''Crimes of Passion'' is the second studio album by American singer

Pat Benatar Patricia Mae Giraldo ('' née'' Andrzejewski, formerly Benatar; born January 10, 1953), known professionally as Pat Benatar, is an American rock singer and songwriter. In the United States, she has had two multi-platinum albums, five platinum al ...

, 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 held at number two for five weeks in January 1981, behind

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and

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's ''

Double Fantasy ''Double Fantasy'' is the fifth album by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, released in November 1980 on Geffen Records. Produced by Lennon, Ono and Jack Douglas, it was the seventh and final studio album released by Lennon during his lifetime. The al ...

''. ''Crimes of Passion'' contains the singles " Hit Me with Your Best Shot", which became Benatar's first top-10 entry in the US, and is considered to be her best-known song, and " Treat Me Right", a top-20 entry in the US. Neither song was very successful in other countries, aside from "Hit Me with Your Best Shot" reaching the top 40 in Australia. The first single released from the album was " You Better Run", the music video for which was the second music video ever aired on MTV in 1981. It peaked at number 42 in the US, and New Zealand, and did not chart in Canada, although it rose to number 33 in Australia. ''Crimes of Passion'' also contains a cover of

Kate Bush Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and dancer. In 1978, at the age of 19, she topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks with her debut single " Wuthering Heights", becoming the first female ...

's "

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". ''Crimes of Passion'' is Benatar's best-selling album, having been certified four-times Platinum (for shipments in excess of over four million copies) in the United States and five-times Platinum (for shipments of 500,000 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 Remaster refers to changing the quality of the sound or of the image, or both, of previously created recordings, either audiophonic, cinematic, or videographic. The terms digital remastering and digitally remastered are also used. Mastering A ...

on Capitol Records in 2006.

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Crimes of Passion''.

Musicians

* Scott St. Clair Sheets – guitar * Roger Capps – bass, background vocals * Myron Grombacher – drums * Neil Giraldo – lead and rhythm guitars, keyboards, background vocals *

– vocals, background vocals

Technical

Keith Olsen Keith Alan Olsen (May 12, 1945 – March 9, 2020) was an American record producer and sound engineer, who worked with Magnum, Rick Springfield, Fleetwood Mac, Ozzy Osbourne, the Grateful Dead, Whitesnake, Pat Benatar, Heart, Santana, Saga, ...

– production, engineering * Chris Minto – engineering * Jo Hansch,

Greg Fulginiti Gregory Fulginiti (born February 13, 1951 in Cape May Court House section of Middle Township, New Jersey) is an American recording and mastering engineer. Fulginiti grew up in Wildwood, New Jersey and graduated from Wildwood High School in 1969 ...

– mastering at Artisan Sound Recorders

Artwork

* Ria Lewerke-Shapiro – art direction, cover design * Billy Bass – direction * Leon LeCash – photographs

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 1980 albums Albums produced by Keith Olsen Albums recorded at Sound City Studios Chrysalis Records albums Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance Pat Benatar albums