Earlier this year, legendary rock singer Pat Benatar was selected for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Benatar has sold more than 35 million albums worldwide and has charted 15 Billboard top 40 singles. One of those songs, however, will no longer occupy a spot in Benatar’s live setlist. The singer revealed in a new interview with USA Today that due to the recent shooting victims in the U.S., she will no longer play “Hit Me With Your Best Shot.” The song is the second single from her 1980 hit album, “Crimes of Passion.”
“We have what we call the ‘holy 14,’ songs that if we don’t play them, you’ll give us (a hard time),” said Benatar. “We’re not doing ‘Hit Me With Your Best Shot’ and fans are having a heart attack. I’m like, I’m sorry, in deference to the victims of the families of these mass shootings, I’m not singing it. I tell them, if you want to hear the song, go home and listen to it. (The title) is tongue in cheek, but you have to draw the line. I can’t say those words out loud with a smile on my face, I just can’t. I’m not going to go onstage and soap box – I go to my legislators – but that’s my small contribution to protesting. I’m not going to sing it. Tough.”
Benatar was also asked how Roe v. Wade being overturned “affects the tenor of the work you’re singing from 30 or 40 years ago?” She replied: “Well, “Invincible” is really important. I’m worried, like all of us, about fundamental autonomy rights. This is a slippery slope. It’s not about abortion for me. I’m concerned that people are not paying attention to what this actually means.”
Benatar also said that the delay in getting into the Rock Hall didn’t bother her. “Never,” she said. “What’s fun for us is to watch how excited everyone else is – our family or friends or the (DJ) in Seattle who put that first cartridge in his radio station with “Heartbreaker” on it. But listen, it’s great. It’s great for our kids. But the truth is, they’re acknowledging work that has already been done, so it doesn’t change anything. It doesn’t do anything to validate me as a person, but it’s nice.”
