MEAT LOAF - HOT PATOOTIE / BLESS MY SOUL

Released: August 14, 1975

Album: The Rocky Horror Picture Show

“Hot Patootie” is a high-energy rock ‘n’ roll song featured in “The Rocky Horror Show”. Originally performed by Paddy O’Hagan in the 1973 stage production, it gained widespread fame when Meat Loaf performed it in the 1974 Roxy production, the original Broadway run, and the iconic 1975 film.

Directed by Jim Sharman, the film is an adaptation of the stage musical “The Rocky Horror Show” by Richard O’Brien, who also co-wrote the screenplay and appears in the movie as the character Riff Raff. The plot raves about vampiric aliens, transvestites, supermen, groupies, innocent middle-class couples, terrifying castles... It's a crazy homage to the story of Frankenstein and RKO's B-series classics, among other things.

The story follows a newly engaged couple, Brad Majors (Barry Bostwick) and Janet Weiss (Susan Sarandon), whose car breaks down on a stormy night. They seek shelter in a nearby castle, only to find themselves in a bizarre, otherworldly party hosted by Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry), a flamboyant and eccentric scientist. Frank-N-Furter is unveiling his latest creation, a muscle-bound artificial man named Rocky. As the night unfolds, the couple is drawn into a wild mix of seduction, experiments, and chaos.

Meat Loaf’s character in the movie, Eddie, performs the song after being freed from his frozen state, bursting onto the scene on a motorcycle, crashing through a wall, dressed like a rebellious roadside rocker with a saxophone strapped to his belt, and before being axed to death by Dr. Frank-N-Furter (played by Tim Curry in the film). Meanwhile, he sings, dances, plays, and delivers a masterclass in showmanship. As the lyrics say: “a saxophone was blowin’ on a rock and roll show”.

Meat Loaf revisited the song 20 years later and included it in his 1996 live album “Live Around the World”, which featured many tracks from his previous two albums, “Bat Out of Hell II” and “Welcome to the Neighborhood”. Brian May recorded a version of “Hot Patootie” as a bonus track for the Japanese edition of his 1998 album “Another World”.

The song is a staple of the Rocky Horror franchise, appearing in all major soundtracks associated with the theatrical and cinematic productions. Its energetic delivery and nostalgic rock style make it one of the most memorable numbers in the show.