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
Ties That Bind
Pat Benatar Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Loving cup upon the bars
We bend the truth to help us through the night
Tempers thrown against the wall
Shattered like an empty glass
Nothin' can save us from our own selves tonight
Anger is a might sword
Vengeance is our own reward
Gonna cut away from the ties that bind
Hey, Hey
There's an edge within my voice
Helps me win when I should lose
We pick and choose our weapons carefully
Words are twisted like a fist
Behind our backs no slight of hand
No battle ever ended in a kiss
Anger is a might sword
Vengeance is our own reward
Love goes bling one eye at a time
Gonna cut away from the ties that bind
Hey, Hey
Anger shakes the house of cards
Loving cup upon the bars
We bend the truth to help us through the night
Anger is a might sword
Vengeance is our own reward
Love goes bling one eye at a time
Gonna cut away from the ties that bind
In the opening lines of Pat Benatar's Ties That Bind, she sings about the fragility of human relationships. The reference to a house of cards suggests that relationships can easily crumble, while the loving cup upon the bars can be interpreted as the thin line between love and hate. The second verse talks about how we bend the truth to help us through the night, suggesting that in times of conflict, we often take actions that we may later regret. The lines "Tempers thrown against the wall, shattered like an empty glass" further highlight this idea, emphasizing that anger and conflict can leave us feeling empty and broken.
The chorus of the song seems to suggest that cutting away from the ties that bind could be the only way to find peace and happiness. The lines "Anger is a might sword, vengeance is our own reward" suggest that staying in a place of anger and hurt can be harmful, and it's better to cut away and move on. Similarly, "Love goes bling one eye at a time" hints that love can blind us to the things that we need to see, and it's important to keep both eyes open to reality.
In the second verse, Benatar talks about the weapons of words that we use to fight our battles. The use of the imagery of a fist suggests that sometimes our words can be just as harmful as physical violence, and can cause lasting damage to a relationship. The final lines of the song once again reiterate the idea that cutting away from the ties that bind may be the best thing for everyone involved.
Overall, Ties That Bind can be seen as a warning about the dangers of toxic relationships, and the importance of recognizing when it's time to move on.
Line by Line Meaning
Anger shakes the house of cards
When we are angry, we upset the delicate balance of our lives and relationships
Loving cup upon the bars
Even in difficult times, we hold onto our love and hope for a better future
We bend the truth to help us through the night
When things are tough, we sometimes tell ourselves things that aren't entirely truthful to try and make ourselves feel better
Tempers thrown against the wall
When we get angry, we can lose control and do or say things we regret
Shattered like an empty glass
Our emotions can leave us feeling broken, like a glass that has been dropped and shattered
Nothin' can save us from our own selves tonight
Sometimes we have to face the consequences of our actions and there is nothing that can help us avoid it
Anger is a might sword
Anger can give us strength and power, but we need to be careful how we wield it
Vengeance is our own reward
When we seek revenge, we are often only harming ourselves in the end
Love goes bling one eye at a time
Love can blind us to the truth and make it hard to see things clearly
Gonna cut away from the ties that bind
We need to let go of the people or things that hold us back and prevent us from moving forward
There's an edge within my voice
Sometimes we can use our words to hurt others, even when we don't mean to
Helps me win when I should lose
We can sometimes use our words to gain an advantage over others, even if it's not fair or right
We pick and choose our weapons carefully
We choose our words and actions carefully, like a soldier choosing their weapons before going into battle
Words are twisted like a fist
We can use our words to hurt others, twisting them like a fist to strike out and cause pain
Behind our backs no slight of hand
We can't hide our true intentions or emotions, even if we try to conceal them behind our backs
No battle ever ended in a kiss
Fights and arguments rarely end in reconciliation and love - instead, there are often hurt feelings and lingering resentment
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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