Pat Benatar – The First Album
Today (Tuesday, August 27th), marks the 45th anniversary of the release of Pat Benatar‘s debut album, In the Heat of the Night.
Pat Benatar – The First Album
The first single, “If You Think You Know How to Love Me,” didn’t do well, but the second, “Heartbreaker,” which followed in October 1979, set the table for her becoming a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — inducted in 2022.
The album also included a cover of John Mellencamp‘s “I Need a Lover” (which I actually like more than John’s…is that wrong?)
And, it was the first song of hers that she heard on the radio.
“It came on and my phone immediately started to ring. And I’d pick it up and I’d go, ‘Yeah, yeah,’ and I’d go, ‘Shut up, hang up so I can listen.’ And then it would just ring and ring and I’d just pick it up and, ‘I know’ and hang it up, ‘I know’ and hang it up. Like that. So I hardly got to hear any of it, but it was pretty incredible. I mean, I had no furniture, I was so broke and poor, and just like everybody starting out. And I was in my apartment with my pillows on the floor and my song was on the radio. It was pretty cool.”
I Remember the First Time I Heard Pat Benatar
There’s always been something about Pat and that voice / sound / vibe / energy. The first time I heard her on the radio there was this crackle of sound and then I remember saying “who’s that?” and slowly turning up the radio louder and louder. Pat Benatar was unlike anything I’d heard, there was this confidence that jumped out.
Beyond the movie references (remember Fast Times?) and the look (I grew up with plenty of high school friends dressing like Pat).
Of course there were the amazing words and music that challenged you when the needle dropped (Neil Giraldo has always been one of the most underrated guitar players), Pat Benatar was a must listen whenever a new album came out.
She’s that really cool person that you’re too nervous to talk to in school. Then she’d get on stage with this raw energy coming out of that mic, and you realized you’re witnessing a true artist (one of one).
Pat Benatar will always be part of my musical life, and I’m happy about that. And again – her version of “I Need A Lover” is better. Seriously.
