Pat Benatar came from a very humble origin but was someone that, in the 80s, was made into such a huge icon that her fame is still very much a thing of legend today. 80s stars have been seen as influential and highly suspect in some ways throughout the last couple of decades but one thing that they can stake as their claim to fame is that they were stuck in between a rather blah decade in the 70s and a very edgy decade in the 90s. So really, 80s stars had to have a strong persona and a very strong stage presence since there was as of yet no internet that could plaster them all over screens that could be accessed around the world, and yet there was technology such as the music video to take hold of and make their own that demanded they do something outrageous that had never been seen before.
Pat definitely made the 80s into her playground. Here are a few of her best songs from that decade.
5. Treat Me Right
A lot of Pat Benatar’s songs have made it into movies and this is one of those that has managed to capture the attitude of the movie it’s in given that it’s all attitude and no give. Among the many women that performed in the 80s, Benatar was one of those that seemed to speak out for women’s equality in many ways. She was also one of those that demanded it within her lyrics and wasn’t shy about wanting to be treated in a respectful way. If you think about it the idea of women being treated equal has been around for a long time, but the 80s fairly shouted about it left and right, hoping to get someone to pay attention.
4. Shadows of the Night
A lot of Pat’s songs are just fun and they have such meaning to them that you can listen and lose yourself in the song quite easily. Plus, in true 80s style they were loud, they had a lot of moving parts, and they were the kind of songs that you could vibe to in a way that was both anticlimactic and would serve to make you look a bit strange on the dance floor. But it was the 80s, and this was how things were done. In this current era people still get into these songs and might be just as crazy but still manage to love what she’s saying and can fully accept the messages that she conveys. After all it’s kind of describing pretty much any era.
3. We Belong
Songs like this are those that definitely make you feel the need for the slow dance and the tender moments between people that seem to be inherently important. This is one of those songs that you’ll hear at weddings, school dances, and the like that promote a lot of eye rolls and close, heartfelt moments that some people truly enjoy. Pat has always put a lot of emotion into her songs and for the most part her songs haven’t really belonged to any one era if you look at it from a wider perspective. Some people sing songs that are strictly in tune with the decade that they were sung. Pat’s songs belong to pretty much every time.
2. Hit Me With Your Best Shot
This is just a fun song since it can be played anytime and anywhere and people will want to jam to it for the most part. Even if they don’t feel like they’ll at least pretend to mock the song while some part of them deep down is energized by it. Such a song is the kind of track that literally tells someone to hit them with everything they’ve got and see what happens. That kind of attitude has meant a lot throughout the years even as the touchy-feely nation has decided to state that we shouldn’t be so confrontational. Sometimes you need to thrust your chest out and tell life to go on and hit you, and just see what happens next.
1. Love is a Battlefield
If there’s any reason why this would belong to the 80s alone it would be the video, and that’s it. Otherwise this song still speaks to the youth of our nation and any of those that feel marginalized in any way. Problems still abound in the youth of today, perhaps more than ever in the nation, and Pat managed to convey this decades ago when it was still just as much of a problem, but wasn’t addressed nearly as much. The world is a hard place for those that aren’t ready to face it, and despite how we feel about one another, love is not bound to make it any easier. In fact, sometimes it makes it harder.
Pat Benatar helped make the 80s what it was, and for that a lot of us should be grateful.
Follow Us
