Pat Benatar Songs Ranked

Pat Benatar was born Patricia Mae Andrzejewski on January 10, 1953, in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, New York City. Her mother, Mildred (née Knapp) (1928–2016), was a beautician, and her father, Andrew (Andrzej) Andrzejewski (1926–2009), was a sheet-metal worker.  Her father was of Polish descent and her mother was of German, English, and Irish ancestry. Her family moved to North Hamilton Avenue in Lindenhurst, New York, a village in the Long Island town of Babylon.
Benatar’s debut album In the Heat of the Night was released in August 1979 and reached #12 in the US in early 1980. Mike Chapman produced three tracks on the album, while engineer Peter Coleman oversaw the rest. In addition, Chapman and his songwriting partner, Nicky Chinn, wrote three songs that appear on the LP: “In the Heat of the Night” and “If You Think You Know How to Love Me” which were previously recorded by Smokie, and a rearranged version of a song they wrote for Sweet, “No You Don’t”. The album also featured two songs written by Roger Capps and Benatar, “I Need a Lover” written by John Mellencamp, and “Don’t Let It Show”, written by Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson. The album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America in December 1980. In Canada, it was certified 4× platinum where it peaked at number 3 on the RPM albums chart. She was nominated for a 2020 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Here are all of Pat Benatar’s songs ranked.

Don’t miss out on the CLASSIC Pat Benatar music below! Click to experience great songs coming from this multi-platinum artist!

20. Lipstick Lies (Live from Earth, 1983)

“Lipstick Lies”-it’s sad that it was issued as a single in 1983 to promote her “Live From Earth” album. It’s such a weak song. No catchy melody, no interesting arrangement… it’s quite boring.”

19. Ooh Ooh Song (Tropico, 1984)

“Great song with bluesy arrangement. Many people say that this sucks but I think it’s one of the better moments on her “Tropico” album. The spanish version of the song is also very interesting. Love it!”

18. Anxiety (Get Nervous, 1982)

“Anxiety (get nervous)” is one of the strongest songs from her fourth album “Get Nervous”. It’s rock and roll song, but there are elements of new wave sound. That makes this song more interesting. Pat as always does her best singing hell of this song. But the main attraction must be original arrangement (especially use of synthesizers)”

17. You Better Run (Crimes of Passion, 1980)

“This song really does rock. Here’s Pat Benatar, as mad at some guy as she ever was. Powerful vocals, good guitar. What really makes the song is it’s great ending.”

See more: Pat Benatar Albums Ranked

16. Little Too Late (Get Nervous, 1982)

“”Little Too Late” isn’t the best single release from her fourth studio album “Get Nervous”. I think she should have released “Victim” or “I’ll Do It” instead. “Little Too Late” is kind of pop song with elements of rock. It’s catchy enough to make you sing along but it never grabbed me. I know, it’s one of the highest charting singles of her career, but I really don’t think it’s that good. Not terrible either…”

15. In the Heat of the Night (In the Heat of the Night, 1979)

“In 1979 when rock music was mainly man’s job Pat Benatar released her stunning debut album proving she was as good and powerful as all those guys playing in rock and roll bands. Although she looked like a poster girl, Benatar was more than sex symbol for young boys, she certainly had a voice that sold her records. At that time she was probably the only female artist who was not afraid of rocking hard. When Debbie Harry of Blondie went largely pop, and other singers like Diana Ross or Donna Summer dominated charts with their disco stuff, Benatar showed that woman playing hard rock can be successful and sell even more albums than her pop or disco contemporaries. “In The Heat Of The Night” is classic album in many ways, but the most important thing is that it opened doors for other successful female rock artists of the 80’s.”

14. One Love (Wide Awake in Dreamland, 1988)

“Why this song never became number one hit is beyond me. I can’t understand it. This song has everything that every smash single should have: great chorus, nice melody, simple yet beautiful lyrics and wonderful singing.”

13. Looking for a Stranger (Get Nervous, 1982)

“Looking For A Stranger” is definitely one of the best singles of Pat’s career. It was not a huge hit, but it doesn’t matter at all. It’s a powerful, rock and roll song with bits of new wave sound and a very catchy chorus. The synthesizers sound fresh and good, guitar rocks well too, but as always, Pat steals the show with another legendary performance. Love it!”

12. We Live for Love (In the Heat of the Night, 1979)

“We Live For Love” sounds a bit like Blondie’s song and that’s good because at that time Blondie was among the greatest music stars in the world. Chorus is simply great with Pat singing in her highest note. Guitar by Neil Giraldo is also good. “So Sincere” is a kind of punk rock song and has a lot of energy! Love It!”

11. Treat Me Right (Crimes of Passion, 1980)

“Pat’s cover versions either sounded like bad mistakes or became the definitive version. This one is the latter, but it’s not exactly a song for the ages.”

10. All Fired Up (Wide Awake in Dreamland, 1988)

“Absolutely fantastic, extraordinary song! This must be one of the greatest hit singles in her career. It became smash single in 1988. It has rock edge and pop chorus. Great example of Pat’s talent!”

9. Hell Is for Children (Crimes Of Passion, 1980)

“Clearly you people don’t know Pat Benatar because this is one her most heartfelt songs ever written. It’s actually about child abuse. It is part of her ¨Holy 14.¨ The 14 songs that she plays at every concert. Even though it is not as popular. It is top 5 easy.”

8. Fire and Ice (Precious Time, 1981)

“One of my favorite Pat Benatar singles, with an excellent b-side as well. She usually had good b-sides. The intelligence to put the best non-singles on the backs of the singles so nobody would feel they had to buy the albums, yes. Or perhaps to make people think they had to buy the albums.”

7. Promises In the Dark (Precious Time, 1981)

“In my opinion “Promises In The Dark” is the most powerful song in Pat’s career. I love it sooo much! It starts slowly but after a while it turns into feverish, energetic rock and roll drive. Pat gives the most impressive performance of her career, belting song in most powerful way. I love, when she sings “you try to be strong, but your heart says try agaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaain!!!!!!”.”

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6. We Belong (Tropico, 1984)

“In its use of huge drums, excessive multi-tracked production, electronic harmonica fills, a children’s church choir and everything else but the kitchen sink, We Belong exemplifies all that was good and bad in mid-1980s pop. You are liable to either love or hate this one, and for me it is a guilty pleasure. It was Billboard’s 39th biggest hit of 1985.”

5. Invincible (Seven the Hard Way, 1985)

“One of the greatest hit singles in Pat’s career. “Invincible” was released in summer of 1985 and immediately went to TOP 10 on the charts, becoming Pat’s classic. This song is just 80s anthem with strong lyrics and melody. The best part is when Pat sings at the end in her highest register.”

4. Love is a Battlefield (Live from Earth, 1983)

“Pat Benatar was rock and roll’s premier female singer of the 1980’s, winning a lot of kudos and Grammys along the way. For me, this was her best work. From the opening instrumentation, it catches fire and never lets up until the end, with Benatar’s vocals more controlled than usual and sounding solid and fiery. A really nice performance by Benatar and the band that had a little bit of funk, too, making it sound all the more enticing. It grabs you from the get go and holds on.”

3. Shadows of the Night (Get Nervous, 1982)

“Helen Schneider did this song by D.L. Byron first, and I always thought it was kind of funny that Pat Benatar then did it as well because they have a really similar look to them. Dark haired intense new wave rockers. Ms. Benatar’s version of course adds lots of pop glam production and guitar sizzle but its essentially similar to the earlier version in overall feel. Her voice is brighter than Schneider’s, and that lifts the song a bit as well.”

2. Hit Me with Your Best Shot (Crimes of Passion, 1980)

“As obvious as it may be to say, even though this isn’t the one I personally most would listen to, for me this is signature Pat more than any other song. She definitely had some slightly different moods among her impressive string of hits around this time, but this song captures the feel I most missed when I listened to her attempts at rockers firmly on the serious side on the later Wide Awake in Dreamland. Her voice was strong and powerful and so of course was capable of suiting songs more defiant or serious in tone serviceably, but here where the song’s mood is playful, strutting, a little bit suggestive is for me where it really shone. Simple catchy riff and energetic guitar solo in its corner too.”

1. Heartbreaker (In the Heat of the Night, 1979)

“Classic! It’s one of the greatest songs of rock and roll! Her voice is stunningly strong on this one. Just listen to the breakdown of the number, when she sings like an angel and then rocks again. Absolutely piece of music history.”