Sunday, April 19, 2020

CoronaVinyl Day 33 (Ladies of Rock): In the Heat of the Night by Pat Benatar

For an explanation of CoronaVinyl, click here.
Today's CoronaVinyl category is ladies of rock, and I added this category because females generally get the shaft when it comes to rock.  Bad dong jokes aside, there's not enough love for the glorious ladies of rock and roll.  That's why I dedicated a whole Rocktober to the ladies back in 2015.  Pat Benatar was one of the few successful solo rock females of the '80s -- or forever, for that matter -- and she undoubtedly deserves to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame because she has influenced pretty much every female rocker since then, but, again, the Rock Hall has stopped returning my calls.

In 1979, Benatar released her debut album, In the Heat of the Night -- no relation to the Academy Award winning movie or the TV show of the same name -- was a pretty immediate hit, rising to #12 on the Billboard album charts, and it produced her first two Top 40 hits, "Heartbreaker" (#23) and "We Live for Love" (#27).  Right away, you knew she was the real deal.  If it wasn't already one in the morning, I'd write more.

Favorite song from Side 1:  "Heartbreaker"
The first track off the album is a killer.  "Heartbreaker" is a ball-busting rocker where Benatar announces her arrival to the world of rock.  What a great song.  "You're the right kind of sinner / To release my inner fantasy."  Fantastic line.

Favorite song from Side 2:  "No You Don't"
This one is a great rock and roll song that showcases what I love most about Pat Benatar:  her grit and that voice that lets you know she'll kick you in the balls when you deserve it.  And you don't deserve her.

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