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