In the Heat of the Night

Album: In the Heat of the Night (1979)
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Songfacts®:

  • The title track to Benatar's major-label release, this song with written by Mike Chapman, who wrote and produced songs for Suzi Quatro and Sweet before getting Pat Benatar's career off the ground. Chapman's biggest contribution to Benatar was pairing her with Neil Giraldo, who just a few years later became her husband and full time producer.
  • In the Pat Benatar Anthology, she explains: "The producer Mike Chapman, used to coach me on how to get the feel of that song. He used to sit there and sing it melodramatically in my face. It was great. You never knew what was going to happen on that first record because it was the first time we really all played together, and nobody really knew what they could do."
    Giraldo added: "That eerie kind of singing guitar effect was a result of just messing around with Chapman and having a good time. It was just plucking through a chorus-echo effect."

Comments: 1

  • Shelley Kaloci from Akron, OhioI think this is the best Neil Giraldo guitar solo ever!
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