"Dead Ringer for Love" is a song performed by American rock singer Meat Loaf and American singer-actress Cher from Meat Loaf's second studio album, Dead Ringer. The song was written by Jim Steinman and one of only two tracks on the album produced by Steinman and Jimmy Iovine.
The song was originally written by Jim Steinman, Tony Hendra and Sean Kelly (and sung by Michael Simmons) for the short-lived television comedy series, Delta House. Steinman reworked the melody into the song "Dead Ringer for Love" for the Dead Ringer album, while portions of the lyrics would later appear in his "Tonight Is What It Means to Be Young".
The track was released in the United Kingdom in November 1981 and debuted at number 63 on the UK Singles Chart. It slowly climbed the chart and peaked at number five in early February 1982.
Allmusic editor William Ruhlmann later highlighted the song.[3] Also, Donald A. Guarisco retrospectively praised the lyrics: "The tongue-in-cheek lyrics tell the tale of a guy who’s realized he cant 'live by rock ‘n’ roll and brew alone' and sets his sights on his ideal woman (...) The lyric devotes equal time to his vampy object of affection". He added that, "This unique blend of vocal and instrumental firepower makes 'Dead Ringer For Love' feel like a long-lost outtake from the Grease soundtrack on steroids."[4]