Pat Benatar
Pat Benatar Drops ‘Hit Me With Your Best Shot’ After Spate of Gun Violence
Pat Benatar fans won’t get to enjoy the soon-to-be Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s biggest hit in concert for the time being, as the artist is omitting “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” from her live set lists due to the recent spate of mass shootings in the United States. The Eddie Schwartz-penned song, a No. 9 hit on The Billboard Hot 100 in 1980, has been widely interpreted for decades as a metaphor for the rough-and-tumble nature of love and relationships rather than a commentary on guns or violence. But in an interview with USA Today, Benatar said, “fans are having a heart attack and I’m like, ‘I’m sorry — in deference to the victims of the families of these mass shootings, I’m not singing it.’ I tell them, ‘if you want to hear the song, go home and listen to it.’ [The title] is tongue-in-ch...
Lunch with Benatar: Our 1985 Pat Benatar Cover Story
A version of this article originally appeared in the September 1985 issue of SPIN. In honor of the announcement of Pat Benatar‘s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, we’re republishing it here. Ballsy! Gutsy! Bitchy! One hard-rockin’ mama, right? The little girl with the big-big mouth. The girl who invented black tights and short-shorts. The wet dream of every honest, hard-working, beer-guzzling, God-fearing, red-blooded, normal white male this side of the Rio Grande River, huh, folks. Gimme a break, assholes. Let’s start at scratch and work our way back. Pat Benatar began her career as a singing waitress in the NYC comedy club Catch a Rising Star. She was conveniently discovered by the proprietor, who went on to become her manager, just like in the movies. Only I never go t...
Eminem, Duran Duran, Dolly Parton, Lionel Richie and Carly Simon Lead Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2022
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2022 has been revealed, and it’s a diverse one. Eminem, Duran Duran, Dolly Parton, Lionel Richie, Eurythmics, Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo, and Carly Simon all got the call to the Hall in the Performer category. Judas Priest and producers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis will be inducted under the Musical Excellence category, while Harry Belafonte and Elizabeth Cotten will go in under the Early Influence category. Legendary lawyer Allen Grubman, Interscope founder/producer/engineer/Beats One founder Jimmy Iovine and Sylvia Robinson will be inducted under the Ahmet Ertegun category, which honors non-performing industry professionals who have had a major influence on the creative development and growth of rock and music that has impacted youth culture. Fo...
DMC, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel and More Appear in Harry Chapin Documentary Trailer
Singer/songwriter Harry Chapin is the subject of a new documentary and the trailer featuring an all-star cast of characters has been released. In the two-minute trailer, artists like DMC, Billy Joel, Sir Bob Geldof and Pat Benatar are interviewed about Chapin’s legacy while previous footage of Bruce Springsteen and Kenny Rogers speaking highly of the songwriter dot the trailer. The film takes a look at Chapin’s life beginning as the son of a musician, his career, his charitable work including founding hunger nonprofit WhyHunger before his death at the age of 38 in 1981. “Harry Chapin was one of the greatest storytellers of all time. He wanted to change the world. And he did,” said Ken Kragen, Harry Chapin’s manager and co-creator of USA for Africa and Hands Across America. The film will re...
