Pat Benatar: Top 40 Songs

Pat Benatar Top 40 Songs

Rock singer Pat Benatar was born Patricia Mae Andrzejewski on 1/10/1953 in Greenpoint, NY. In elementary school, she became interested in theater and started taking voice lessons. She later trained in opera and planned to go to Juilliard, but opted for health education at Stony Brook University instead. She dropped out after a year to marry Dennis Benatar, her high school sweetheart, in 1972. She began pursuing a singing career in 1975. She divorced Benatar in 1979 and married guitarist Neil Giraldo in 1982. She released her debut album, In the Heat of the Night, in 1979. Her next album, 1980’s Crimes of Passion, sold four million copies. In 1981, her Precious Time album reached #1. She has released eleven albums to date, eight of which have reached gold or platinum status. She has released fifteen singles which reached the Billboard top 40, including top-10 hits “Hit Me with Your Best Shot,” “Love Is a Battlefield,” “We Belong,” and “Invincible.” Links: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Pat Benatar Dave’s Music Database: “Acts’ Profile Pages and Best-of Lists”

Awards:

Top 40 Songs Dave’s Music Database lists are determined by song’s appearances on best-of lists, appearances on compilations and live albums by the featured act, and songs’ chart success, sales, radio airplay, streaming, and awards. DMDB Top 2%: 1. Hit Me with Your Best Shot (1980) DMDB Top 5%: 2. Love Is a Battlefield (1983) 3. Heartbreaker (1979) 4. We Belong (1984) DMDB Top 10%: 5. Shadows of the Night (1982) 6. Promises in the Dark (1981) 7. Treat Me Right (1980) 8. Fire and Ice (9181) 9. You Better Run (1980) 10. Invincible (1985) 11. Sex As a Weapon (1985) 12. We Live for Love (1979) DMDB Top 20%: 13. All Fired Up (1988) 14. Ooh Ooh Song (1984) 15. Hell Is for Children (1980) 16. Anxiety (Get Nervous) (1982) 17. A Little Too Late (1982) 18. Looking for a Stranger (1982) 19. Le Bel Age (1985) Beyond the DMDB Top 20%: 20. I Need a Lover (1979) 21. Don’t Walk Away (1988) 22. I’m Gonna Follow You (1980) 23. One Love (1988) 24. Everybody Lay Down (1993) 25. Wuthering Heights (1980) 26. Payin’ the Cost to Be the Boss (1991) 27. Precious Time (1981) 28. Please Come Home for Christmas (1991) 29. Somebody’s Baby (1993) 30. Diamond Field (1984) 31. Lipstick Lies (1993) 32. Suburban King (1984) 33. Helter Skelter (1981) 34. The Victim (1982) 35. Silent Partner (1982) 36. Painted Desert (1984) 37. Let’s Stay Together (1988) 38. Out-a-Touch (1980) 39. Temporary Heroes (1984) 40. Just Like Me (1981) Resources and Related Links: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Pat Benatar Dave’s Music Database: “Acts’ Profile Pages and Best-of Lists” First posted 1/6/2024.

Pat Benatar Live from Earth

First posted 9/20/2020.

Live from Earth Pat Benatar

Released: September 22, 1983 Peak: 13 US, 60 UK, 25 CN, 2 AU Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, -- UK, 1.1 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. Fire and Ice (live) (Tom Kelly, Scott St. Clair Sheets, Benatar) [3:46] (7/6/81, 17 US, 2 AR, 4 CN, 30 AU) Looking for a Stranger (live) (Franne Golde, Peter McIan) [3:28] (4/23/83, 39 US, 4 AR) I Want Out (live) (Neil Giraldo, Billy Steinberg) [4:05] We Live for Love (live) (Giraldo) [3:39] (2/25/80, 27 US, 8 CN, 28 AU) Hell Is for Children (live) (Giraldo, Benatar, Roger Capps) [6:06] Hit Me with Your Best Shot (live) (Eddie Schwartz) [3:07] (9/15/80, 9 US, 10 CN, 33 AU, gold single) Promises in the Dark (live) (Giraldo, Benatar) [5:14] (9/25/81, 38 US, 16 AR, 31 CN) Heartbreaker (live) (Geoff Gill, Clint Wade) [4:21] (10/26/79, 23 US, 16 CN, 95 AU) Love Is a Battlefield (studio recording) (Mike Chapman, Holly Knight) [5:23] (9/13/83, 5 US, 1 AR, 17 UK, 2 CN, 6 AU) Lipstick Lies (studio recording) (Giraldo, Myron Grombacher) [3:51] Chart data is for original studio recordings. Total Running Time: 43:02

Rating: 3.323 out of 5.00 (average of 4 ratings) Awards:

About the Album: This was Benatar’s first live album after four studio albums. It was her fifth consecutive platinum-seller, but didn’t attain the same chart heights as the previous three albums, which had all reached the top 5. The album featured live versions of six of the nine songs she’d taken to the top 40 in the last six years. That meant most of her big hits, such as Heartbreaker, Hit Me with Your Best Shot, and Fire and Ice are present, but there are a few obvious omissions. Top-20 hit “Treat Me Right” from 1980’s Crimes of Passion is absent, but fan-favorite Hell Is for Children from that album is here. Looking for a Stranger, first on Get Nervous, was her most recent top-40 hit prior to this collection. However, she neglected to include that album’s other two top-20 hits “Shadows of the Night” and “Little Too Late,” opting instead for the album cut I Want Out. The album is rounded out by two new studio recordings. Love Is a Battlefield became Benatar’s biggest hit, reaching #5 on the pop charts and #1 on the album rock chart. The video depicted her as a girl on the streets who ends nonsensically dancing with her new street fans a la Michael Jackson’s zombie party in “Thriller.” It was pretty silly, but it was a popular video at the time.

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

Pat Benatar “Heartbreaker” released

Heartbreaker Pat Benatar

Writer(s): Geoff Gill, Cliff Wade (see lyrics here) Released: October 26, 1979 First Charted: December 15, 1979 Peak: 23 BB, 19 CB, 16 GR, 19 HR, 20 RR, 3 CL, 30 MR, 16 CN, 34 AU, 2 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 20.3 video, 92.03 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Rock singer Pat Benatar was born Patricia Mae Andrzejewski in 1953 in New York, New York. She became interested in theater and singing in elementary school. She became a trained opera intending to attend Julliard, but she went to Stony Brook University instead. At 19, she dropped out to marry Dennis Benatar, her high school sweetheart. He served in the Army from 1973-75. During that time, she recorded “Day Gig,” her debut single. After he was discharged from the Army, the couple moved to New York so she could pursue a singing career. They didn’t work out as a couple, divorcing in 1978, but her career was just beginning. Her debut album, In the Heat of the Night, was released in August 1979. The lead single was a cover of John Mellencamp’s “I Need a Lover,” followed by “If You Think You Know How to Love Me,” originally a #3 UK for the British rock band Smokie. Neither single dented the Billboard Hot 100, but the album’s third single, “Heartbreaker,” proved to be Benatar’s breakthrough reaching #23. The song was first recorded in 1978 by an English singer named Jenny Darren. Benatar adjusted some of the lyrics which originally contained “English expressions and colloquialisms that would be foreign to the American ear.” SF Benatar’s version became a staple on classic rock radio. Resources: SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 2/14/2024.

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