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TL;DR:

  • Pat Benatar refuses to sing “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” as a form of protest.
  • Benatar doesn’t want to be preachy.
  • She revealed what she says to fans who want to hear her perform the track.
"Hit Me With Your Best Shot" singer Pat Benatar wearing a leather jacket
Pat Benatar | Patrick AVENTURIER/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

One of the most ubiquitous classic rock songs of the early 1980s is Pat Benatar’s “Hit Me With Your Best Shot.” Although the song was a success back in the day, Benatar refuses to perform it as a form of protest. Benatar reveals what she tells fans who wish she still sang “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” live.

Why Pat Benatar calls some of her songs the ‘holy 14’

During a 2022 interview with USA Today, Benatar discussed her current tour. “We’re doing a lot of songs we don’t always play like ‘In the Heat of the Night’ and ‘I Need a Lover,'” she said. “We have what we call the ‘holy 14,’ songs that if we don’t play them, you’ll give us [a hard time].”

Benatar commented on the fan backlash to her setlist. “And we’re not doing ‘Hit Me With Your Best Shot’ and fans are having a heart attack and I’m like, ‘I’m sorry, in deference to the victims of the families of these mass shootings, I’m not singing it,'” she added.

What Pat Benatar tells fans about ‘Hit Me With Your Best Shot’

Benatar revealed what she tells fans who wish she sang “Hit Me With Your Best Shot.” “I tell them, if you want to hear the song, go home and listen to it,” she said. “[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.”

Benatar is taking a moral stand but she doesn’t want to be preachy. “I’m not going to go on stage and soapbox — I go to my legislators — but that’s my small contribution to protesting,” she explained. “I’m not going to sing it. Tough.”

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How ‘Hit Me With Your Best Shot’ and its parent album performed on the charts in the United States

“Hit Me With Your Best Shot” became a huge hit in the United States. The track reached No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for 24 weeks. The song lasted longer on the chart than any of Benatar’s other singles.

Benatar released “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” on her album Crimes of Passion. The album reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200, remaining on the chart for 93 weeks. Besides her previous album In the Heat of the Night, none of Benatar’s other albums stayed on the chart for longer.

“Hit Me With Your Best Shot” was a hit even if Benatar doesn’t want to sing it anymore.

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