Jim Steinman

Jim Steinman biography

James Richard "Jim" Steinman (born November 1, 1947) is an American composer, lyricist, and Grammy Award-winning record producer responsible for several hit songs. He has also worked as an arranger, pianist, and singer. His work has included songs in the adult contemporary, rock and roll, dance, pop, musical theater, and film score genres. Beginning his career in musical theater, Steinman's most notable work in the area includes lyrics for Whistle Down the Wind and music for Tanz der Vampire.

His work includes such albums as Meat Loaf's Bat out of Hell and Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell, and producing albums for Bonnie Tyler. His most successful chart singles include Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart", Air Supply's "Making Love Out of Nothing at All", Meat Loaf's "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)", The Sisters of Mercy's "This Corrosion" and "More", Barry Manilow's "Read 'Em and Weep" (originally released by Meat Loaf), Celine Dion's cover of "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" (originally released by Steinman's project Pandora's Box) and Boyzone's "No Matter What". The album Bad for Good was released in his own name in 1981.

Personal life

Steinman was born in New York, New York. He graduated from George W. Hewlett High School in 1965 and then attended Amherst College. According to longtime manager David Sonenberg, Steinman had serious cardiac health problems around 2004, but has been in good health since.

Responding to an interviewer's asserting that his songs are tragic, Steinman says that he has "never been stomped on literally. Figuratively, I am stomped on every day ... anyway, that is the way I feel sometimes. I've never had my heart broken the way you are talking about. I've never been dumped... but probably because I don't allow myself to be dumped."

1960s

As a senior at Amherst College in Massachusetts, Jim wrote the book, music, and lyrics for The Dream Engine (1969), a musical that was used to fulfill the requirements for an independent study course. He had previously scored two other musicals at Amherst, A Man's a Man (1967) and Baal (1968), as well as co-producing The Beard (1968).

The story of The Dream Engine, set in the distant future, is about a young boy named Baal who, along with his rebel fellows, doesn't accept the restraints and limits of their society. Baal is the leader of a group of wild boys called The Tribe, whose mortal enemies are Max and Emily, the parents of the Girl, a young woman with whom Baal has fallen in love. Steinman himself played Baal in the original production, which was staged in April 1969. Fellow Amherst College student Barry Keating was director.

Several parts of songs from this show resemble parts of songs Steinman later released. For example, the words "turn around bright eyes" from "Total Eclipse of the Heart" can be heard in the song called "The Formation of the Tribe" in Steinman's manuscript for the show.

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