At the start of the 1980s Pat Benatar arrived on the scene by fusing arena rock's powerful guitar riffs with raw toughness and broad pop appeal. Tracks such as the 1979 singles "Heartbreaker" and "Hit Me with Your Best Shot," both taken from her well-received second album Crimes of Passion, quickly turned her into a worldwide sensation ahead of the 1981 chart-topper Precious Time. Throughout the first half of the decade she stood out as a defining figure of the early MTV years, collecting four Grammy Awards while issuing a run of tough-minded pop anthems including "Love Is a Battlefield" and "We Belong," lasting hits that still function as motivational standards and frequent staples on classic rock radio. Following the 1985 single "Invincible" her commercial momentum eased and her releases grew less frequent during the 1990s. After the 2003 album Go she stepped away from the studio for an extended period, returning only with occasional standalone singles near the end of the 2010s. She also issued the memoir Between a Heart and a Rock Place.
Born Patricia Andrzejewski on January 10, 1953 in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, the future singer grew up in the neighboring Long Island community of Lindenhurst. Her professional path began as a lounge performer in Richmond, Virginia while she and her initial husband Dennis Benatar, then serving in the U.S. Army, were based there. Performing with the lounge group Coxon's Army she put out the locally circulated independent single "Day Gig" in 1974 before moving to New York City. In the later 1970s she strengthened her reputation with steady appearances at the well-known comedy venue Catch a Rising Star and by recording advertising jingles on the side. Management and label interest followed, leading to a contract with Chrysalis Records by 1978; around the same period she and Dennis divorced, yet she retained his surname throughout her subsequent career.
A strong ensemble assembled around Benatar, anchored by guitarist Neil Giraldo, who would serve as her chief musical partner and later become her spouse. Success arrived immediately with the 1979 debut In the Heat of the Night, which produced the radio favorites "Heartbreaker" and "I Need a Lover," the latter penned by a still-unfamiliar John Mellencamp. Benatar's blend of intense rock numbers and pop balladry proved immediately effective, and her 1980 follow-up Crimes of Passion fully realized the promise of the first record. The multi-platinum set earned strong reviews and sales on the strength of cuts such as "Treat Me Right," "You Better Run," and her signature piece "Hit Me with Your Best Shot." Her first of four Grammy Awards, this one for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, further elevated her profile ahead of the 1981 U.S. number one Precious Time and its opening single "Fire and Ice." Over the ensuing years she remained a constant presence on MTV and a major arena draw, documented on the 1983 live release Live from Earth recorded during the tour supporting her fourth album Get Nervous (1982). Beyond capturing her vigorous stage band, the set also introduced the chart-topping studio recording "Love Is a Battlefield." With 1984's Tropico Benatar explored a gentler pop direction and scored a Top Five hit with the soaring ballad "We Belong." Featured on 1985's Seven the Hard Way, the driving track "Invincible" delivered another substantial success and supplied the theme for the film The Legend of Billie Jean. After 1988's Wide Awake in Dreamland, Chrysalis summarized her first decade with the 1989 compilation Best Shots.
Entering the 1990s Benatar chose to explore new territory by recording the blues and R&B collection True Love, issued in 1991 and received with mixed responses. The 1993 album Gravity's Rainbow restored a rock emphasis, yet the commercial drive of the previous decade had largely subsided and the project marked her final release for Chrysalis, which was later acquired by EMI. With her peak popularity now behind her, Benatar's output slowed further; after the acoustic-oriented 1997 album Innamorata she maintained a lower profile for several years. Archival projects including the 1998 set 8-15-80 and 1999's The King Biscuit Flower Hour Live bridged her work into the new century.
The 2003 album Go signaled Benatar's return to the studio and her characteristic arena rock approach, followed by an extensive tour. Recording activity then ceased for an extended stretch while she concentrated on occasional live dates and the release of her 2010 memoir Between a Heart and a Rock Place. She and Giraldo resumed regular touring, highlighted by a 35th Anniversary celebration that opened in 2014 and yielded the 2015 live CD/DVD 35th Anniversary Tour. That same year also brought the Christmas single "One December Night," her first new studio recording since 2003. Although full albums remained absent she continued issuing standalone singles such as 2017's "Shine," composed for the Women's March, and "Dancing Through the Wreckage," which appeared on the soundtrack for the documentary Served Like a Girl.
