Crimes of Passion (Pat Benatar album)
Crimes of Passion is the second studio album by American singer Pat Benatar, released on August 5, 1980, by Chrysalis Records. It is Benatar's first album to feature Myron Grombacher on drums, beginning a long tenure in her band that would last into the late 1990s.
The album debuted on the US Billboard 200 for the week ending August 23, 1980, and remaining at number two for five weeks in January 1981, behind John Lennon and Yoko Ono's Double Fantasy.
Crimes of Passion spawned three singles. "You Better Run" was the second music video ever aired on MTV in 1981, and peaked at number 42 in the US and New Zealand, as well as number 33 in Australia. "Hit Me with Your Best Shot", considered to be Benatar's best-known song, became her first top-10 entry in the US, and entered the top 40 in Australia. "Treat Me Right" became a top-20 entry in the US. The album also contains a cover of Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights".
Crimes of Passion was critically well-received and became Benatar's best-selling album, having been certified four-times Platinum in the United States and five-times Platinum in Canada. It placed at number five on Billboard magazine's 1981 year-end album chart. It peaked at number two in Canada and number six in New Zealand. It was also Benatar's highest-peaking album to that point in Australia and her first album to chart in Sweden.
In 1981, Crimes of Passion earned Benatar her first Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. The album was reissued and remastered on Capitol Records in 2006.
Critical reception
Crimes of Passion was generally well-received. Billboard wrote in a 1980 review that the album "finds Benatar in an even more rock vein with her powerful yet sensuous vocals blazing a ferocious rock path" and called it "a most credible follow-up to Benatar's near-platinum debut." J.D. Considine, writing in (The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide, awarded the album 3 of 5 stars, saying that "Hell Is For Children" "proves mettle as a writer" and offered praise for her vocals and the album's production. Eric Deggans, writing as part of MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide, awarded the album 4 out of 5 stars, calling it one of Benatar's most consistent albums, and said that its singles such as "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" "cemented her reputation as a toughie with pipes of solid brass".Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Crimes of Passion.Musicians
- Pat Benatar – vocals
- Neil Giraldo – lead and rhythm guitars, keyboards, background vocals
- Scott St. Clair Sheets – guitar
- Roger Capps – bass, background vocals
- Myron Grombacher – drums
Technical
- Keith Olsen – production, engineering
- Chris Minto – engineering
- Jo Hansch, Greg Fulginiti – mastering at Artisan Sound Recorders
Artwork
- Ria Lewerke-Shapiro – art direction, cover design
- Billy Bass – direction
- Leon LeCash – photographs
Charts
Year-end charts
| Chart | Position |
| Canada Top Albums/CDs | 29 |
| US Billboard 200 | 5 |