"Objects in the Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are" is a song composed and written by Jim Steinman, and recorded by Meat Loaf.

"Objects in the Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are" is a three-part narrative, centred upon the seasons summer, winter and spring.

"[4] BBC.co.uk also says that the song about a "melancholy middle-aged man reminiscing about his youth... is in many ways uncomfortably close to home, dealing as it does with episodes uncannily similar to events in his own life.

"[8] Allmusic says "the music takes the concept of a power ballad to epic heights: the verses build from somber softness to piercing heights of drama before giving way to a chorus that releases the tension with a meditative melodic figure that underlines the hypnotically-repeated title in a soothing fashion.

[10] Although Kenny has died, the vocalist reveals how his memory lives on: There are times I think I see him peeling out of the dark I think he's right behind me now and he's gaining ground Each verse concludes by declaring that the preceding events "were long ago and ... far away", a line which Mick Wall says summons "up the lost spirit of 1977, echoing "Paradise by the Dashboard Light", the vocal melody a tip of the hat to "Surf's Up".

The lyrics document a physically abusive "dangerous and drunk" father, reflecting Meat Loaf's real life youth.

And though the nightmares should be over Some of the terrors are still intact I'll hear that ugly coarse and violent voice And then he grabs me from behind and then he pulls me back Again, the title is repeated several times, softly at first, building into a more dramatic intensity.

Allmusic says it starts "with gentle piano and synthesizer licks that are built up with power chords to enhance their drama and weaving stirring, choir-styled backing vocals into the chorus that keep its repetition fresh by giving it new layers.

[12] He had previously directed the videos for the album's prior two singles, "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)" and "Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through".

[12] The scene with the "beauty at the edge of town" washing her car was filmed in Valley View, Texas, near to the Oklahoma border.

[13] The video opens with Kenny playing with his friend (Josh Diaz), and his father (Robert Patrick) letting them sit in his airplane.

In the second section of the song, the protagonist (Will Estes[14]) sees the ghost of the plane fly over the graveyard at Kenny's funeral.

At the end of the video, whenever Meat Loaf sings the line "Objects in the Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are", he sees either the ghost of the plane, the woman or himself when he was younger.

[16][17] The UK Virgin release also featured two tracks performed live in New York City in July 1993: "All Revved Up with No Place to Go" and "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad.

"[22] The Fort Worth Star-Telegram also referred to the length of the songs on the album, in which Steinman "vomits up 75 minutes of endlessly repeated choruses.

Steinman reused the melody, with new lyrics by Michael Kunze, for "Die Unstillbare Gier", a song performed by the character Graf von Krolock in the rock-opera Tanz der Vampire.