Meat Loaf’s ‘You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth’ vs. Judas Priest’s ‘Wild Nights, Hot and Crazy Days': Greatest Summer Song Battle

Meat Loaf's "You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)" and Judas Priest's "Wild Nights, Hot and Crazy Days" share the same general topic. But how will they fare as opponents in the first round of Ultimate Classic Rock's Greatest Summer Song tournament? You decide.

We’ve selected 32 of classic rock’s best summertime songs, and paired them off in 16 first-round duels. Over the next five weeks the field will be repeatedly cut in half by your votes, until we arrive at the greatest summer song ever made.

Meat Loaf's "You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)" was the first single from 1977's Bat Out of Hell, but it didn't crack the Top 40 until two other songs from the project became hits – "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" and "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad." By then, listeners had warmed to Meat Loaf's distinct brand of theatricality, and his album went on to sell 17 million copies in the U.S. alone.

Judas Priest's "Wild Nights, Hot and Crazy Days," meanwhile, finds songwriters Glenn Tipton, Rob Halford and K.K. Downing with the car windows rolled down, enjoying the promise of summer. It was a feel-good moment on 1986's Turbo, an album that divided fans because of its use of the guitar synth but remains Judas Priest's most recent platinum-selling release.

Which song will survive and make it to the next round? Listen to both below and make the call. You can vote once per hour in each of the 16 first-round Greatest Summer Song battles until voting closes on July 27 at 11:59PM ET. Your choice for the Greatest Summer Song of all time will be revealed on Aug. 25, 2015.

Watch Meat Loaf Perform 'You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth'

Listen to Judas Priest Perform 'Wild Nights, Hot and Crazy Days'

See Judas Priest and Other Rockers in the Top 100 Albums of the '80s