Emerging at the turn of the ‘80s, a strong female voice that had been missing from rock ’n’ roll, Pat Benatar found immediate success, earning multiplatinum albums and Grammys. She launched to another level, however, with the debut of MTV. One of the channel’s earliest stars—quite literally: “You Better Run” was the second video ever played—Pat gleefully embraced the glossy, high-value productions that would become the era’s new norm, producing classics like “Love is a Battlefied.” And even as her sound eventually softened, heading into new-wave pop territory, she retained her punchy feminist edge. Pat would mostly fade from the scene by the end of the decade, but her influence has not. You can still spot it in grrrl-power pop-rockers like Kelly Clarkson and Pink.
And her signature? Obviously ...
Updating this with my celebration of Pat that Ace forgot to include.
This list just got way more interesting with the second set. Tori, the Bee Gees, Dusty, James, Pink Floyd, Mary J. and Sade are all nice choices.
I love All Saints as much as anyone, but it's a bit ridiculous to see them here.
As for the first ten, HOW is Barbra so low?! For sheer career impact alone, she should be in the top fifty of any list. The first great mistake of our rankings.
And don't drag poor Alicia too hard, Ace. No girl this decade has done anything quite as divine as "Un-Thinkable (I'm Ready)."
This. I can't @ all the outcry for Janelle but when Miley was placed everyone kept mum...
but Miley ranked relatively low. Janelle is ahead of great legends like Barbra Streisand, Pat Benetar, James Brown and All Saints. It's not right today, it wasn't right yesterday and it won't be right in ten years!
A lot of these choices are fittingly bottom-fourth of the list, except some of the "legends", but I'll have to see who they snubbed as the countdown goes on.
#91
