Paradise by the Dashboard Light by Meat Loaf

Overview

Key: C major · Chords used: 34 · Sections: 12

Form: Intro → Verse → Chorus → Verse → Chorus → Verse → Interlude → Verse → Verse → Transition → Interlude → Vocal

Where these chords come from: an expert transcription of the original recording made for the McGill Billboard Project (Burgoyne, Wild & Fujinaga, 2011). This page shows that transcription as-is: the analysis below is generated directly from it by code, not written by AI. Consecutive repeats of a chord are shown once, and the piano voicings are our playable arrangement of each chord symbol, not a note-for-note transcription.

Key changes

• Transition moves to B♭ major.

Section by section

Intro

• C7♯9 – C
  I7#9 – I

Verse 1

• C – F – B♭ – F – C – F – E – F – G
  I – IV – bVII – IV – I – IV – III – IV – V
• C – A♭ – E♭ – B♭ (×2)
  I – bVI – bIII – bVII
• C
  I

Chorus 1

• F/C – C – Gsus4/C – C (×2)
  IV⁶₄ – I – Vsus4 (bass C) – I
• F – C – F – E♭ – G – F – G – C – G – F – C – Am – F – Dm7 – C
  IV – I – IV – bIII – V – IV – V – I – V – IV – I – vi – IV – ii7 – I

Verse 2

• F – G – C – F – Dm
  IV – V – I – IV – ii
• C – F – G (×3)
  I – IV – V
• C – F – Dm – C – F – B♭ – F – C – F – E – F – D – G
  I – IV – ii – I – IV – bVII – IV – I – IV – III – IV – II – V
• C – A♭ – E♭ – B♭ (×2)
  I – bVI – bIII – bVII
• C
  I

Chorus 2

• F/C – C – Gsus4/C – C (×2)
  IV⁶₄ – I – Vsus4 (bass C) – I
• F – C – F – E♭ – G – F – G – C – G – F – C – E7 – F – Dm – C – Am – G – Em – E7/G♯ – E7 – F – C – C/G – G7 – C
  IV – I – IV – bIII – V – IV – V – I – V – IV – I – III7 – IV – ii – I – vi – V – iii – III⁶₅ – III7 – IV – I – I⁶₄ – V7 – I

Verse 3

• F – G – C (×3)
  IV – V – I
• F – Dm
  IV – ii

Interlude 1

• G
  V
• Dm7 – Dm/B (×15)
  ii7 – ii (bass B)
• Dm7 – D7♯9 – Dm7
  ii7 – II7#9 – ii7

Verse 4

• G – F – C – G – G5 – F5 – C5 – B♭5 – F5 – G
  V – IV – I – V – V5 – IV5 – I5 – bVII5 – IV5 – V
• F – C (×2)
  IV – I
• G – F (×2)
  V – IV
• C – G
  I – V

Verse 5

• F – C – B♭ – F – C (×2)
  IV – I – bVII – IV – I
• F – G – B♭ – C – B♭ – F/A – Gm – F – C/E – B♭/D – C – F – C – B♭
  IV – V – bVII – I – bVII – IV⁶ – v – IV – I⁶ – bVII⁶ – I – IV – I – bVII
• F – G (×2)
  IV – V
• F – C – G
  IV – I – V
• F – C – B♭ – F – C (×2)
  IV – I – bVII – IV – I
• F – G – F – C – C♯ – D
  IV – V – IV – I – #I – II

Transition

• E♭ – B♭ (×2)
  IV – I
• F
  V
• E♭ – F – B♭ (×2)
  IV – V – I
• F – B♭ (×2)
  V – I
• E♭ – F – B♭ – F/A – Gm – F – E♭
  IV – V – I – V⁶ – vi – V – IV
• B♭ – F (×2)
  I – V
• B♭ – F/A – Gm – B♭ – F – B♭ – E♭ – F – B♭
  I – V⁶ – vi – I – V – I – IV – V – I

Interlude 2

• E♭ – B♭ – F – B♭ (×4)
  IV – I – V – I

Vocal

• E♭ – B♭ – F – B♭ (×13)
  IV – I – V – I
• E♭/B♭ – B♭ – F/B♭ – B♭ (×4)
  IV⁶₄ – I – V (bass B♭) – I
• E♭ – B♭/D – F/C – B♭ – E♭ – B♭/F – C/F – B♭
  IV – I⁶ – V⁶₄ – I – IV – I⁶₄ – II (bass F) – I

Chord vocabulary

Harmonic highlights

• B♭ (bVII) is borrowed from the parallel key, C minor.
• A♭ (bVI) is borrowed from the parallel key, C minor.
• E♭ (bIII) is borrowed from the parallel key, C minor.
• B♭5 (bVII5) is borrowed from the parallel key, C minor.
• Gm (v) is borrowed from the parallel key, C minor.
• B♭/D (bVII⁶) is borrowed from the parallel key, C minor.
• D acts as V/V: it resolves to G.

Sources & accuracy

• Chords and sections: the McGill Billboard Project (Burgoyne, Wild & Fujinaga, 2011). Expert transcription by trained musicians (song 0071, CC0), via ChoCo.
• Not verified: only one expert transcription of this song is available so far.
• Rhythm and chord durations aren't shown; each step is one chord change.