Everyone remembers the blue-tinted, gothic melodrama of the music video. A motorcycle-riding beast, a beautiful woman in a white dress, and a song that felt like it was fifteen minutes long because, well, it basically was. But for decades, the biggest question in 90s rock hasn’t been about the length of the track. It’s been about the voice. Specifically, who sings with Meat Loaf in I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)? If you’ve ever sat in your car screaming the duet parts at the top of your lungs, you’ve probably wondered why that powerful, rasping female voice didn't become a massive solo star in her own right.
The answer is actually a bit of a tangled web involving stage names, session singers, and a lip-syncing model who convinced an entire generation she was the one hitting those high notes.
The Face vs. The Voice: Dana Patrick and Lorraine Crosby
If you grew up watching MTV in 1993, you saw Dana Patrick. She’s the stunning actress in the video who gazes longingly at Meat Loaf’s prosthetic-heavy "Beast" character. She looks like she’s singing. She moves like she’s singing. But honestly? She isn't making a sound.
The real singer—the one who actually recorded those iconic lines—is a British powerhouse named Lorraine Crosby.
At the time, Crosby was an aspiring singer from North Shields, England. She had moved to Los Angeles after being scouted by Jim Steinman, the legendary songwriter and producer behind Meat Loaf’s Bat Out of Hell empire. The story of how she ended up on the track is surprisingly casual for a song that went to number one in 28 countries. She was basically just in the right place at the right time. She happened to be at the studio when Meat Loaf was recording, and Steinman asked her to lay down a "guide vocal."
A guide vocal is usually just a placeholder. It’s meant to show the "real" singer how the melody should go. But when Meat Loaf heard Crosby’s raw, emotive delivery, he knew they weren't going to find anyone better.
It’s one of those lightning-in-a-bottle moments in music history. Crosby didn't get a huge paycheck for it. In fact, she reportedly didn't even get royalties for a song that became one of the best-selling singles of all time. She was credited on the album under the pseudonym Mrs. Loud, a nickname Steinman used for backup singers who had that specific, wall-of-sound vocal quality.
Why the Confusion Still Happens
People get confused because the music industry is obsessed with aesthetics. Dana Patrick was hired for the video because she had the right "look" for the cinematic, Beauty and the Beast vibe they were going for. She did a fantastic job of lip-syncing, so much so that she was flooded with record deal offers after the video premiered. To her credit, Patrick was always honest about it. She never claimed to be the singer and actually turned down those record deals because she knew she couldn't match Crosby's pipes.
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But the confusion didn't stop there.
When Meat Loaf performed the song live on TV shows or during his early tours for the Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell album, he didn't bring Crosby with him. Instead, he often performed with Patti Russo. Russo is a legend in her own right and was Meat Loaf’s primary female lead vocalist for nearly 20 years. Because she performed the song so many times on Storytellers, VH1, and world tours, many casual fans assume she’s the one on the studio recording.
She isn't.
Breaking Down the "Mrs. Loud" Mystery
Why the name Mrs. Loud? Jim Steinman was a theatrical genius, but he was also a bit eccentric. He loved the idea of a "Wagnerian Rock" sound. To him, the female voices on his tracks weren't just singers; they were part of a massive, sonic landscape. Lorraine Crosby wasn't the only one to fall under this umbrella, but she is the most famous.
If you listen closely to the final few minutes of the song—the part where the "negotiation" happens—you can hear why they kept her. Her voice has this specific grit. It’s not just a clean pop vocal; it sounds like someone who has been through the ringer. It’s the perfect foil to Meat Loaf’s operatic, booming tenor.
Interestingly, Crosby has gone on record saying she never actually met Meat Loaf while she was recording her parts. She was in a booth, he was elsewhere, and they were stitched together in the mix. That’s the magic of 90s studio production.
What She Actually "Won't Do"
Since we’re clearing up mysteries, we have to talk about the lyrics. For years, the joke was that nobody knew what the "that" was in "I won't do that."
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People thought it was something scandalous.
It’s actually very simple if you listen to the duet. During Crosby’s section at the end, she lists things that will eventually happen in a relationship. She says:
- "You'll see that it's time to move on."
- "You'll be dreaming of some boy you were dreaming of."
- "You'll forget the way you feel right now."
- "You'll be screwing around."
After each of these lines, Meat Loaf responds with the hook. "I won't do that." He’s literally answering her questions. He won't stop loving her, he won't forget how he feels, and he won't cheat. It’s not a mystery. It’s just basic reading comprehension that got lost in the sheer volume of the power ballad.
The Career of Lorraine Crosby Post-Meat Loaf
You’d think a hit this big would launch a massive career. While Crosby didn't become a household name like Whitney Houston, she stayed very busy. She’s a staple of the live music scene in the UK. She performed on The X Factor in 2005 (which was a bit weird, seeing a legend auditioning for judges who barely knew her history).
She also released her own album, Mrs. Loud, and has performed with acts like Bonnie Tyler. There’s no bitterness there, either. In interviews, she sounds genuinely proud of the track. She knows she's part of rock history. Even if her face wasn't in the video, her voice is the soul of the song.
Other Singers Who Took on the Role
Because the song stayed popular for decades, several other women have stepped into Crosby's shoes for live performances. If you're looking at a video on YouTube and the singer doesn't look like Dana Patrick or sound exactly like the CD, it’s probably one of these talented vocalists:
Patti Russo
As mentioned, she’s the "Gold Standard" for Meat Loaf fans. Her chemistry with Meat was undeniable. She didn't just sing the notes; she acted them out. Their live versions of "Anything For Love" are often longer and more theatrical than the radio edit.
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Ellen Foley
Wait, didn't she sing "Paradise by the Dashboard Light"? Yes. While she isn't on the studio version of "Anything For Love," she is the original female voice of the Bat Out of Hell era. Some people get the two songs—and the two singers—mixed up because the formula is similar.
Cian Coey
In the later years of Meat Loaf’s touring career, Cian Coey took over the female vocals. She brought a fresh energy to the song and handled the vocal gymnastics required for the finale with incredible ease.
Why This Song Matters Today
We don't really get songs like this anymore. In an era of two-minute tracks designed for TikTok loops, a twelve-minute rock opera about devotion is a relic. But it’s a relic that works. It works because of that specific vocal chemistry.
When you ask who sings with Meat Loaf in I'd Do Anything For Love, you aren't just asking for a name. You’re asking about the person who provided the emotional groundedness to Meat Loaf’s over-the-top performance. Lorraine Crosby provided the "reality" in the fantasy.
If you want to truly appreciate the song, stop watching the music video for a second. Put on a pair of good headphones and listen to the album version (the long one). Listen to the way Crosby's voice enters at the 9:28 mark. It’s a masterclass in tension and release.
How to Find More of Lorraine Crosby’s Work
If you've fallen in love with that voice, you don't have to stop at one song.
- Check out her 2008 album Mrs. Loud. It’s got that classic rock feel that Steinman fans love.
- Look for her live performances on YouTube. Search for "Lorraine Crosby live" to see her performing the song that made her (anonymously) famous. She still hits the notes.
- Explore the "Mrs. Loud" credits. She’s popped up as a backing vocalist on several other projects from that era.
The mystery of the "Meat Loaf girl" is a classic bit of music trivia, but the talent behind it is very real. Next time it comes on the radio, you can be the person who says, "Actually, that's Lorraine Crosby, and she was just supposed to be the demo singer." You’ll sound like an expert, and honestly, you’ll be giving a great artist the credit she finally deserves.
To get the full experience of this vocal powerhouse, your next step is to find the original 12-minute version of the song on a high-quality streaming service—avoid the radio edits, which often cut out the best parts of Crosby's performance entirely.