Released October 26, 1979 Recorded 1979 Length 3:28 | Format 7" Genre Hard rock | |
B-side "My Clone Sleeps Alone" | ||
"Heartbreaker" is a song by American singer Pat Benatar. Released in 1979 as the third single from her debut studio album In the Heat of the Night. Written and composed by Geoff Gill and Cliff Wade, the song had first been recorded by English singer Jenny Darren on her 1978 album Queen of Fools and Benatar made adjustments in the original lyrics as such references as "A to Zed" and "moonraker" which would have likely confused American listeners. "Heartbreaker" proved to be Benatar's breakthrough single, reaching #23 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and #19 on the Cash Box Top 100. In Canada, the song peaked at number 16.
Although "Heartbreaker" is only Benatar's tenth highest-charting US single, it spent four and a half months on the U.S. charts, with only three of her singles surpassing that amount of time.
The song is featured as downloadable content for the music video game series Rock Band, and is a playable song for the game Guitar Hero World Tour. The song is also a playable song for the game Karaoke Revolution: Presents American Idol, as well as downloadable content for its sequel, American Idol Encore. Alvin and the Chipmunks covered the song for their 1982 album Chipmunk Rock. Former American Idol finalist Allison Iraheta regularly covers the song as part of her set on the Glam Nation Tour. This song was also performed by Benatar and her band in the Charmed episode "Lucky Charmed."
The song was named the 72nd best hard rock song of all time by VH1.