When MTV lit up the screen in 1981 and opened with “Video Killed the Radio Star,” the world tilted just a bit on its axis. Suddenly music wasn’t just something you listened to — it was something you watched, lived, breathed.
And then came the artist who didn’t just step into that new world — she owned it.
Pat Benatar.
Power chords. Leather jackets. Those laser-sharp eyes. And a voice that could float, burn, and absolutely destroy when it needed to.
Pat wasn’t following trends — she was the trend.
A classically trained singer who ditched the expected path for the raw electricity of rock clubs, she blasted out of the late ’70s and took command of FM radio, MTV, and pretty much every teenager’s bedroom stereo.
“Heartbreaker.”
“Hit Me With Your Best Shot.”
Songs that didn’t just play — they dared you to feel tougher, louder, braver.
And when “You Better Run” rolled in as the second video ever aired on MTV, it wasn’t just a milestone.
It was a message:
Rock wasn’t going anywhere — it was just getting sharper, louder, and gloriously visual.
Pat Benatar didn’t just sing the soundtrack of the 80s.
She taught the decade how to stand its ground.
This is Rock of the 80’s signing off for tonight — not sad, exactly… just remembering. And remembering sounds pretty damn good.
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