Pat Benatar, American singer-songwriter
Patricia Mae Giraldo (née Andrzejewski; born January 10, 1953), known professionally as Pat Benatar, is an American rock singer and songwriter. In the United States, she has had two multi-platinum albums, five platinum albums, and 15 Billboard top 40 singles, while in Canada she had eight straight platinum albums and has sold over 35 million albums worldwide. She is also a four-time Grammy Award winner.
Benatar's 1979 debut album, In the Heat of the Night, was her breakthrough in North America, especially in Canada where it reached number 3 on the album chart. Two singles from it were hits: "Heartbreaker" and "We Live for Love", the latter written by her lead guitarist and future husband, Neil Giraldo. Benatar's second album, 1980's Crimes of Passion, was her most successful work, peaking at number 2 in North America and France, being certified 4× and 5× platinum in the US and Canada, respectively. Its single "Hit Me with Your Best Shot" reached the top 10 in the US and Canada and is considered to be her best-known song. Benatar's third album, Precious Time (1981), was another success, topping the US Album Chart and becoming her first top 10 album in Australia. Its single "Fire and Ice" charted highly in the US and Canada. Her next release, Get Nervous (1982), sold less well than her previous two albums, but did include the North American hit "Shadows of the Night".
Benatar's sound began to move towards more atmospheric pop in 1983. The single "Love Is a Battlefield" (1983) written by Holly Knight and Mike Chapman was her biggest hit in most countries, reaching number 1 in the Netherlands, Australia and on the US Rock Tracks chart, and number 5 on the US Hot 100. The live album it came from Live from Earth, was her biggest seller in Australia, Germany and the Netherlands. In 1984, Benatar released Tropico and its lead single "We Belong", which reached the top 10 in several countries, including number 5 on the US Hot 100.
Benatar's 1985 album, Seven the Hard Way, sold less well but it yielded two singles harking back to the rock vein: "Invincible", written by Holly Knight and Simon Climie, a top 10 hit in North America, and "Sex as a Weapon". Her follow-up, Wide Awake in Dreamland (1988), marked a resurgence in sales in Canada and Australia, and was her biggest hit in the UK. Its rocker, "All Fired Up", was a significant hit in Canada, Australia and the US. Benatar released four additional albums between 1991 and 2003.