Pat Benatar’s In the Heat of the Night released

First posted 9/20/2020; updated 10/17/2020.

In the Heat of the Night Pat Benatar

Released: August 27, 1979 Peak: 12 US, 98 UK, 3 CN, 25 AU Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, -- UK, 1.5 world (includes US and UK) Genre: classic rock

Tracks: Song Title (Writers) [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. Heartbreaker (Geoff Gill, Clint Wade) [3:29] (10/26/79, 23 US, 3 CL, 16 CN, 95 AU) I Need a Lover (John Mellencamp) [3:30] (2/25/80, 12 CL) If You Think You Know How to Love Me (Mike Chapman, Nicky Chinn) [4:23] (9/14/79, 49 CL) In the Heat of the Night (Chapman, Chinn) [5:24] My Clone Sleeps Alone (Roger Capps, Benatar) [3:29] We Live for Love (Neil Giraldo) [3:55] (2/25/80, 27 US, 6 CL, 8 CN, 28 AU) Rated X (Nick Gilder, James McCulloch) [3:17] Don’t Let It Show (Alan Parsons, Eric Woolfson) [4:04] No You Don’t (Chapman, Chinn) [3:20] So Sincere (Capps, Benatar) [3:29] Total Running Time: 38:20

Rating: 3.978 out of 5.00 (average of 4 ratings) Awards:

About the Album: Pat Benatar’s debut album was comprised of mostly covers, including three of the song’s four singles. The lead single, If You Think You Know How to Love Me was first recorded by the British rock band Smokie and released as a single in 1975. It peaked at #3 in the UK. Benatar’s version didn’t chart, but did get minor play on album rock stations. The title cut was also originally a song by Smokie. Benatar’s breakthrough came on the song’s second single, Heartbreaker. It was also a cover song. The original was recorded by Jenny Darren in 1978. Benatar’s version was a top-40 hit in the U.S. and became one of her signature songs. The third single, We Live for Love, was written by Benatar’s guitarist Neil Giraldo. The pair married in 1982. The song followed “Heartbreaker” into the top 30 of the Billboard Hot 100. The fourth single, I Need a Lover, was also a cover song. The original was recorded by John Cougar in 1978. It became a top 10 hit in Australia and finally reached the top 40 in the U.S after Benatar recorded her cover version. Benatar’s version failed to chart, but became a popular album rock hit. Other cover songs included Rated X (Nick Gilder), Don’t Let It Show (Alan Parsons Project), and No You Don’t (Sweet).

Resources and Related Links: Pat Benatar’s DMDB Encyclopedia entry WK Wikipedia