Album · Pat Benatar
Crimes of Passion by Pat Benatar
Crimes of Passion is an album by Pat Benatar, released in 1980. 2 songs from it have charted on rock radio countdowns, with 95 countdown appearances in total. The biggest is “Hit Me With Your Best Shot”, on 78 lists with a best position of #5.
Crimes of Passion, Pat Benatar's second album, came out on Chrysalis on August 5, 1980, and it's the sound of a big voice picking a fight with a Marshall stack and winning. Keith Olsen produced, and Myron Grombacher took over the drums here, the start of a stay in her band that lasted into the late '90s.
"Hit Me With Your Best Shot" is the calling card, a swaggering dare that became her first top-10 hit in America, while "Treat Me Right" and "You Better Run" keep the tough talk coming (the latter's video was only the second ever shown on MTV). "Hell Is For Children" is darker and heavier, and she even takes a run at Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights". It sat at number two behind Double Fantasy, went on to become her best-selling album, and won her a first Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs from Crimes of Passion on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hit Me With Your Best Shot#327 of all time | 78 | #5 | – | 1980–2026 | |
| 2 | Hell Is For Children | 17 | #16 | – | 1982–2025 |
Only songs that appear on at least one countdown are listed. Release data from MusicBrainz.