Later this year, Pat Benatar is set to be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. At the moment, though, she’s leaving behind one of the songs that helped her get there: In a new interview, she explained she’s not currently performing “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” due to recent mass shootings.
Benatar told USA Today:
“We’re not doing ‘Hit Me With Your Best Shot’ and fans are having a heart attack and I’m like, ‘I’m sorry, in deference to the victims of the families of these mass shootings, I’m not singing it.’ I tell them, ‘If you want to hear the song, go home and listen to it.’ [The title] is tongue in cheek, but you have to draw the line. I can’t say those words out loud with a smile on my face, I just can’t. I’m not going to go on stage and soap box — I go to my legislators — but that’s my small contribution to protesting. I’m not going to sing it. Tough.”
Indeed, per Setlist.fm data, Benatar has only played the song twice in 2022.
When asked how things like Roe v. Wade being overturned recontextualize her old material, Benatar said, “Well, ‘Invincible’ is really important. I’m worried, like all of us, about fundamental autonomy rights. This is a slippery slope. It’s about not abortion for me. I’m concerned that people are not paying attention to what this actually means.”
Read the full interview here.
