''Seven the Hard Way'' is the sixth studio album by American singer

Pat Benatar Patricia Mae Giraldo (née Andrzejewski; formerly and still professionally Benatar ; born January 10, 1953) is an American singer and songwriter. In the United States, she has two multi-platinum albums, five platinum albums, and 15 US ''Billboa ...

, released on November 13, 1985, by

Chrysalis Records Chrysalis Records () is a British independent record label that was founded in 1968. The name is both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders' names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis. It started as the Ell ...

. It debuted on the US ''Billboard'' 200 for the week of December 14 and peaked at number 26, spawning the singles " Invincible", "Sex as a Weapon", and "Le Bel Age". The album has been certified Gold by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA). The

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

-nominated single "Invincible" was produced by

Mike Chapman Michael Donald Chapman (born 13 April 1947) is an Australian record producer and songwriter who was a major force in the British pop music industry in the 1970s. He created a string of hit singles for artists including The Sweet, Suzi Quatro ...

and recorded for the soundtrack of the Matthew Robbins film '' The Legend of Billie Jean'', which, despite underperforming at the box office, became a cult classic to

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

fans in general. The song became commercially successful and was included on the album, despite its musical style differing from Benatar's at that time and more reminiscent of her earlier efforts. Benatar often commented at her concerts before performing the song that it "is from one of the worst movies ever made” to upset fans of the 80’s film. Another track, "Run Between The Raindrops", was featured in ''

The Stepfather (1987 film) ''The Stepfather'' is a 1987 American psychological horror film directed by Joseph Ruben and starring Terry O'Quinn, Jill Schoelen, and Shelley Hack. O'Quinn stars as an identity-assuming serial killer who marries a widow with a teenage daugh ...

''. ''Seven the Hard Way'' was Benatar's last album to feature bassist Donnie Nossov, who along with drummer Myron Grombacher went on to play with

Lita Ford Lita Rossana Ford (born September 19, 1958) is an American guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. She was the lead guitarist for the all-female rock band the Runaways in the late 1970s, and then embarked on a successful glam metal solo career tha ...

on her breakthrough album, '' Lita'' (1988), and on the supporting tour. Grombacher would return to Benatar's band for her follow-up album, ''

Wide Awake in Dreamland ''Wide Awake in Dreamland'' is the seventh studio album by American rock singer Pat Benatar, and her eighth album overall, released in 1988. After a string of successful albums, this was her last rock-oriented album of the 1980s, before she woul ...

'', released after the three-year hiatus that followed ''Seven the Hard Way''. In 1998,

BGO Records BGO Records (Beat Goes On) is a British record label specializing in classic rock, blues, jazz, and folk music. In 1965, Andy Gray opened Andys Records and set up a market stall in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. Year by year he opened up more shops. ...

reissued ''Seven the Hard Way'' on CD with '' Tropico''.

Track listing

Personnel

Band members

– vocals * Neil Giraldo – guitars *

Charlie Giordano Charles Giordano (born October 13, 1954) is an American keyboardist and accordionist. Giordano is known primarily for his work with Bruce Springsteen as a member of the E Street Band, replacing Danny Federici as the band's organist following the ...

– keyboards * Myron Grombacher – drums * Donnie Nossov – bass guitar

Additional musicians

* Maxi Anderson, Rose Banks, Tuffy Cummings, Voncielle Faggett, Tommy Funderburk, Gean Johnson, Tom Kelly, Frank Linx, Phyllis St. James, Carmen Twillie,

Táta Vega Táta Vega (born Carmen Rosa Vega, October 7, 1951) is an American vocalist, whose career spans theater, film, and a variety of musical genres. Early life Vega was born in Jamaica, Queens, New York and raised between New York, Chicago, Texas, P ...

– background vocals *

Lenny Castro Lenny Castro (born September 19, 1956) is an American percussionist from the Los Angeles area. He is one of the most prolific percussionists of all time, appearing on hundreds of albums, including those by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Adele, Maroon ...

– percussion * Uptown Horns – horns

Technical

* Neil Giraldo – production * Joe Chiccarelli – associate production, engineering ; mixing *

– production * William Wittman – engineering, mixing * Dave Hernandez, Daren Klein, George Tutko – additional engineering * Scott Church, Robert Corti, Marc DeSisto, Paul Ericksen, Steve Himelfarb, Gary Hollis, Richard McKernan, Charlie Paakkari, Brian Scheuble, Samii Taylor – engineering assistance * Scotty Bem, Jeff Chonis – production coordination * Michael Frondelli – mixing *

George Marino George Marino (April 15, 1947June 4, 2012) was an American mastering engineer known for working on albums by rock bands starting in the late 1960s. Biography Marino was born on April 15, 1947, in the New York City borough The Bronx. He attended ...

– mastering at

Sterling Sound George Marino (April 15, 1947June 4, 2012) was an American mastering engineer known for working on albums by rock bands starting in the late 1960s. Biography Marino was born on April 15, 1947, in the New York City borough The Bronx. He attended ...

(New York City)

Artwork

* Moshe Brakha – photography * Larry Vigon – art direction, design

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Seven The Hard Way 1985 albums Albums produced by Joe Chiccarelli Albums produced by Mike Chapman Chrysalis Records albums Pat Benatar albums