Then: Benatar’s 1979 debut album, In the Heat of the Night, was her breakthrough in North America, especially in Canada where it reached number 3 on the album chart. Two singles from it were hits: “Heartbreaker” and “We Live for Love”, the latter written by her lead guitarist and future husband, Neil Giraldo. Benatar’s second album, 1980’s Crimes of Passion, was her most successful work, peaking at number 2 in North America and France, being certified 4× and 5× platinum in the US and Canada, respectively. Its single “Hit Me with Your Best Shot” reached the top 10 in the US and Canada and is considered to be her best-known song. Benatar’s third album, Precious Time (1981), was another success, topping the US Album Chart and becoming her first top 10 album in Australia. Its single “Fire and Ice” charted highly in the US and Canada. Her next release, Get Nervous (1982), sold less well than her previous two albums, but did include the North American hit “Shadows of the Night”.
Now: In January 2017, Benatar recorded the song “Shine” to support the Women’s March on January 21, 2017, which was her first original non-holiday recording in over 10 years. In September of the same year Benatar again teamed with songwriter and producer Linda Perry for the song “Dancing Through the Wreckage”, which was the lead single from the soundtrack for the documentary Served Like a Girl. In October 2017 the song entered the Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart, eventually peaking at number 22 in November. The song also received a nomination for Best Song from a Documentary from the Critics’ Choice Awards. In 2020, Benatar was nominated for induction in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alongside fifteen other artists but despite coming in second in the fan vote was not among the inductees. She was nominated for a second time in 2022.
