One of rock’s most distinct and powerful voices, Pat Benatar quickly made an impression on the masses with hard-hitting songs, intriguing ballads, and a variety of musical styles. You know the songs—“Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” “Love Is a Battlefield,” “We Belong,” “Heartbreaker,” etc. and so on.
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Benatar’s operatic training and bold attitude gave her an edge over her peers. She has perennially collaborated with her musical and personal soulmate, electrifying guitarist Neil Giraldo (a.k.a. Spyder). They have been making brash and beautiful music together for nearly 45 years. Here are some of their lesser-known recordings that showcase even more of their diversity beyond the hits that made them famous.
1. “My Clone Sleeps Alone” (1979)
While it starts off as a gentle ballad, this track from Benatar’s debut, In the Heat of the Night, explodes into a ‘50s-style rocker imbued with late ‘70s Benatar/Giraldo intensity. One could view this as a warning about becoming a conformist Stepford wife, which she thankfully represents the antithesis of. Right out of the gate, the singer proudly expressed her individuality.
2. “Wuthering Heights” (1980)
There aren’t many people who could cover this Kate Bush classic well, but Benatar brought her own personality to it while staying true to the trajectory of the original. One YouTuber noted how Bush’s version is more ghostly, while the pain here feels more fresh. This doesn’t replace the original, it augments it.
3. “Evil Genius” (1981)
This unconventionally structured song from her third album, Precious Time, features an unusually long mid-section with Giraldo soloing over a sax quartet. It delves into the world of a seemingly well-behaved young man who eventually blows everyone’s mind when he blows someone away. But whom did he kill? A schoolmate? Parent? For a song that came out 40 years ago, it feels more relevant today when so many quiet people turn out to be powder kegs waiting to explode.
4. “The Victim” (1983)
This hard-hitting tune, co-written by Giraldo and hitmaker Billy Steinberg, comes from the singer’s fourth album, Get Nervous. It finds Benatar advising the song’s downtrodden character to stop making terrible choices with men and setting herself up for failure and disappointment. There’s a fine line sometimes between savior and victim, and at some point she needs to learn. But will she? This raucous song is a great showcase of Benatar’s fiery vocal side.
5. “Love in the Ice Age” (1984)
This low-key, mid-tempo number from Tropico documents a love that has lost its warmth. It can also be interpreted as a statement on a greater societal lack of empathy. Again, it’s more relevant about the human condition today than when it was written. There are some interesting choices here: the interplay between discord and melody, the tempo shifts. It’s a song that winds down just like the relationship in question.
6. “Le Bel Age” (1985)
This Guy Marshall/Robert Tepper tune about reviving love and looking to the future is a bright, upbeat number. It’s the only song on this list released as a main single (specifically from Seven the Hard Way). And it deserves more attention than it got. The black-and-white video takes place in a smoky ‘40s club and features actor/comedian Richard Belzer doing stand-up after Benatar’s band performs. The two knew each other from their ‘70s club days, so the match-up makes sense.
7. “Wide Awake in Dreamland” (1988)
The title track to Benatar’s seventh album, and her last rock-oriented album for a few years, exhibits the kind of verve you expect from Benatar. It also displays some interesting lyrics. The words seem apropos for a time when the singer sought to reinvent herself; indeed, her next album, 1991’s True Love, would focus on jump blues.
You know your paint-by-number life does not excite you
It’s a watercolor world that you’re livin’ in
And when you close your eyes at night
You’re wonderin’ just where you’ve been
Bonus Cut (Guilty Pleasure?): “Sometimes the Good Guys Finish First” (1987)
This closing credits number for the 1987 hit comedy Secret of My Success seems out of character for Benatar given its overtly synthy-sounding ‘80s pop-rock and the rowdy cheerleader chants that open this dance-friendly number. Giraldo does let loose with a ripping solo during this fun curio, which shows how Benatar’s voice might be applied to another musical style. The irony of the song’s title is that the Michael J. Fox character—representing a young man whose fresh ideas and business hustling push his uncle out of his own company—will likely turn into the jerk his relative was. Hey, it was the ‘80s.
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