Pat Benatar's Tropico released

First posted 9/20/2020.

Tropico Pat Benatar

Released: November 1, 1984 Peak: 14 US, 31 UK, 21 CN, 9 AU Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, 0.06 UK, 1.16 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. Diamond Field (Giraldo, Myron Grombacher, Benatar) [3:20] (20 AR) We Belong (Eric Lowen, Dan Navarro) [3:40] (5 US, 3 AR, 22 UK, 8 CN, 7 AU) Painted Desert (Giraldo, Grombacher) [5;24] Temporary Heroes (Nick Trevesick, Ginny Clee) [4:30] Love in the Ice Age (Giraldo, Charles Giordano, Grombacher, Benatar) [4:05] Ooh Ooh Song (Giraldo, Benatar) [4:28] (36 US, 22 AR, 89 CN, 41 AU) The Outlaw Blues (Giraldo, Grombacher) [3:47] Suburban King (Giraldo, Billy Steinberg) [1:48] A Crazy World Like This (Giraldo, Tom Kelly, Steinberg) [4:02] Takin’ It Back (Giraldo, Benatar) [4:07] Total Running Time: 39:18

Rating: 3.502 out of 5.00 (average of 5 ratings) Awards:

About the Album: After three top-5 albums, Benatar missed the top 10 with her Live from Earth album. Tropico also missed the mark, but maintained her perfect record of million-selling albums, giving her a sixth platinum record. The album marked a conscious attempt to “move away from Benatar’s hard rock sound and start experimenting with new gentler styles and sounds.” WK The previous studio album, Get Nervous, had started that movement by focusing on more pop and new-wave sounds. All Music Guide’s Stephen Thomas Erlewine said “the change in direction revitalized the singer, resulting in her best album since Precious Time.” AMG That praise is a bit odd, since Get Nervous was the only other studio album she’d released since Precious Time. The lead single, We Belong, matched the top 5 success of “Love Is a Battlefield” from the year before. While it still reached #3 on the album rock chart, it was a decidedly more pop-leaning song than previous rockers like “Hit Me with Your Best Shot” and “Heartbreaker.” The same was true for the follow-up single, Ooh Ooh Song. It was a top 40 hit and minor hit on the album rock chart, but was a long way from her more guitar-driven rock staples.

Resources and Related Links: Pat Benatar’s DMDB Encyclopedia entry AMG All Music Guide review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine WK Wikipedia