Pat Benatar

Biography

Patricia Mae Giraldo (née Andrzejewski; professionally Benatar ; born January 10, 1953) is an American singer and songwriter. In the US, she has two multi-platinum albums, five platinum albums, and 15 US Billboard top 40 singles, while in Canada she had eight straight platinum albums, and has sold over 36 million albums worldwide. She is a four-time Grammy Award winner. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.
Benatar's debut album, In the Heat of the Night×In the Heat of the Night20 October 1979 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Heartbreaker3:262I Need a Lover3:283If You Think You Know How to Love Me4:204In the Heat of the Night5:225My Clone Sleeps Alone3:276We Live for Love3:547Rated X3:158Don't Let It Show4:019No You Don't3:1810So Sincere3:30 (1979), was her breakthrough in North America, especially Canada, where it reached No. 3 on the album chart. Two hit singles from the album were: "Heartbreaker×Heartbreaker28 August 2009 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Heartbreaker (remastered)3:282Hit Me With Your Best Shot (remastered)2:52"; and "We Live for Love×We Live for Love23 February 1980 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracksAWe Live for Love3:45B1I Need a Lover3:23B2If You Think You Know How to Love Me3:43", the latter written by her lead guitarist and future husband, Neil Giraldo. Her second album, Crimes of Passion×Crimes of Passion5 August 1980 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Treat Me Right3:26A2You Better Run3:08A3Never Wanna Leave You3:11A4Hit Me With Your Best Shot2:51A5Hell Is for Children4:53B1Little Paradise3:31B2I'm Gonna Follow You4:30B3Wuthering Heights4:29B4Prisoner of Love3:08B5Out-A-Touch4:24 (1980), was her most successful work, peaking at No. 2 in North America and France, being certified 4× and 5× platinum in the US and Canada, respectively. The single "Hit Me with Your Best Shot×Hit Me With Your Best Shot15 September 1980 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAHit Me With Your Best Shot2:50BPrisoner Of Love3:05" reached the top 10 in the US and Canada, and is her signature song. Her third album, Precious Time×Precious Time25 July 1981 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracksA1Promises in the Dark4:49A2Fire and Ice3:21A3Just Like Me3:31A4Precious Time6:03B1It's a Tuff Life3:20B2Take It Anyway You Want It2:50B3Evil Genius4:36B4Hard to Believe3:27B5Helter Skelter3:49 (1981) topped the US Album Chart, and became her first top 10 album in Australia. Its single "Fire and Ice×Fire and Ice6 July 1981 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAFire and Ice3:20BHard to Believe3:26" charted highly in the US and Canada. Benatar's fourth album, Get Nervous×Get Nervous29 October 1982 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Shadows of the Night4:20A2Looking for a Stranger3:24A3Anxiety (Get Nervous)3:30A4Fight It Out3:54A5The Victim4:41B1Little Too Late4:06B2I'll Do It4:07B3I Want Out3:42B4Tell It to Her3:40B5Silent Partner3:43 (1982), sold less well than her previous two albums, but included the North American hit "Shadows of the Night×Shadows of the Night1982 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAShadows of the Night3:40BThe Victim4:41".
Benatar's sound moved towards more atmospheric pop. The single "Love Is a Battlefield×Love Is a Battlefield13 September 1983 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Love Is a Battlefield4:082Hell Is for Children (live)6:05" (1983) was her biggest hit in most countries, reaching No. 1 in the Netherlands, Australia, the US Rock Tracks chart, and No. 5 on the US Hot 100. The live album it came from, Live from Earth×Live From Earth11 October 1983 · Album · LiveSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Fire and Ice3:482Lookin' for a Stranger3:283I Want Out4:054We Live for Love3:415Hell Is for Children6:056Hit Me With Your Best Shot3:087Promises in the Dark5:148Heartbreaker4:209Love Is a Battlefield5:2510Lipstick Lies3:51 (1983), was her biggest seller in Australia, Germany, and the Netherlands. Her fifth album was Tropico×Tropico24 November 1984 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Diamond Field3:232We Belong3:423Painted Desert5:274Temporary Heroes4:255Love Is a Battlefield5:246Ooh Ooh Song4:097Outlaw Blues3:508Suburban King1:489In a Crazy World Like This4:0510Takin’ It Back4:0811Love in the Ice Age4:08 (1984), and its lead single "We Belong×We Belong16 October 1984 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1We Belong3:402We Live for Love (’84 re-mix)3:553Suburban King1:46" reached the top 10 in several countries, including No. 5 on the US Hot 100. Benatar's sixth album, Seven the Hard Way×Seven the Hard Way14 December 1985 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1Sex as a Weapon4:212Le Bel Age5:123Walking in the Underground4:434Big Life2:425Red Vision3:5467 Rooms of Gloom3:367Run Between the Raindrops4:308Invincible (Theme From "The Legend of Billie Jean")4:299The Art of Letting Go4:00 (1985), sold less well, but yielded two singles harking back to the rock vein: "Invincible×Invincible6 July 1985 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracksA1Invincible (extended version)5:29A2Promises in the Dark (live)5:13B1Invincible (instrumental)4:23B2Heartbreaker (live)4:21", a top 10 hit in North America; and "Sex as a Weapon×Sex as a Weapon4 November 1985 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksASex as a Weapon4:17BRed Vision3:51". Her follow-up seventh album, Wide Awake in Dreamland×Wide Awake in DreamlandJune 1988 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1All Fired Up4:332One Love (Song of the Lion)5:143Let's Stay Together4:594Don't Walk Away4:415Too Long a Soldier6:426Cool Zero5:307Cerebral Man4:478Lift 'em on Up5:009Suffer the Little Children4:1310Wide Awake in Dreamland4:58 (1988), marked a resurgence in sales in Canada and Australia, and was her highest charting album in the UK. Its rocker, "All Fired Up×All Fired Up14 June 1988 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1All Fired Up4:132Cool Zero5:303All Fired Up (US edit)3:57", was a significant hit in Canada, Australia and the US. Benatar released four additional albums between 1991 and 2003: True Love×True Love9 April 1991 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Bloodshot Eyes2:502Payin' the Cost to Be the Boss3:153So Long4:004I've Got Papers on You2:235I Feel Lucky4:326True Love4:437The Good Life4:128Evening3:439I Get Evil3:1310Don't Happen No More2:4311Please Come Home for Christmas3:09 (1991), Gravity's Rainbow (1993), Innamorata (1997), and Go (2003).

Early life

Patricia Mae Andrzejewski was born on January 10, 1953, in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, New York City. Her mother, Mildred (née Knapp; 1928–2016), was a beautician, and her father, Andrew (Andrzej) Andrzejewski (1926–2009), was a sheet metal worker. Andrew was of Polish descent and Mildred was of German, English, and Irish ancestry. Her family moved to North Hamilton Avenue in Lindenhurst, New York, a village in the Long Island town of Babylon.
Andrzejewski trained as a coloratura with plans to attend the Juilliard School, but decided instead to pursue health education at Stony Brook University. At 19, after one year at Stony Brook, she dropped out to marry her first husband, high school sweetheart Dennis Benatar, a U.S. Army draftee who trained at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, then served with the Army Security Agency at Fort Devens, Massachusetts, before being stationed at Fort Lee, Virginia, starting in 1973. Pat worked as a bank teller near Richmond, Virginia.

Career beginnings

Benatar quit her job as a bank teller to pursue a singing career after being inspired by a Liza Minnelli concert she saw in Richmond, Virginia. Benatar had a gig at a Holiday Inn and was hired as a singing waitress at a nightclub named the Roaring Twenties. At the Roaring Twenties, she met and formed a duo with pianist Phil Coxon, which soon expanded to a ten-person lounge band called Coxon's Army, a regular at Sam Miller's basement club. The band gained in popularity and was the subject of a never-aired PBS special; its bassist Roger Capps was later the original bass player for the Pat Benatar Band. The period also yielded Benatar's first single: "Day Gig" (1974), written and produced by Coxon and given a limited local release. Her last significant gig in Richmond was a two-hour performance at Thomas Jefferson High School.
Dennis was discharged from the Army and the couple moved to New York in May 1975 so Benatar could pursue a singing career. She performed at an amateur night at the comedy club Catch a Rising Star in New York. Benatar's rendition of Judy Garland's "Rock-a-Bye Your Baby With a Dixie Melody" earned her a callback by club owner Rick Newman, who then became her manager; Benatar became a regular performer at Catch a Rising Star for the next three years. In late 1975, she landed the part of Zephyr in Harry Chapin's futuristic rock musical, The Zinger, which ran for a month in 1976 at the Performing Arts Foundation's (PAF) Playhouse in Huntington Station, Long Island.
Halloween 1977 proved a pivotal night in Benatar's early, spandexed stage persona. She entered a Halloween contest at the Cafe Figaro in Greenwich Village dressed as a character from the film Cat-Women of the Moon. Later that evening, Benatar went onstage at Catch a Rising Star still in costume. Between appearances at Catch a Rising Star, she recorded commercial jingles for Pepsi-Cola and a number of regional brands. Benatar headlined New York City's Tramps nightclub over four days in spring 1978, where her performance was heard by representatives from several record companies. Benatar was signed to Chrysalis Records by co-founder Terry Ellis the following week. She and Dennis divorced shortly after, although Benatar kept his surname.

1979–1981: In the Heat of the Night and Crimes of Passion

Benatar's debut album, In the Heat of the Night×In the Heat of the Night20 October 1979 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Heartbreaker3:262I Need a Lover3:283If You Think You Know How to Love Me4:204In the Heat of the Night5:225My Clone Sleeps Alone3:276We Live for Love3:547Rated X3:158Don't Let It Show4:019No You Don't3:1810So Sincere3:30, was released in August 1979, but only debuted on the US Billboard 200 album chart in October, eventually peaking at number 12 in the US in March 1980. Mike Chapman produced three tracks on the album, while engineer Peter Coleman oversaw the rest. In addition, Chapman and his songwriting partner, Nicky Chinn, wrote three songs that appear on the LP: "In the Heat of the Night" and "If You Think You Know How to Love Me×If You Think You Know How to Love Me14 September 1979 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAIf You Think You Know How to Love Me3:43BSo Sincere3:30" which were previously recorded by Smokie, and a rearranged version of a song they wrote for Sweet, "No You Don't". The album also featured two songs written by Roger Capps and her; "I Need a Lover×I Need a Lover1979 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAI Need a Lover3:28BRated X3:15", written by John Mellencamp; and "Don't Let It Show", written by Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson.
The album was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America in December 1980. Canada became the album's most successful market as it certified 4× Platinum there with chart peak of number 3 on the RPM albums chart. While it was a moderate success in Australia, reaching number 25, and very successful in New Zealand, reaching number 8, it barely made the Top 100 in the UK. Unusual for an English-language album, its most successful European market was France where it went to number 20.
"If You Think You Know How to Love Me" was the first single to be released on September 14, 1979. However, it was unsuccessful. Her second single "Heartbreaker×Heartbreaker28 August 2009 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Heartbreaker (remastered)3:282Hit Me With Your Best Shot (remastered)2:52" was released on October 26, 1979, and became a sleeper hit, eventually climbing to number 23 in the US, number 16 in Canada and number 14 in New Zealand. It was later listed at No. 72 on VH1's list of the Greatest Hard Rock songs of all time. A third single "We Live for Love×We Live for Love23 February 1980 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracksAWe Live for Love3:45B1I Need a Lover3:23B2If You Think You Know How to Love Me3:43", which was written by her future husband Neil Giraldo, was released in February 1980, and became her first Top 10 hit anywhere by reaching number 8 in Canada, while reaching number 27 in the US, number 26 in New Zealand, and number 28 in Australia, her first hit there.
In August 1980, she released her second LP, Crimes of Passion×Crimes of Passion5 August 1980 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Treat Me Right3:26A2You Better Run3:08A3Never Wanna Leave You3:11A4Hit Me With Your Best Shot2:51A5Hell Is for Children4:53B1Little Paradise3:31B2I'm Gonna Follow You4:30B3Wuthering Heights4:29B4Prisoner of Love3:08B5Out-A-Touch4:24, featuring her signature song "Hit Me with Your Best Shot×Hit Me With Your Best Shot15 September 1980 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAHit Me With Your Best Shot2:50BPrisoner Of Love3:05" along with the controversial song "Hell Is for Children." The lyrics of the song discuss things that child abusers tell their victims, such as, "Tell Grandma you fell off the swing." Benatar was inspired by reading a series of articles in The New York Times about child abuse in America. "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" (US number 9) was her first single to break the US Top 10 and sold more than one million copies (Gold status) in the United States. It was also a Top 10 hit in Canada and a moderate hit in Australia, where it reached number 33. The album peaked for five consecutive weeks at number 2 in the US in January 1981 (behind John Lennon's and Yoko Ono's Double Fantasy) and a month later, she won her first Grammy Award for "Best Female Rock Vocal Performance" of 1980 for the album.
Other singles released from Crimes of Passion were "Treat Me Right×Treat Me Right29 December 1980 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksATreat Me Right3:24BPrisoner of Love3:05" (US number 18 and Canada number 12) and the Rascals' cover, "You Better Run×You Better Run8 July 1980 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAYou Better Run3:02BOut-A-Touch4:16" (US number 42 but did not chart in Canada), which was the second music video ever played on MTV, after the Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star". The album also featured a changed-tempo cover of Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights". Produced by Keith Olsen, Crimes of Passion remained on the US album charts for 93 weeks and in the top 10 for more than six months, becoming her first Platinum certification by the RIAA, and was later certified as being 4× Platinum, Benatar's biggest selling album in the US. In October 1980, she (along with future husband Neil Giraldo) appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. The album was certified 5× Platinum in Canada, and was Benatar's best selling album in that country, where it peaked at number 2 on the album charts. It was also successful in New Zealand (number 6), France (number 2) and Australia (number 16) but did not chart in the UK.

1982–1983: Precious Time, Get Nervous, and Live from Earth

In July 1981, Benatar released her third album, Precious Time×Precious Time25 July 1981 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracksA1Promises in the Dark4:49A2Fire and Ice3:21A3Just Like Me3:31A4Precious Time6:03B1It's a Tuff Life3:20B2Take It Anyway You Want It2:50B3Evil Genius4:36B4Hard to Believe3:27B5Helter Skelter3:49, which became her first album to hit number one on the Billboard 200. In Canada, it was certified double Platinum and peaked at number 2 on the album chart. It was also Benatar's first to chart in the UK, reaching number 30, and became her biggest success in Australia and New Zealand, reaching number 8 and number 2, respectively, while once again being highly successful in France, peaking at number 3. The album's lead single, "Fire and Ice×Fire and Ice6 July 1981 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAFire and Ice3:20BHard to Believe3:26" (co-written by band member Scott Sheets), was another hit (US number 17 and number 2 on the new Rock Tracks chart, Canada number 4, Top 30 Australia and New Zealand) and won Benatar her second Grammy Award for "Best Female Rock Vocal Performance" and her third consecutive RIAA certified Platinum album, eventually being certified double Platinum. "Promises in the Dark×Promises in the Dark25 September 1981 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAPromises in the Dark4:48BEvil Genius4:34" (US number 38 and Canada number 31) was also released as a single.
Get Nervous was released in 1982, led by a hit single and MTV video, "Shadows of the Night×Shadows of the Night1982 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAShadows of the Night3:40BThe Victim4:41", which sold well: US Hot 100 number 13 and Rock Tracks chart number 3, Canada number 12, and AUS number 19. The album was another success, reaching number 4 in the US, although it sold less well in most other countries, generally only reaching the Top 20 (Canada number 16), and only reached number 73 in the UK. It was her fourth consecutive RIAA and CRIA Platinum certification, and "Shadows of the Night" garnered Benatar her third Grammy, again for "Best Female Rock Vocal Performance". The follow-up singles, "Little Too Late×Little Too Late19 January 1983 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksALittle Too Late3:22BFight It Out3:54" and "Looking for a Stranger×Looking for a Stranger23 April 1983 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksALooking for a Stranger3:24BI'll Do It4:07", were also successful in the US, hitting number 20 and number 39 (plus number 4 on the Rock Tracks chart) but did not chart outside the US, even in Canada. The WWII-themed music video for "Shadows of the Night" featured then-unknown actors Judge Reinhold as an American fighter copilot and Bill Paxton as a German radio operator.
By 1983, Benatar had established a reputation for singing about "tough" subject matters, best exemplified by one of the biggest hits of her career, "Love Is a Battlefield×Love Is a Battlefield13 September 1983 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Love Is a Battlefield4:082Hell Is for Children (live)6:05" (penned by noted hit songwriter Holly Knight with Mike Chapman), released in December 1983. By then, Benatar's sound had mellowed from hard rock to more atmospheric pop and the story-based video clip for "Love Is a Battlefield" was aimed squarely at MTV, even featuring Benatar in a Michael Jackson-inspired group dance number, using Jackson's Beat It director Bob Giraldi and choreographer Michael Peters. This new pop/rock direction was a huge commercial success, with the single remaining today as her biggest hit in most countries. This included it peaking at number 5 on the US Hot 100, number 1 for four weeks on the US Rock Tracks chart, number 2 in Canada, number 1 in the Netherlands (for four weeks ending as the number 2 song for the year), her first Top 30 hit there, and at number 1 in Australia for seven consecutive weeks, her first Top 25 hit there, number 3 in West Germany, number 5 in Switzerland, number 6 in New Zealand, and number 17 in the UK, her first Top 50 song there. It was her first song to chart in Switzerland, reaching number 11 there. The song also netted Benatar her fourth consecutive Grammy Award for "Best Female Rock Vocal Performance".
"Love Is a Battlefield" was one of two studio tracks included on the live album, Live from Earth×Live From Earth11 October 1983 · Album · LiveSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Fire and Ice3:482Lookin' for a Stranger3:283I Want Out4:054We Live for Love3:415Hell Is for Children6:056Hit Me With Your Best Shot3:087Promises in the Dark5:148Heartbreaker4:209Love Is a Battlefield5:2510Lipstick Lies3:51, which was recorded during her sold-out 'Get Nervous×Get Nervous29 October 1982 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Shadows of the Night4:20A2Looking for a Stranger3:24A3Anxiety (Get Nervous)3:30A4Fight It Out3:54A5The Victim4:41B1Little Too Late4:06B2I'll Do It4:07B3I Want Out3:42B4Tell It to Her3:40B5Silent Partner3:43' world tour of America and Europe in 1982 and 1983, the other being "Lipstick Lies". The album had mixed success in different countries: it peaked at number 2 in Australia, number 12 in New Zealand, number 13 in the US, and became her first hit album in Germany (number 7) and the Netherlands (number 4), but only made the Top 25 in Canada and France, and number 60 in the UK. It became her fifth consecutive RIAA and CRIA Platinum album.

1984–1986: Tropico and Seven the Hard Way

In 1984, Benatar released her fifth album, Tropico×Tropico24 November 1984 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Diamond Field3:232We Belong3:423Painted Desert5:274Temporary Heroes4:255Love Is a Battlefield5:246Ooh Ooh Song4:097Outlaw Blues3:508Suburban King1:489In a Crazy World Like This4:0510Takin’ It Back4:0811Love in the Ice Age4:08, which, aside from reaching number 7 in New Zealand and number 31 in the UK, was generally a step back in most other countries (US number 14, Canada number 21, AUS number 9, France number 16, Germany number 26, Netherlands number 23). The single "We Belong×We Belong16 October 1984 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1We Belong3:402We Live for Love (’84 re-mix)3:553Suburban King1:46", a slow-tempo pop song, released in October 1984, a month prior to the album's release, became another top 10 hit in the US peaking at number 5, reaching the Top 10 in several other countries, including number 7 in Australia, number 9 in West Germany, and number 5 in Switzerland, her most successful but last hit single there. It also peaked at number 22 in the UK. A second single release, "Ooh Ooh Song×Ooh Ooh Song1984 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAOoh Ooh Song4:06BLa Canción Ooh Ooh4:06", reached number 36 in the US, but fared poorly in other countries. Benatar and Giraldo said that this album was the first where they moved away from her famed "hard rock" sound and started experimenting with new, sometimes "gentler", styles and sounds. Despite not making the US Top 10, the album immediately earned her a sixth consecutive RIAA and CRIA Platinum-certified album.
After the chart success of "We Belong" in the UK, "Love is a Battlefield×Love Is a Battlefield13 September 1983 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Love Is a Battlefield4:082Hell Is for Children (live)6:05" was re-released in the UK early 1985 and became Benatar's highest chart hit there, reaching number 17. "We Belong" was also nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1986, her first nomination in that category.
In 1985, Benatar released her sixth album, Seven the Hard Way×Seven the Hard Way14 December 1985 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1Sex as a Weapon4:212Le Bel Age5:123Walking in the Underground4:434Big Life2:425Red Vision3:5467 Rooms of Gloom3:367Run Between the Raindrops4:308Invincible (Theme From "The Legend of Billie Jean")4:299The Art of Letting Go4:00. She hit the US Top 10 (and number 4 on the US Rock Tracks chart) with the Grammy-nominated rock single "Invincible×Invincible6 July 1985 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracksA1Invincible (extended version)5:29A2Promises in the Dark (live)5:13B1Invincible (instrumental)4:23B2Heartbreaker (live)4:21" (the theme from the movie The Legend of Billie Jean), which was written by Holly Knight (Love Is a Battlefield) and Simon Climie, three full months before the album was released. The track also reached number 6 in Canada. Benatar's other Grammy-nominated single from the album, the guitar-driven "Sex As a Weapon×Sex as a Weapon4 November 1985 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksASex as a Weapon4:17BRed Vision3:51", climbed as high as number 28 on the US Hot 100 in January 1986, number 5 on the US Rock Tracks chart, and reached the Top 30 in Canada. Both the Seven and the Hard Way singles were less successful outside North America than the previous two "gentler" singles, generally reaching the Top 30 in Australia, West Germany, the Netherlands, and New Zealand (although Invincible went Top 15 there), but missing the Top 50 in the UK. A third single, the mellow "Le Bel Age×Le Bel Age20 January 1986 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksALe Bel Age4:15BWalking in the Underground4:39", made it to number 54 on the US Hot 100.
Seven the Hard Way peaked at number 26 in the US, earning an RIAA Gold certification (import CD). In Canada, it was Benatar's seventh consecutive Platinum certified album, even though it only peaked at number 35 on the albums sales chart. It also reached number 19 in Australia and was a big success in New Zealand reaching number 2, but did not reach the Top 50 in West Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland or the UK, and for the first time, an album of hers failed to chart in France. In her autobiography, Between a Heart and a Rock Place, she said, "Out of all the albums, Seven the Hard Way cost the most to make and sold the least." The album sold approximately 600,000 US copies.

1987–1988: Best Shots and Wide Awake in Dreamland

In July 1988, Benatar released her seventh album, Wide Awake in Dreamland×Wide Awake in DreamlandJune 1988 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1All Fired Up4:332One Love (Song of the Lion)5:143Let's Stay Together4:594Don't Walk Away4:415Too Long a Soldier6:426Cool Zero5:307Cerebral Man4:478Lift 'em on Up5:009Suffer the Little Children4:1310Wide Awake in Dreamland4:58, which generally improved on the success of Seven the Hard Way, such as peaking at number 11 in the UK and Canada, earning her eighth consecutive Platinum certified album in Canada, and number 13 in Australia. It peaked at number 26 in the US, but stalled at number 15 in New Zealand, usually one of her most successful markets. The Grammy-nominated lead single, "All Fired Up×All Fired Up14 June 1988 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1All Fired Up4:132Cool Zero5:303All Fired Up (US edit)3:57" (written by Kerryn Tolhurst, ex-The Dingoes) reached number 19 in both the U.S. and the UK (plus number 2 on the US Rock Tracks chart), number 8 in Canada, number 20 in New Zealand, and was a number 2 smash in Australia, becoming one of the biggest hits of 1988 in that country. Other singles released from the LP are "Don't Walk Away×Don't Walk Away27 September 1988 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Don't Walk Away4:102Lift 'em On Up5:003Hell Is for Children (live)6:044We Live for Love (special mix)3:56" (UK number 42), the Grammy nominated "Let's Stay Together×Let's Stay Together19 December 1988 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksALet's Stay Together3:41BWide Awake in Dreamland4:58", and "One Love×One Love1988 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracksA1One Love5:13A2Wide Awake in Dreamland4:58B3Sex as a Weapon (12" version)" (UK number 59).

1989–2012: True Love, Gravity's Rainbow, Innamorata and Go

True Love was a jump blues record, released in late April 1991, and featured the blues band Roomful of Blues, backing up Pat Benatar, Neil Giraldo, and Myron Grombacher. The album sold over 339,000 copies without significant radio airplay and limited exposure on VH-1. "Payin' the Cost to Be the Boss", "So Long", and the title cut were released as singles, with the first reaching number 17 on the US Rock Tracks chart, but not charting anywhere else. The album reached number 40 in the UK and number 37 in the US. It was certified Gold in Canada for sales of 50,000 units, Benatar's first to not achieve Platinum status and her last certified album for that country where it peaked at 22 on the albums sales chart. It reached the Top 40 in several other countries.
Gravity's Rainbow was released in 1993 and was a return to the AOR genre. "Everybody Lay Down×Everybody Lay Down21 July 1993 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Everybody Lay Down (edit version)3:572Everybody Lay Down (album version)4:20" was picked up by Album Rock radio and went all the way to number 3 on the Rock Tracks chart. The single was never released to Top 40/Contemporary Hit Radio and a music video was never produced. The only other country where it charted was Canada where it reached number 50. "Somebody's Baby×Somebody's Baby5 July 1993 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 6 tracks1Somebody's Baby (edit)3:512Somebody's Baby (A/C mix)3:543Pictures of a Gone World0:334Everybody Lay Down (The Dyfferent mix)4:305Temptation3:346Promises in the Dark (live 1993)5:11" was instead released as the single to Top 40 radio and a music video produced, but it did not chart in the US and was only a minor success in some other countries, including peaking at number 41 in Canada.
A third track, "Everytime I Fall Back", was scheduled for release and a video was filmed, but the single was never released and the music video was lost when Chrysalis was sold to EMI Records. She had become pregnant again and it may have had an effect on her label's support of the album. The tour for this album was only seven dates, cut short due to the pregnancy. It was Benatar's last album recorded for Chrysalis. With very little promotion from Chrysalis, Gravity's Rainbow failed to have the same commercial success as her previous work. According to SoundScan, the album sold approximately 160,000 copies in the United States and it reached number 85 on the album chart. It is currently available in a two-in-one release with True Love (import). The album only charted in one other market – that being Canada – where it reached number 44.
Innamorata (US number 171) was released in 1997 on the CMC International record label. A single video was produced for "Strawberry Wine (Life is Sweet)". According to SoundScan, the album sold close to 65,000 copies.
Benatar has released only one album of new material since 1997's Innamorata×Innamorata3 June 1997 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Guitar Intro0:232Only You6:053River of Love5:174I Don't Want to Be Your Friend5:095Strawberry Wine5:536Purgatory4:547Papa's Roses4:198At This Time4:379Dirty Little Secrets5:1810Angry4:0911In These Times6:4912Innamorata3:2313Gina's Song0:22, which is 2003's Go (US number 187). The album included the 9/11 charity single "Christmas in America×Christmas in America2001 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Christmas in America4:342Please Come Home for Christmas3:073Christmas in America (instrumental)4:34" as a bonus track. A video was produced for the single "Have It All", but was never released until it was leaked on YouTube in 2012; the only video from this album is for the bonus track. They reunited with Holly Knight with Neil and Holly cowriting the tune "Girl". The hard rock title track "Go!" became a popular performance song for Benatar's future concerts. According to SoundScan, the album has now sold nearly 34,000 copies.

2013–present

In November 2015, Benatar recorded and released a holiday song called "One December Night×One December Night26 November 2015 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1One December Night3:29".
In January 2017, Benatar recorded the song "Shine×Shine19 January 2017 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Shine3:36" to support the Women's March on January 21, 2017, which was her first original non-holiday recording in over 10 years. That September, Benatar again teamed with songwriter and producer Linda Perry for the song "Dancing Through the Wreckage×Dancing Through the Wreckage25 August 2017 · Single · SoundtrackSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Dancing Through the Wreckage4:04", which was the lead single from the soundtrack for the documentary Served Like a Girl. In October 2017, the song entered the Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart, eventually peaking at number 22 in November. The song also received a nomination for Best Song from a Documentary from the Critics' Choice Awards.
In 2020, Benatar was co-nominated with her husband for induction in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alongside fifteen other artists but despite coming in second in the fan vote was not among the inductees. She and Giraldo were co-nominated for a second time in 2022. On May 4, 2022, the Hall of Fame announced Benatar and Giraldo would be included in the 2022 class of inductees.
On July 22, 2022, Benatar announced that she would stop performing "Hit Me with Your Best Shot×Hit Me With Your Best Shot15 September 1980 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAHit Me With Your Best Shot2:50BPrisoner Of Love3:05" on her current tour "in deference to the victims of the families of these [recent] mass shootings".

Personal life

In 1972, at age 19, Benatar married her high school sweetheart, Dennis Benatar. The couple divorced in 1979. She has been married to her second husband, guitarist Neil Giraldo, since 1982. They live in Malibu, California. They have two daughters, Haley (born February 1985) and Hana (born March 1994). Both her daughters appeared on the E! reality television series Filthy Rich: Cattle Drive and Relatively Famous: Ranch Rules, in late 2005 and early 2022, respectively.
While Benatar and Giraldo are both Roman Catholic, the two did not marry within the Church, owing to the former's divorce. The two were married in Hana, Hawaii, by Rev. Henry Kahula of the nondenominational Wainanalua Church on February 20, 1982, just days before the 24th Grammy Awards.

Memoir

In June 2010, Benatar's memoir, Between a Heart and a Rock Place, was released. The book was published by HarperCollins and was acquired by Lisa Sharkey. Benatar's memoir touches on her battles with her record company Chrysalis, the difficulties that her career caused in her personal life, and feminism. In the memoir, she is quoted as saying, "For every day since I was old enough to think, I've considered myself a feminist … It's empowering to watch and to know that, perhaps in some way, I made the hard path [women] have to walk just a little bit easier." The book went on to become a New York Times bestseller. Initially reluctant to undertake the project, she found the actual writing process so enjoyable that it inspired her with plans to write a novel. In summer 2011, Benatar announced she was working on a Christmas album and a novel about the second coming of Christ.

Band

Although initially billed as a solo artist, Benatar recorded and toured with a consistent set of band members over most of her career:

Neil "Spyder" Giraldo (incorrectly spelled as "Geraldo" in early liner notes/credits) is the lead guitarist of the band and has performed on all of Benatar's albums. Giraldo is billed alongside Benatar.
Myron Grombacher, who played with Giraldo in Rick Derringer's touring band, was the drummer on nine of Benatar's original albums (Crimes of Passion×Crimes of Passion5 August 1980 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Treat Me Right3:26A2You Better Run3:08A3Never Wanna Leave You3:11A4Hit Me With Your Best Shot2:51A5Hell Is for Children4:53B1Little Paradise3:31B2I'm Gonna Follow You4:30B3Wuthering Heights4:29B4Prisoner of Love3:08B5Out-A-Touch4:24, Precious Time×Precious Time25 July 1981 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracksA1Promises in the Dark4:49A2Fire and Ice3:21A3Just Like Me3:31A4Precious Time6:03B1It's a Tuff Life3:20B2Take It Anyway You Want It2:50B3Evil Genius4:36B4Hard to Believe3:27B5Helter Skelter3:49, Get Nervous×Get Nervous29 October 1982 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Shadows of the Night4:20A2Looking for a Stranger3:24A3Anxiety (Get Nervous)3:30A4Fight It Out3:54A5The Victim4:41B1Little Too Late4:06B2I'll Do It4:07B3I Want Out3:42B4Tell It to Her3:40B5Silent Partner3:43, Live from Earth×Live From Earth11 October 1983 · Album · LiveSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Fire and Ice3:482Lookin' for a Stranger3:283I Want Out4:054We Live for Love3:415Hell Is for Children6:056Hit Me With Your Best Shot3:087Promises in the Dark5:148Heartbreaker4:209Love Is a Battlefield5:2510Lipstick Lies3:51, Tropico, Seven the Hard Way, Wide Awake in Dreamland, True Love, and Gravity's Rainbow) and has numerous writing credits. Grombacher is easily recognizable in the music videos, particularly as the mad dentist in "Anxiety (Get Nervous)".
Charlie Giordano played keyboards on six albums (Get Nervous, Live from Earth, Tropico×Tropico24 November 1984 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Diamond Field3:232We Belong3:423Painted Desert5:274Temporary Heroes4:255Love Is a Battlefield5:246Ooh Ooh Song4:097Outlaw Blues3:508Suburban King1:489In a Crazy World Like This4:0510Takin’ It Back4:0811Love in the Ice Age4:08, Seven the Hard Way×Seven the Hard Way14 December 1985 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1Sex as a Weapon4:212Le Bel Age5:123Walking in the Underground4:434Big Life2:425Red Vision3:5467 Rooms of Gloom3:367Run Between the Raindrops4:308Invincible (Theme From "The Legend of Billie Jean")4:299The Art of Letting Go4:00, Wide Awake in Dreamland×Wide Awake in DreamlandJune 1988 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1All Fired Up4:332One Love (Song of the Lion)5:143Let's Stay Together4:594Don't Walk Away4:415Too Long a Soldier6:426Cool Zero5:307Cerebral Man4:478Lift 'em on Up5:009Suffer the Little Children4:1310Wide Awake in Dreamland4:58 and True Love) and is identifiable by his glasses and berets, blazers, and 1980s ties. In 2007, he replaced the late Danny Federici in the E Street Band.
Roger Capps, the original bassist for the first five albums (In the Heat of the Night×In the Heat of the Night20 October 1979 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Heartbreaker3:262I Need a Lover3:283If You Think You Know How to Love Me4:204In the Heat of the Night5:225My Clone Sleeps Alone3:276We Live for Love3:547Rated X3:158Don't Let It Show4:019No You Don't3:1810So Sincere3:30, Crimes of Passion, Precious Time, Get Nervous, and Live from Earth), co-wrote "Hell Is For Children" with Benatar and Giraldo and left the band in 1984.
Scott St. Clair Sheets (Scott Sheets) who was originally the lead guitarist of the 1970s band, The Brats, was an original member of the Pat Benatar Band. Sheets is credited as guitarist on the first three albums (In the Heat of the Night, Crimes of Passion, and Precious Time) and first three world tours. He wrote the song "Prisoner of Love" for the Crimes of Passion album and co-wrote the hit "Fire and Ice×Fire and Ice6 July 1981 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAFire and Ice3:20BHard to Believe3:26" for the Precious Time album.
Mick Mahan is the band's bassist and has performed with Benatar since 1995 and has appeared on albums (Innamorata×Innamorata3 June 1997 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Guitar Intro0:232Only You6:053River of Love5:174I Don't Want to Be Your Friend5:095Strawberry Wine5:536Purgatory4:547Papa's Roses4:198At This Time4:379Dirty Little Secrets5:1810Angry4:0911In These Times6:4912Innamorata3:2313Gina's Song0:22 and Go). The original bassist, Roger Capps, was replaced by Donnie Nossov on Tropico,
Donnie Nossov was the band's second bassist for two of Pat Benatar's albums (Tropico and Seven the Hard Way)
Frank Linx was the bassist for two of Pat Benatar's albums (Wide Awake in Dreamland and Gravity's Rainbow)
Glen Alexander Hamilton played drums on the first album (In the Heat of the Night).
Chuck Domanico was the band's bassist on their eighth album and ninth album overall (True Love×True Love9 April 1991 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Bloodshot Eyes2:502Payin' the Cost to Be the Boss3:153So Long4:004I've Got Papers on You2:235I Feel Lucky4:326True Love4:437The Good Life4:128Evening3:439I Get Evil3:1310Don't Happen No More2:4311Please Come Home for Christmas3:09)
Caesar Griffin is the band's current drummer, replacing Chris Ralles.

Stage and screen appearances

Benatar played the role of Jeanette Florescu in the film Union City (1980), directed by Mark Reichert.
Benatar played the character Zephyr in Harry Chapin's futuristic rock musical The Zinger. Benatar performed the solo "Shooting Star" in honor of Chapin for the Harry Chapin Tribute, Carnegie Hall, December 7, 1987.
Benatar has made numerous television appearances, mostly as herself. She appeared with her husband Neil Giraldo in the Charmed episode "Lucky Charmed" on which "Heartbreaker×Heartbreaker28 August 2009 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Heartbreaker (remastered)3:282Hit Me With Your Best Shot (remastered)2:52" was used and in an episode of Dharma & Greg as herself singing "We've Only Just Begun" and "Love Is a Battlefield×Love Is a Battlefield13 September 1983 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Love Is a Battlefield4:082Hell Is for Children (live)6:05" at an impromptu wedding in an airport. In 2001, she also appeared as fictional rock star Anna Raines in the CBS television drama Family Law with Dixie Carter and Christopher McDonald. Benatar also appeared on That 80's Show as herself.
Benatar appeared as a special guest at the sixth annual VH1 Divas concert, VH1 Divas Duets, performing "Heartbreaker" with Giraldo and headliner Lisa Marie Presley, with the married couple interviewed by Sharon Osbourne following the performance.
In 2003, Benatar and her music were featured on CMT Crossroads, in an episode that paired her with country singer Martina McBride (who was influenced by Benatar's vocal range).
Benatar has appeared in both the original and remastered version of her Behind the Music episode.
Benatar and Giraldo performed in the Tiny Desk Concerts series of NPR Music on November 14, 2014. At the Tiny Desk, Benatar and Giraldo ran through three of their classic songs: "We Live For Love×We Live for Love23 February 1980 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracksAWe Live for Love3:45B1I Need a Lover3:23B2If You Think You Know How to Love Me3:43," "We Belong×We Belong16 October 1984 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1We Belong3:402We Live for Love (’84 re-mix)3:553Suburban King1:46" and "Promises In The Dark×Promises in the Dark25 September 1981 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAPromises in the Dark4:48BEvil Genius4:34".