Pat Benatar is a four-time Grammy winning musician with six platinum and fo… Read Full Bio ↴Pat Benatar is a four-time Grammy winning musician with six platinum and four gold albums to her credit. Singing such hit singles as "I Need a Lover", "Heartbreaker", "Fire and Ice", "Treat Me Right", "Hit Me with Your Best Shot", "Hell Is for Children", "Shadows of the Night", and "Love Is a Battlefield", Benatar is acknowledged as one of the leading female rock vocalists in the industry.

She was born in the neighborhood of Greenpoint in Brooklyn, New York City, New York on January 10, 1953 as Patricia Andrzejewski. She graduated from Lindenhurst High on Long Island in 1971. She married her lead guitarist, Neil "Spyder" Geraldo, in 1982, and she has two children, named Haley and Hana.

In 1973, Benatar quit her job as a bank teller to pursue a singing career after being inspired by a Liza Minnelli concert she saw in Richmond. She got a job as a singing waitress at a flapper-esque nightclub named "The Roaring Twenties", and got a gig singing in lounge band Coxon's Army. They garnered enough attention to be the subject of a never-aired PBS special, and the band's bassist, Roger Capps, would go on to be the original bass player for the Pat Benatar band.

This period also yielded Benatar's first solo single – 1974's "Day Gig" – until her eventual major label debut on Chrysalis Records in 1979. The song was released via Trace Records, and was both written and produced by Coxon's Army band leader Phil Coxon.

Benatar's big break came in 1975 at an amateur night at the comedy club "Catch a Rising Star" in New York City. Her rousing rendition of Judy Garland's "Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody" earned her a call back by club owner Rick Newman, who would later become her manager.

After many years of producing big budget albums, Neil and Pat have continued to produce albums together, even though they have decided to end their association with major labels. They have chosen instead to place the care of their children above industry demands, and make records at home in their own professional quality studio. Each summer when their girls get out of school for vacation, they all pack up, board a tour bus, and set out to play as many shows as they can fit into the summer months. Pat and Neil maintain a close, and much more personal, relationship with their fans, than they were able to do in 80's during the heights of their commercial success.

http://www.benatargiraldo.com

Have It All
Pat Benatar Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You think that you're the second coming
Sorry to say it doesn't do it for me
Must be a drag when you're so stunning
In all that you are
And all that you hope to be

You can have it all, take it all
Break it all, forsake it all

Want it all, choose it all
Use it with no stake at all
Keep it all, trash it all
Lead it just like sheep it all
Hate it all, love it all, and still
You'll have nothing
Yeah, yeah

You think that you can walk on water
Better be careful, it gets mighty deep
I'd be afraid of what my thoughts were
You never know who'd be willing
To take that leap

You can have it all, take it all
Break it all, forsake it all
Want it all, choose it all
Use it with no stake at all
Keep it all, trash it all
Lead it just like sheep it all
Hate it all, love it all, and still
You'll have nothing
Yeah, yeah

When you look in the mirror
Do you see any clearer
Or are you blinded
By your own vision
Or have you ever thought
That maybe you were wrong
Or do you just reside
In your illusion
You can have it all, take it all
Break it all, forsake it all
Want it all, choose it all
Use it with no stake at all
Keep it all, trash it all
Lead it just like sheep it all
Hate it all, love it all, and still
You'll have nothing
Yeah, yeah

You can have it all, take it all
Break it all, forsake it all
Want it all, choose it all
Use it with no stake at all
Keep it all, trash it all
Lead it just like sheep it all
Hate it all, love it all, and still

You'll have nothing
Yeah, yeah

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Pat Benatar's song Have It All appear to be a criticism of someone who is full of themselves, self-centered, and has an exaggerated sense of self-importance. The opening lines refer to this person as thinking they are the "second coming," likening them to a messianic figure, and yet, their grandiosity is unimpressive to the singer. The next line suggests that being so beautiful might be a burden, meaning that the said person probably focuses too much on their physical appearance.

The chorus, which repeats multiple times throughout the song, conveys the idea that this person can have anything and everything they want in terms of material possessions and status, but that still won't give them true fulfillment or happiness. The line "use it with no stake at all" points to the idea that the person doesn't really invest themselves in anything, perhaps because they don't want to risk failure or put in the effort required to earn what they want. The final lines of the chorus, which state that they will "have nothing," give a sense of finality to this notion that this person's pursuit of shallow pleasures will ultimately lead them to an empty life.

The latter half of the song is more introspective, with the singer wondering if this person ever questions their behavior, or if they are so entrenched in their own delusions that they don't see reality. The repetition of the chorus emphasizes that, no matter what this person does, they won't truly be satisfied until they find meaning in something beyond themselves.

Line by Line Meaning

You think that you're the second coming
You believe that you are the best thing since sliced bread

Sorry to say it doesn't do it for me
Sadly, I am not impressed with your arrogance

Must be a drag when you're so stunning
It must be tiring to constantly be admired for your beauty

In all that you are
Your overall appearance and personality

And all that you hope to be
Your aspirations and dreams for the future

When you look in the mirror
As you examine yourself and your ego

Do you see any clearer
Do you have a true perspective on yourself

Or are you blinded
Or are you clouded by your own pride

By your own vision
By your own perception of reality

Or have you ever thought
Have you ever considered the possibility

That maybe you were wrong
That you could be mistaken