Mad Loaf

Meat Loaf claims he should be the only one allowed to use the “Bat Out of Hell” phrase in connection with music, although he isn’t the one who wrote the song.

The singer, whose real name is Marvin Aday, has filed a federal suit that says Jim Steinman, who wrote the song, wrongly claims ownership of the phrase.

Steinman and co-defendant David Sonenberg, who is listed in the suit as Meat Loaf’s former manager, are accused of trying to disrupt the October release of the singer’s Bat Out of Hell III album by telling the singer’s distributors that he has no right to use the phrase, the suit reads.

Meat Loaf says the expression has been publicly associated with him since the 1977 album of the same name was released. The suit, filed May 26th, seeks damages of more than $50 million.

The two previous Bat Out of Hell albums, released in 1977 and 1993, have sold 48 million copies worldwide. Steinman wrote and produced the second album, and the suit says he would have produced the third if not for a falling out with Meat Loaf.