Bat Out of Hell is the 1977 debut album by American rock singer Meat Loaf and composer Jim Steinman. It was developed from a musical, Neverland, a futuristic rock version of Peter Pan, which Steinman wrote for a workshop in 1974. The album was recorded during 1975–1976 at various studios, including Bearsville Studios in Woodstock, New York, produced by Todd Rundgren, and released in October 1977 by Cleveland International/Epic Records. Its musical style is influenced by Steinman's appreciation of Richard Wagner, Phil Spector, Bruce Springsteen and The Who. Bat Out of Hell has spawned two Meat Loaf sequel albums: Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell and Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose.
 
Bat Out of Hell is one of the best-selling albums of all time, having sold over 50 million copies worldwide. It is certified 14x Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). As of June 2019, it has spent 522 weeks in the UK Albums Chart, the second longest chart run by a studio album. Rolling Stone ranked it at number 343 on its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
 
The album was not an immediate hit in the U.S. However, it sells about 200,000 copies per year and has sold an estimated 50 million copies worldwide, including 14 million in the United States and over 1.7 million albums in Australia, where it is the country's highest-selling album as of 2016, being certified 25× platinum. The album has stayed on the UK album chart for 522 weeks, making it the UK's third longest charting studio album behind Fleetwood Mac's Rumours and Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon.