Read 'Em and Weep

"Read 'Em and Weep"
Single by Meat Loaf
from the album Dead Ringer
B-side	"Everything Is Permitted"
Released	November 1981 (US) March 12, 1982 (UK) [1]
Genre	Rock
Label	Epic
Songwriter	Jim Steinman
Producers	Jim Steinman, Jimmy Iovine
Meat Loaf singles chronology
"I'm Gonna Love Her for Both of Us" (1981) "Read 'Em and Weep" (1981) "Peel Out" (1981)
Music video
Video on YouTube

"Read 'Em and Weep"
Single by Barry Manilow
from the album Greatest Hits Vol. II
B-side	"One Voice"
Released	November 1983 (1983)
Genre	Easy listening
Length	5:16
Label	Arista
Songwriter	Jim Steinman
Producer	Jim Steinman
Barry Manilow singles chronology
"Some Kind of Friend" (1983) "Read 'Em and Weep" (1983) "You're Looking Hot Tonight" (1984)
Music video
Video on YouTube

"Read 'Em and Weep" is a rock song composed by Jim Steinman. It was originally written for Meat Loaf and recorded for his 1981 album, Dead Ringer , the second of only two tracks on the album produced by Steinman and Jimmy Iovine.

Critical reception

AllMusic wrote: "This impassioned lament from Dead Ringer is one of the best post-Bat Out Of Hell Meat Loaf tunes." ^[2]

Barry Manilow version

"Read 'Em and Weep" did not become a hit until late 1983, when a slightly rewritten version was recorded by Barry Manilow as one of three new tracks on his compilation album Greatest Hits, Vol. II . This version featured new lyrics for the second half of the song's second verse, as well as slight changes in the first verse and final chorus. It was a chart-topping success, hitting No. 1 on the Canadian and U.S. Adult Contemporary charts for six weeks, as well as peaking at No. 18 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in the first weeks of 1984, ^{[3] [4]} becoming Manilow's final Billboard top forty hit. ^[5]

Chart performance

Chart (1983–84)	Peak position
Canada Adult Contemporary	1
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company) [6]	17
U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary	1
US Billboard Hot 100	18

See also

• List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1983 (U.S.)

References

1. "Meat Loaf singles".
2. Guarisco, Donald A. "Read 'Em and Weep Review by Donald A. Guarisco". AllMusic . NETAKTION LLC. Archived from the original on 8 January 2015. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
3. Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 156.
4. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1984-01-28. Retrieved 2019-04-05.
5. Beviglia, Jim (10 October 2025). "Barry Manilow's Last Top 40 Hit Teamed Him With a Red-Hot Writer and Producer". American Songwriter . Savage Media Holdings. Archived from the original on 10 October 2025. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
6. "officialcharts.com". officialcharts.com. Retrieved March 8, 2022.