Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad

Michael Lee Aday, better known as the singer Meat Loaf, was a fixture on the radio from the late ’70s through the early ’90s. Some of you may remember him from the mega-hit “I Would Do Anything for Love,” a staple of the MTV era—back when they actually played music videos. He was also an actor, both on stage and screen, having played Eddie in the iconic Rocky Horror Picture Show and Robert Paulson in the film Fight Club. Over the course of his career, he sold more than 100 million albums worldwide and appeared in over 50 films.

However, that’s the end of the story—not the beginning.

“Meat Loaf” was a childhood nickname given to him by his family, and it wasn’t because he loved the dish. He was a very large person, and apparently, the name stuck. He began his career on stage, more specifically as a Broadway performer. He appeared in the musical Hair as well as the stage version of Rocky Horror.

In early 1972, he met songwriter Jim Steinman. Together, they began working on what could be called a concept album—an album in which all the songs are thematically linked. Meaning the songs are intertwined as opposed to singular stand alone versions. At the time, lead singers fit a specific mold. Think Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin, Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones, and Roger Daltrey of The Who: handsome, charismatic, and with raw, unconventional vocal styles. The industry formula for a lead singer was simple: women wanted to be with them, and men wanted to be like them. Meat Loaf didn’t check either box.

Once the songs for the album were completed, Jim and Meat Loaf spent nearly two years shopping it around in order to record it. That’s a lifetime in the music industry. Legend has it they were rejected so often that record labels were practically created just to turn them down.

But lo and behold, a subsidiary of Epic Records finally signed them, and legendary music producer Todd Rundgren came on board to produce the seminal album Bat Out of Hell. (Rundgren is perhaps best known for the song “Hello It’s Me,” which also appeared in the Sex and the City spin-off And Just Like That.) Bat Out of Hell went on to become a juggernaut, spawning hits like “Paradise by the Dashboard Light,” “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad,” and “You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth.” The album sold over 43 million copies worldwide, was certified 14x Platinum, and solidified Meat Loaf as a bona fide star.

The theme of today’s blog, boys and girls, is twofold:

First, a dream — a purpose, a mission — is what gets you up in the morning. And keeps you driven.  And second, never give up on that dream.  Or at the very least, set a realistic expectation and a clear timeframe for pursuit.

Now imagine this: You’ve poured your heart and soul into your life’s work — your opus. You bring it to not one, not five, but 21 record companies… only to be told that your music isn’t good enough — and neither are you.  Why? Because of how you look. That kind of rejection would break most people. But not Meat Loaf. He kept showing up. That kind of conviction, that kind of commitment — that is the stuff of legend. But how often do we do the opposite?
How often do we incur a single defeat and call it quits? One and done.  I’d venture to say it happens more often than not. How many ideas or projects die on the vine with one single rejection? I bring this up because, at ONE-FED, we remain locked in on a singular purpose:  To build the nation’s largest federal workers’ compensation network.

Since our decision to transition to a fully virtual platform, the road has gotten harder — not easier. Several developments have made this pursuit more challenging:

• First, the current administration has begun a systematic dismantling of several federal unions. This has made it increasingly difficult to communicate with decision-makers and educate them about the value of our services.
• Second, due to recent cost-containment measures ala DOGE at the Department of Labor (DOL), OWCP claims managers are now responsible for significantly more cases, making oversight even harder within an already overburdened system.

And yet — we’re undaunted. We are fully committed more than ever.

In order to remedy these obstacles we’ve established trusted relationships with union-adjacent contacts who have direct lines to key decision makers. We are also partnering with one of the industry’s leading podcasters to create a dedicated platform in order to communicate with the federal community. Our proprietary 5 Elements OWCP Pro software continues to provide unmatched efficiency in medical report writing — a cornerstone of our industry-leading approval rates.

We’ve also launched a boots-on-the-ground campaign in collaboration with several of our network providers to build direct relationships with local federal agencies. This initiative has already shown strong results — and we welcome the opportunity to create more partners across the country. The point is — just like Meat Loaf — ONE-FED doesn’t take no for an answer. And like a Bat out of Hell, we will continue to provide care and claim oversight to any injured federal employee. If the mission is just and the purpose aligns, nothing can stop you. Have a great week, everyone.