Pat Benatar. 45 Years of Crimes Of Passion

Aug 14, 2025 The Danny Diess Show
Crimes of Passion was 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 six-times Platinum (for shipments in excess of over six million copies) in the United States and five-times Platinum (for shipments of 600,000 copies) 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 (number 16) and her first album to chart in Sweden (number 27).

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.
To celebrate the 35th Anniversary of this historical and iconic album Danny Diess shares his limited special edition of the album on red punch limited vinyl. Also featured on this special is a candid interview clip with Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo discussing the creation of the track Hell Is For Children with Smashing Pumpkins front man Billy Corgan.
Complete setlist 8/14/25
Treat Me Right
Commentary
You Better Run
Never Wanna Leave You
Hit Me With Your Best Shot
Commentary - With Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo
Hell Is For Children
Little Paradise
I'm Gonna Follow You
Commentary
Wuthering Heights
Prisoner Of Love
Out-A-Touch.
Recorded live at the She Shack Studio August 12th- 14th 2025.
© Copyright Danny Diess 2025.