Can chicks be heavy metal? Pat Benatar was a unique performer. It sounded like she would do well on Broadway and on a rock stage. She didn't quite look metal. I couldn't put my finger on it. She just looked too pure and not "dingy" enough to rock that hard. Can rock be classy? Pat rocked it, and made it work.
Although this post sits around 1984 in my storyline, she had hits way before this that weren't noted. Benatar claimed multiple Grammy awards including "Best Female Rock Vocal Performance" of 1982. Although many of her songs were epic, she had some dark songs as well. "Hell is For Children" is a song that you wouldn't have guessed is performed by Pat Benatar. While Hit Me With Your Best Shot is probably her most popular, I'm not making that the most notable here. This is MY story. I never heard Hell Is For Children on the radio, but I came to find out the song was about child abuse in America. It all makes sense now.
Pat Benatar had some killer songs, and aside from when it was popular, her music would show up again in highschool. My friend Jenny St.A(censored) was a huge fan of Pat Benatar during highschool ('94-'98). I really came to appreciate it then. It was also rare for teen girls in the 90's to like things from the 80's, so she got bonus credit for that. Jenny was in choir and a talented singer. Her and her friend Dana used to come over and practice their songs through my brothers' big mic/PA system and play my brother's keyboard that I managed to borrow for a bunch of years. Fun times.
When I was living in Milwaukee in 2005 I was in a band that played a medly of her best tunes. The band name was called StereoType. The lead guitarist was married to the female vocalist. I sang all of the male songs and she sang all of the female led songs. It worked out really cool, and we played local bars and such. Of course, these stories are years detached from the album's release... but again I'm too young to have a legitimate story here.
The story comes full circle. I am currently a HUGE fan of VH1's PopUp Video... They give all sorts of facts about the band, song, and video production... and some wise cracks. Here's Shadows of the Night... one of Benatar's biggest songs... the video has a WWII Rosie the Riveter theme.
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