Pat Benatar‘s career in the 1980s was marked by both extraordinary successes and significant challenges. In a candid new interview, the 72-year-old Grammy-winning artist discussed the impact of sexism in the music industry and the personal struggles she faced as a new mother. Speaking with her husband Neil Giraldo on Billy Corgan’s The Magnificent Others podcast, Benatar opened up about a shocking moment that exemplified the pressures she faced—throwing a chair through a glass window at a record label building.
Benatar’s struggles became particularly intense after she gave birth to her daughter, Haley, in February 1985. At the time, she was signed to Chrysalis Records and was under pressure to release albums on a tight schedule—often one per year. Reflecting on the shift in her career, Benatar explained that the arrival of her daughter changed everything. “It was never going back to what it was before… because we had a baby now,” she said. She further detailed the challenges of balancing motherhood with the relentless demands of her music career, particularly in an industry that offered little understanding of the complexities of being both a working mother and a high-profile artist.
Benatar described one specific incident that occurred shortly after the birth of Haley. She recalled a meeting with her record label executives while she was still breastfeeding, with her newborn only weeks old. “I had to go in the bathroom of the goddamn restaurant we were in and wring out everything because I was experiencing let-down,” she said, describing the physical discomfort caused by the stress of the situation. Despite being a new mother, Benatar felt the executives were unsympathetic to her needs and only focused on pushing her back into the studio to meet deadlines. This intense pressure led to Benatar’s “violent” reaction. “I threw a stool through the glass window in Capitol Records,” she admitted.
Benatar’s story serves as a striking example of the misogyny and sexism she faced during her rise to fame. She explained that despite having already broken barriers in the music world, her post-motherhood experiences were different and more difficult to navigate. “So, talk about sexism. Oh yeah. And misogyny. Right there. No slack,” Benatar said, recounting how she was expected to fulfill her professional obligations while dealing with the complexities of new motherhood.
Benatar went on to explain how the record label put her “on extension” and set an ultimatum for her to produce an album—otherwise, her royalties would be frozen. Despite the immense pressure, Benatar made personal sacrifices to meet the demands. “I had our baby outside in a Winnebago with my parents watching that child so that I could go in there and make that goddamn record,” she recalled. This incident occurred during the recording of Seven the Hard Way, and Benatar emphasized the difficulties of balancing the demands of her career with the needs of her family.
Despite the hardships she faced, Benatar’s career endured, and she continues to be a trailblazer for women in rock music. Her openness about the struggles she faced behind the scenes sheds light on the challenges many women in the industry have faced, and still face today.
Related topics:
