Ezra Koenig on why Meat Loaf confused him as a child
11 May 2019, 22:00 | Updated: 11 May 2019, 22:01
In The Tracks That Changed My Life, the Vampire Weekend frontman explains why didn’t understand what “I Won’t Do That” meant…
Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig has been telling Radio X that he’s spent the last 25 years thinking about a classic Meat Loaf song… and wondering what specifically what the singer wasn’t prepared to do for love.
Koenig was taking Radio X through The Tracks That Changed My Life - our new series that sees stars tell the stories behind the milestone musical moments in their lifetime.
Picking a track that takes him back to his childhood, Ezra pondered on the mystery that was Meat Loaf’s 1993 power ballad I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That).
“It reminds me of when I first had my own radio,” Koenig revealed. “I think my parents got me some little cassette radio thing so I could listen on headphones. When I was eight or nine, this was a big song - the kids at school would talk about it, too. It was very mysterious."
Meat Loaf - I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)
“It was the first time there was a viral song that I can remember, in my microcosm of my little home town, because everyone wanted to know what does it mean? I’d do anything for love… but I won’t do that.
“It’s so dramatic, and I remember seeing the video on TV… I had no reference for it, because at home I’d hear The Beatles or something and I understood what that was. But then I’d see Meat Loaf and the name was so weird and the video was so weird and the lyrics were so mysterious.
“I was a kid and that was the first time I was like, What does this mean? And I’ve thought about it quite a bit since then.”
Also on Ezra’s personal playlist are tunes by Daft Punk, Sounds Of Blackness, a Kate Bush classic and a banger by Eric Prydz - watch the whole video to see which tracks he chooses.
