I've always looked at "Signs of Life" as being a pivotal record in my career, though for reasons you might not expect. Going into the project, things couldn't have been better. I'd just come off a great success with the "Emotions..." LP and tour. I'd bought my first home in the city where I'd struggled to make ends meet for over ten years while pursuing my dream of a career in music...the only dream that ever really mattered. I had back-to-back smash records and was on top of the world (or close to it). But things aren't always as they seem.rnrnI'd signed up Robert John "Mutt" Lange to produce SOL. Mutt was really coming into his own, having produced major records for AC/DC, Foreigner, and Def Leppard, and the idea of working together really excited both of us. Several years earlier, before meeting Mutt, I'd had a brief tryst with his wife, whom I met at Tramp's, the famous London night club owned by Johnny Gold. This sort of dalliance was fairly common practice in those days, and I never gave it much thought. As we readied ourselves to go into the studio, Mutt fell behind schedule with The Cars "Heartbeat City" record, so I took the band into rehearsals to start fleshing out the new material I'd written. One day, we were interrupted by a long-distance phone call from Mutt: "Billy, I know all about you and Olga - I'm not doing the record." Just like that, our spectacular collaboration was in ruins. I was stunned. I soon learned that the two of them were breaking up and surmised she must have said something catty, to the effect of, "Have fun with Billy, I did." Mutt is a very decisive and strong-willed person, and when he makes his mind up, that's that. He would not allow us to have a conversation about what had transpired...he just shut the door and walked away. rnrnA short time later, my manager, Stewart Young, presented me with an intriguing, if slightly off-the-wall alternative; Jim Steinman, the writer of Meatloaf's "Bat Out of Hell." I met with Jim and was taken by the originality of his thinking and his thoughtful attitude. He was quite keen to explore some different directions with my music, in addition to maintaining the essential underpinnings. This appealed to me, as I didn't want to get into a rut of trying to rehash prior successes, but rather wanted to stretch out a bit and explore new horizons. So it seemed like a good creative fit in many ways.rnrnI already had most of the songs written that eventually appeared on SOL. I came up with the riff and melody for "Rock Me Tonite" while diving offshore in Mikonos in the summer of '83. I remember coming up for air and shouting to my girlfriend, "I've just written the first hit for the record." Wish they all came that easy, and in such idyllic surroundings. As the record was scheduled for release the following year, I decided to write something that addressed how the Orwellian masterwork played out in real time...hence 1984. Jim was particularly helpful when it came to arranging songs like this: he had a musical vision that encompassed a flare for opera—listen to the bridge in 1984—and a cinematic overview, as evidenced in the epic treatment of "Reach For The Sky." He also prodded me to write what he viewed as a unique sort of ballad, and I responded with "Fall For Love." This song would not exist if not for his constant, gentle cajoling.rnrnPutting the songs to tape proved to be a bit of a struggle. Jim's forte was in writing and arranging, but his views on recording weren't exactly in sync with mine. I've always been extremely picky about "the sound" of my records, from each individual instrument down to the ambiance of an entire track. I knew how I wanted my records to sound, and had learned how to do it from working with Mack. To insure that I got what I wanted, I hired Tony Platt to engineer the record. Tony, not by accident, had worked with Mutt on several of his aforementioned successes, and I felt this might be a way to bring some of Mutt's innovative recording techniques to SOL afterall. Jim wanted to use an engineer he felt comfortable with, who was perfectly competent but not schooled in the manner I required. As it ended up, I placated Jim by keeping his engineer around in a consulting capacity, while Tony and I steered the recording down the road we mutually agreed upon. When it came time to mix, it immediately became apparent that there were too many cooks in the kitchen, so Tony and I flew off to London to finish the process at Battery Studios (where Mutt and Tony did a lot of their work). It was at this time that a second—and far more affecting—drama began to unfold...rnrnBut that's another story.rnrn_B