One of the first American artists to embrace the music video format was female rocker Pat Benatar. In fact, she helped usher in the age of MTV when her You Better Run video immediately followed The Buggles Video Killed the Radio Star during the fledgling cable channel’s launch in 1981. Benatar was amongst a handful of female solo artists during the early days of MTV, often compared to The Blackhearts frontwoman Joan Jett. But where Jett was full of snarl and rough edges, Benatar cut an image that was more sly and sassy. In many of her early videos, Benatar’s beauty was mixed with an air of danger. She had a dozen videos to choose from, but her 1983 smash Love is a Battlefield is the most recognizable.
Benatar was a busy lady in the early 80s, releasing three back-to-back albums, In the Heat of the Night (1979), Crimes of Passion (1980), and Get Nervous (1982). She capped off this prolific run with her first live album, the appropriately titled Live from Earth, recorded during Benatar’s sold-out Get Nervous tour. The 1983 LP featured two studio tracks, and the first single, Love is a Battlefield, would go on to be the biggest hit of her career.
Love is a Battlefield was a departure for Benatar, as the tune has a decidedly more pop-rock sound that was surging in popularity at the time. Benatar’s early music, especially her pairing with longtime guitarist and husband Neil Giraldo, was marked by grinding rock anthems with aggressive wordplay featured in songs like Hit Me with Your Best Shot and the uber-controversial Hell is for Children. And while Love is a Battlefield has a dark undercurrent, the bittersweet lyrics are offset by its adult-contemporary, radio-friendly tone.
For the music video, Benatar teamed with up-and-coming director Bob Giraldi who had just helmed Michael Jackson’s Beat It. Giraldi was known for his slick, polished style and encouraged the musicians he was directing to embrace all aspects of the medium, not just lazily lip-synch on a stage. And Benatar is quite the triple threat, as she does some decent video acting, playing a rebellious teenage runaway who survives on the streets, ending up as a “private” dancer at a seedy club. When the abusive club owner moves to hit one of his girls, Benatar and the other dancers rise and perform an elaborate dance routine showing their girl power solidarity. Benatar is a surprisingly solid hoofer, and the sequence was choreographed by none other than Michael Peters, who worked with Michael Jackson on his innovative Thriller video.
Love is a Battlefield was heavily influenced by the Flashdance movie that became a phenomenon at the 1983 summer multiplexes. The outfits of Benatar and her girl posse are based on the fashion trends of ripped clothing that the Jennifer Beals star vehicle unleashed. The video was also a departure from the pure visual imagery and rock concert footage that dominated MTV at the time, as it told a narrative story. And it’s one of the first clips to mix spoken dialogue into the music, lending the piece a short film quality. This is no doubt the crown jewel of Benatar’s influential music video legacy and helped make Love is a Battlefield her most enduring hit.
The video marked a new era for Benatar, as her unique brand of rock would be fused with a pop/synth sound culminating in her 1984 hit We Belong. Sadly, her chart-topping prowess would fade as the 80s wore on, but her influence on the rock scene is immense. Like Joan Jett, Benatar blazed a trail for women to rock just as hard and fierce as the boys, and you can see her DNA in the likes of Pink, Haley Williams, and Gwen Stefani.
Check out the video below and let me know your thoughts in the comments section.
She was and is one of my faves!
Pat Benatar is the best, my favorite since I first heard Hit Me With Your Best Shot. I love her.