Ezra Koenig on why Meat Loaf confused him as a child

11 May 2019, 22:00 | Updated: 11 May 2019, 22:01

Tracks That Changed My Life | Ezra, Vampire Weekend

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.