ago but it's all coming back to me
It's so hard to resist and it's all coming back to me
I can barely recall, but it's all coming back to me now....
But you were history with the slamming of the door
And I made myself so strong again somehow
And I never wasted any of my time on you since then!
But if I touch you like this (touch you like this)
And if you kiss me like that (kiss me like that)
It was so long ago but it's all coming back to me
If you touch me like this (touch me like this)
And if I kiss you like that (kiss you like that)
It was gone with the wind but it's all coming back to me now
It's all coming back
It's all coming back to me now
There were moments of gold and there were flashes of light
There were things we'd never do again but they'd always seemed right
There were nights of endless pleasure
It was more than all your laws allow-baby, baby, baby!
When you touch me like this (touch me like this)
And when you hold me like that (hold me like that)
It was gone with the wind but it's all coming back to me
When you see me like this (see me like this)
And when I see you like that (see you like that)
Then we see what we want to see-all coming back to me
The flesh and the fantasies-all coming back to me
I can barely recall, but it's all coming back to me now....
If you forgive me all this (forgive me all this)
If I forgive you all that (forgive you all that)
We forgive and forget and it's all coming back to me now
It's all coming back to me now
We forgive and forget
And it's all coming back to me now....
@travelinman790
Rest in peace Mr meatloaf, one of the most underrated singers of all time. You'll be missed. 🍖🍞
@MultiPetercool
Underrated by those who know nothing about great talent. Luciano Pavarotti himself admired him!
@lisakonteah7950
Under rated? Not unless you knew anything about his early years.
@MultiPetercool
@Lisa Konteah Like this? No amplification. What a voice! https://youtu.be/XbUzWQWa1TU
@flood1417
Love you forever 💘
@blackc1479
Seriously, bat is one of the best selling albums ever. There will never be another
@calebrabion4786
Probably the most underrated vocalist of our time. He's 1 of the best.
@raphaelreine1390
I totally concur!
@jasonseeber7652
100%
@Mostopinionatedmanofalltime
He's not underrated I think. Something like 100 million plus sold.