PAT BENATAR - HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT

Estrena: 15 de setembre de 1980

Llistes: EUA: #9

"Hit Me with Your Best Shot" és una cançó llançada el 1980 com el segon senzill de l'àlbum “Crimes of Passion”. Escrita per Eddie Schwartz, es va convertir en una de les cançons més emblemàtiques de Benatar i en el seu primer Top 10 als EUA, arribant al número 9 a la llista Billboard Hot 100 i al número 7 a la llista de Cash Box.

"Hit Me with Your Best Shot" reflecteix una actitud confiada i resilient, en la qual un se sent preparat per afrontar el que la vida li pugui llançar. L'escriptor Eddie Schwartz explica que el concepte de la cançó li va venir després d'assistir a una sessió de teràpia bioenergètica a Toronto, on els participants colpejaven coixins per alliberar hostilitat. Després de la sessió, la frase "Hit Me with Your Best Shot" li va venir al cap. Aquesta cançó es va convertir en un èxit clau per Pat Benatar i va impulsar la carrera de Schwartz, permetent-li produir per diversos artistes com Joe Cocker i Carly Simon.

En aquell moment, Schwartz treballava com a guitarrista per a la cantant canadenca Charity Brown. Una editorial, ATV, estava interessada a signar-lo, però volien una maqueta del seu treball. Schwartz va preparar ràpidament una maqueta, enregistrant "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" a primeres hores del matí després d'un concert. Va improvisar la lletra a l'estudi, escrivint-la sobre la marxa mentre la gravava.

A ATV inicialment no els va agradar gens la cançó, fins al punt que van esborrar les gravacions mestres. No obstant això, un enginyer va guardar en secret una còpia per a Schwartz. Més tard, un nou executiu d'ATV, Marv Goodman, va escoltar la maqueta i li va agradar. Encara treballant a Chrysalis Records, Goodman escoltava sovint la maqueta. Un dia, es diu que Pat Benatar va escoltar la cançó a través de la paret durant una reunió a Chrysalis i en va quedar entusiasmada. Això la va portar a gravar "Hit Me With Your Best Shot", que es va convertir en un gran èxit, consolidant tant les carreres de Benatar com de Schwartz.

En una entrevista de 1984, Pat Benatar va reflexionar sobre el seu enfocament de la lletra. Benatar va admetre que, tot i que normalment és meticulosa amb les lletres que canta, de vegades deixa passar algunes frases si la resta de la cançó funciona bé. Per a aquesta pista, va mencionar tenir sentiments contradictoris sobre algunes parts de la cançó, particularment trobant difícil cantar frases com "you're a real tough cookie" (ets una galeta molt dura) a mesura que la seva carrera avançava. Tot i això, va continuar interpretant-la, ja que s'havia convertit en un èxit.

Benatar també va recordar un moment incòmode quan va presentar l'escriptor de la cançó, Eddie Schwartz, en un concert en directe. Després de mencionar el seu nom, el públic es va quedar en silenci, demostrant que no el coneixien. A més, va modificar lleugerament una frase de la cançó, canviant "Before I put another notch in your lipstick case" (Abans de posar una altra osca al teu estoig de llapis de llavis) a "my lipstick case" per ajustar-se a una perspectiva femenina. Quan artistes masculins versionen la cançó, de vegades l'alteren per "guitar case".

La lletra te un to suggerent, però la cançó no es va veure com a ofensiva. Alguns comentaris de l'època la van etiquetar com a sexista o com una cançó que fomentava la violència contra les dones, cosa que va sorprendre el seu escriptor, Eddie Schwartz. Va explicar que sempre es va concebre de manera metafòrica, sense cap violència literal intencionada. Tot i que les lletres es podien interpretar com a referides a una aventura d'una nit, Schwartz va aclarir que la cançó tracta sobre l'auto-confiança. Parla de la resiliència, amb el missatge que, sigui quina sigui la dificultat que se't presenti, pots afrontar-la i "jugar a la lliga" dels qui t'envolten.

PAT BENATAR - HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT

Released: September 15, 1980

Charts:  US: #9   

"Hit Me with Your Best Shot" is a song released in 1980 as the second single from the “Crimes of Passion” album. Written by Eddie Schwartz, it became one of Benatar's signature songs and her first Top 10 hit in the U.S., reaching No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 7 on the Cash Box chart. 

"Hit Me with Your Best Shot" reflects a confident, resilient attitude, where one feels ready to take on whatever life throws their way. Writer Eddie Schwartz, explains the song's concept came to him after attending a bio-energetics therapy session in Toronto, where participants punched pillows to release hostility. After the session, the phrase "Hit Me with Your Best Shot" popped into his mind. This song became a breakout hit for Pat Benatar and catapulted Schwartz's career, leading him to produce for various artists like Joe Cocker and Carly Simon.

At the time, Schwartz was working as a guitarist for Canadian singer Charity Brown. A publishing company, ATV, was interested in signing him, but they wanted a demo of his work. Schwartz quickly put together a demo, recording "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" in the early morning hours after a gig. He improvised the song's lyrics in the studio, writing them on the fly as he recorded.

ATV initially disliked the song so much they erased the master recordings. However, an engineer secretly saved a copy for Schwartz. Later, a new executive at ATV, Marv Goodman, heard the demo and liked it. While still working at Chrysalis Records, Goodman played the demo frequently. One day, Pat Benatar reportedly overheard the song through the wall during a meeting at Chrysalis and became excited about it. This led her to record "Hit Me With Your Best Shot," which became a massive hit, solidifying both Benatar’s and Schwartz’s careers.

In a 1984 interview Pat Benatar reflected on her approach to lyrics, especially with songs like "Hit Me With Your Best Shot." Benatar admitted that while she is usually meticulous about the lyrics she sings, she sometimes lets certain lines slide if the rest of the song works well. For this track she mentioned having mixed feelings about parts of the song, particularly finding it hard to sing lines like "you're a real tough cookie" as her career progressed. Despite this, she stuck with the song, as it had become a hit.

Benatar also recalled an awkward moment when she introduced the song’s writer, Eddie Schwartz, at a live show. After mentioning his name, the audience fell silent, showing they weren't familiar with him. Additionally, she slightly modified a lyric in the song, changing "Before I put another notch in your lipstick case" to "my lipstick case" to fit a female perspective. When male artists cover the song, they sometimes alter it to "guitar case" instead.

The lyrics carry suggestive undertones, but the song was not widely seen as offensive. Some commentary at the time labeled it as sexist or as encouraging violence against women, which surprised its writer, Eddie Schwartz. He explained that the song was always meant metaphorically, with no literal violence intended. Though the lyrics could be interpreted as referring to a one-night stand, Schwartz clarified that the song is about self-confidence. It's about resilience, with the message that whatever challenges come your way, you can handle them and "play in the league" of those around you.