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

Temporary Heroes
Pat Benatar Lyrics

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I've seen all the downfalls
Temporary Heroes (Whoa)
Misguided direction
Longing for perfection (Whoa)
Love and pain
Only for the foolish
Once again
Try to hide what's there inside

I'm the same, Temporary Hero
Who's to blame

Rituals and movements
Much too soon improvements
Hide many scars)
Others and ours
Too late to discover
This untainted love is
Destined to be)
A sad memory

Love and pain
Only for the foolish
Once again
Try to hide what's there inside
I'm the same, Temporary Hero
Who's to blame

So you take your chances
Watchful of the glances
But don't turn away
Though the wounds are healing
Don't tell me the feelings the same

Love and pain
Only for the foolish
Once again
Try to hide what's there inside

I'm the same, Temporary Hero
Who's to blame

Overall Meaning

The song "Temporary Heroes" by Pat Benatar talks about the fleeting nature of love in our lives. The first few lines of the song suggest that the artist has seen the downfall of many heroes who were only temporary. These heroes might have been misguided in their direction towards their goal and might have been longing for perfection, but ultimately they couldn't sustain that image of being a hero for long. The chorus emphasizes the idea that love and pain are only for the foolish, and that we often hide what is inside of us and put up a facade of being strong and heroic. Despite that, deep down, we are all temporary heroes who are vulnerable to love and pain.

As the song progresses, we hear about rituals and movements that are made by people to improve themselves, but these changes happen much too soon and often hide the scars that remain. The artist talks about it being too late to discover untainted love which could have been a positive experience but is now destined to be just a sad memory. The second verse also repeats the idea of being a temporary hero and the need to hide what's inside while trying to portray oneself as stronger than they are. The bridge of the song advises not to turn away from the wounds that need healing, as it is only then that one can truly move on from love and pain.

Line by Line Meaning

I've seen all the downfalls
I have witnessed the failures and defeats.

Temporary Heroes (Whoa)
People who are regarded as heroes, but only for a short time.

Misguided direction
Going in the wrong way with unawareness.

Longing for perfection (Whoa)
Desire to be flawless, but it's not practically possible.

Love and pain
Emotions involving strong affection as well as hurt.

Only for the foolish
Experienced by people who lack good judgment or sense.

Once again
Happening another time.

Try to hide what's there inside
Attempting to conceal what's actually present in oneself.

I'm the same, Temporary Hero
I am also like them, a person who is considered a hero only for a brief time.

Who's to blame
Whose fault is it?

Rituals and movements
Established customs and gestures.