A four-time Grammy winner, Benatar is a classically trained mezzo-soprano. During the 1980s, Benata rhad two RIAA-certified Multi-Platinum albums, five RIAA-certified Platinum albums, three RIAA-certified Gold albums and 19 Top 40 singles, including the Top 10 hits, "Hit Me With Your Best Shot", "Love Is a Battlefield", "We Belong" and "Invincible". During the early days of MTV Benatar was one of the most heavily played artists on the popular music channel.Her hits continue to be as unforgettable now as they were at the dawn of MTV, when Pat emerged, fearless, fighting and forging a path for other female rock stars around the world.
10. We Live For Love (1979)
This was another hit for Pat Benatar during the early '80s, but it was something of a departure from her typical sound. She sang in a high key, and some radio listeners mistook her for Deborah Harry from Blondie. Benatar and Harry both appeared in the 1980 movie Union City, although neither sang a note. - Songfacts
9. Little Too Late (1982)
8. I'm Gonna Follow You (1980)
7. Fire And Ice (1981)
This was the first single from Benatar's third album, Precious Time. Her previous album, Crimes Of Passion, landed with the hits "Treat Me Right" and "Hit Me With Your Best Shot," so there was a lot of anticipation for Precious Time, which went to #1 in America in August 1981 soon after it was released. Benatar's music fit comfortably into both rock and pop formats, but rock radio showed just a wee bit of bias when it came to female acts (pop radio did too, but to a lesser extent), so it was harder for her to get her edgier songs on the air. "Fire And Ice" topped out at #17, a surprisingly poor showing that didn't reflect the song's appeal. The album went on to sell over 2 million copies in America. - Sonfacts
6. Treat Me Right (1980)
"Treat Me Right" peaked at number 18 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and spent two weeks at number 10 on the Cash Box Top 100. The song also charted at number 31 on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart and reached number 12 in Canada, where it was the 76th biggest hit of 1981. - Wiki
5. Shadows of the Night (1982)
Like "Hit Me With Your Best Shot," it was a song written by a man that Benatar had to reverse gender. Her powerful voice and strong persona helped pull it off, as lines like "baby take my hand, it'll be all right" are more typically delivered by the guy trying to comfort his damsel. - Songfacts
4. Hit Me With Your Best Shot (1980)
In 1984, Benatar had an interesting exchange with Songwriter Connection magazine regarding this song. Responding to a question about standing behind what she sings, Benatar said: "There's very few songs where I let lyrics go. I mean, there's times when I let lyrics go because the rest of the song is fine. But, most of the time, I'm real meticulous with the lyrics because I gotta sing them. There were certain parts of that song ('Hit Me With Your Best Shot') that I liked, but most of it that I've sort of outgrown. I mean, it's so hard to sing, 'you're a real tough cookie.' - Songfacts
3. Promises in the Dark (1981)
Hinting at the personal nature of this song, Benatar told Songwriter Connection magazine in 1984: "Sometimes I really hate singing in the first person - it's so personal sometimes... I do mostly observational lyric but if it's directly from something that happened, I can't stand to sing it in first person. I'd rather sing it as we or they or you, or something else." - Songfacts
2. Heartbreaker (1979)
"Heartbreaker" was written by the songwriters Geoff Gill and Clint Wade. It was Pat Benatar's breakout hit, propelling her debut album to platinum level. This was the third single released for her debut album. The first two, "I Need a Lover" and "If You Think You Know How to Love Me," didn't take off, but "Heartbreaker" was an instant hit. - Songfacts
1. You Better Run (1980)
Ah! Pat Benatar. An up-and-coming American who can really sing and is fun to look at. She's on the charts with "Fire And Ice," and she made a real video for "You Better Run," which was her first single from Crimes Of Passion. Sure, it's a year old, but a lot of people know the song and we need to get a guitar solo on the air soon. Be it said that Pat Benatar will be the first woman, the first American, and the first rocker on MTV. - Songfacts
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