Lawmakers Start Quoting Meat Loaf Lyrics Just Because

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

All right, so we're going to lighten things up a little bit. In the hallowed halls of the U.S. Senate, it is common practice to quote history's great orators when making your point - Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Gandhi.

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Right. And then came a banking committee hearing on Tuesday. Senator Sherrod Brown of the great state of Ohio rose to speak out against a piece of legislation whose very title promised three things, the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protection Act.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

SHERROD BROWN: As Meat Loaf used to sing, 2 out of 3 ain't bad. But this bill doesn't even meet the Meat Loaf minimum.

GREENE: Yes, Senator Brown was quoting Meat Loaf. The king of 1970s melodramatic pop became worthy of the halls of Congress.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "TWO OUT OF THREE AIN'T BAD")

MEAT LOAF: (Singing) 'Cause 2 out of 3 ain't bad.

MARTIN: But would you believe it did not stop there?

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

JOHN NEELY KENNEDY: Meat Loaf also said there ain't no Coupe DeVille in the bottom of a Cracker Jack box. In other words, we live in the real world.

MARTIN: That was Senator John Neely Kennedy setting off a Meat Loaf battle.

GREENE: I just didn't know senators knew so much about meat loaf. This is amazing and well more. Senator Thom Tillis countered...

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

THOM TILLIS: In that same song he said, baby, we can talk all night, but that ain't getting us nowhere. So I'm looking forward to processing the amendment.

(LAUGHTER)

MARTIN: Amazing. Then Chris Van Hollen of Maryland returned fire.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

CHRIS VAN HOLLEN: Meat Loaf also said, life is a lemon and I want my money back. So on behalf of all the consumers who got the short end of the stick from Wells Fargo and Equifax, I want to have a bill to make sure they get their money back.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "LIFE IS A LEMON AND I WANT MY MONEY BACK")

MEAT LOAF: (Singing) Life is a lemon and I want my money back.

GREENE: All right, you knew it had to get here eventually. Committee Chairman Mike Crapo finally admitted he was just outmatched.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MIKE CRAPO: I guess I'm going to have to go learn a little more about Meat Loaf.

TIM SCOTT: No, Sir, you don't have to.

(LAUGHTER)

MARTIN: You, Senator Tim Scott, took the words right out of my mouth.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "YOU TOOK THE WORDS RIGHT OUT OF MY MOUTH")

MEAT LOAF: (Singing) And then you took the words right out of my mouth. Oh, it must have been while you were kissing me. You took the words right out of my mouth. Oh, and I swear it's true, I was... Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.