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Seven the Hard Way

{{Short description|1985 studio album by Pat Benatar}}

{{for|the progressive metal band|Seven the Hardway}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2014}}

{{Infobox album

| name = Seven the Hard Way

| type = studio

| artist = Pat Benatar

| cover = Pat Benatar - Seven the Hard Way.png

| alt =

| released = November 13, 1985{{cite web |title=Year-End Hot Album Releases |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/80s/1985/BB-1985-11-02.pdf |website=worldradiohistory.com |publisher=Billboard |access-date=11 March 2025 |pages=4 |date=2 November 1985}}

| recorded = 1985

| studio =

| genre =

| length = 37:05

| label = Chrysalis

| producer =

| prev_title = Tropico

| prev_year = 1984

| next_title = Best Shots

| next_year = 1987

| misc = {{Singles

| name = Seven the Hard Way

| type = studio

| single1 = Invincible

| single1date = June 24, 1985{{cite web|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/FMQB-Album/1985/FMQB-1985-06-21.pdf|title=FMQB|page=29}}

| single2 = Sex as a Weapon

| single2date = November 4, 1985

| single3 = Le Bel Age

| single3date = January 20, 1986

}}

}}

{{Music ratings

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/seven-the-hard-way-mw0000649882 |title=Pat Benatar – Seven the Hard Way |last=Erlewine |first=Stephen Thomas |author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine |website=AllMusic |access-date=July 26, 2014}}

| rev2 = Rolling Stone

| rev2score = Positive{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/patbenatar/albums/album/156284/review/5940916/seven_the_hard_way |title=Album Reviews: Pat Benatar – Seven the Hard Way |last=Holmes |first=Tim |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=January 16, 1986 |access-date=July 26, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071130044221/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/patbenatar/albums/album/156284/review/5940916/seven_the_hard_way |archive-date=November 30, 2007}}

| noprose = yes

}}

Seven the Hard Way is the sixth studio album by American singer Pat Benatar, released on November 13, 1985, by Chrysalis Records. It debuted on the US Billboard 200 for the week of December 14 and peaked at number 26, spawning the singles "Invincible", "Sex as a Weapon", and "Le Bel Age".{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/pat-benatar/chart-history/hsi/ |title=Pat Benatar Chart History (Hot 100) |magazine=Billboard |access-date=March 21, 2018}} The album has been certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

The Grammy Award-nominated single "Invincible" was produced by Mike Chapman and recorded for the soundtrack of the Matthew Robbins film The Legend of Billie Jean, which, despite underperforming at the box office, became a cult classic to MTV fans in general. The song became commercially successful and was included on the album, despite its musical style differing from Benatar's at that time and more reminiscent of her earlier efforts.{{cite magazine |title=Benatar's Music, Image in Transition |magazine=Billboard |date=January 11, 1986 |last=Grein |first=Paul |volume=98 |issue=2 |page=48 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FyQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT47 |issn=0006-2510 |via=Google Books}} Benatar often commented at her concerts before performing the song that it "is from one of the worst movies ever made” to upset fans of the 80’s film. {{cite news |url=http://www.pressherald.com/2012/04/21/benatar-rocks-the-state/ |title=Review: Benatar rocks the State |last=Ponti |first=Aimsel |newspaper=Portland Press Herald |date=April 21, 2012 |access-date=July 27, 2014}} Another track, "Run Between The Raindrops", was featured in The Stepfather (1987 film).

Seven the Hard Way was Benatar's last album to feature bassist Donnie Nossov, who along with drummer Myron Grombacher went on to play with Lita Ford on her breakthrough album, Lita (1988), and on the supporting tour. Grombacher would return to Benatar's band for her follow-up album, Wide Awake in Dreamland, released after the three-year hiatus that followed Seven the Hard Way.

In 1998, BGO Records reissued Seven the Hard Way on CD with Tropico.

Track listing

{{Track listing

| headline = Side one

| title1 = Sex as a Weapon

| writer1 = {{hlist|Tom Kelly|Billy Steinberg}}

| length1 = 4:15

| title2 = Le Bel Age

| writer2 = {{hlist|Guy Marshall|Robert Tepper}}

| length2 = 5:11

| title3 = Walking in the Underground

| writer3 = {{hlist|Neil Giraldo|Myron Grombacher}}

| length3 = 4:39

| title4 = Big Life

| writer4 = {{hlist|Giraldo|Grombacher}}

| length4 = 2:40

| title5 = Red Vision

| writer5 = {{hlist|Giraldo|Grombacher}}

| length5 = 3:50

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Side two

| title6 = 7 Rooms of Gloom

| note6 = Four Tops cover

| writer6 = {{hlist|Brian Holland|Lamont Dozier|Eddie Holland}}

| length6 = 3:33

| title7 = Run Between the Raindrops

| writer7 = {{hlist|Giraldo|Grombacher}}

| length7 = 4:27

| title8 = Invincible

| note8 = theme from The Legend of Billie Jean

| writer8 = {{hlist|Simon Climie|Holly Knight}}

| length8 = 4:28

| title9 = The Art of Letting Go

| writer9 = {{hlist|Phil Brown|Richard Feldman|Grombacher}}

| length9 = 3:58

}}

Personnel

=Band members=

=Additional musicians=

=Technical=

  • Neil Giraldo – production {{small|(tracks 1–7, 9)}}
  • Joe Chiccarelli – associate production, engineering {{small|(tracks 1–7, 9)}}; mixing {{small|(tracks 4, 5, 9)}}
  • Mike Chapman – production {{small|(track 8)}}
  • William Wittman – engineering, mixing {{small|(track 8)}}
  • Dave Hernandez, Daren Klein, George Tutko – additional engineering
  • Scott Church, Robert Corti, Marc DeSisto, Paul Ericksen, Steve Himelfarb, Gary Hollis, Richard McKernan, Charlie Paakkari, Brian Scheuble, Samii Taylor – engineering assistance
  • Scotty Bem, Jeff Chonis – production coordination
  • Michael Frondelli – mixing {{small|(tracks 1–3, 6, 7)}}
  • George Marino – mastering at Sterling Sound (New York City)

=Artwork=

  • Moshe Brakha – photography
  • Larry Vigon – art direction, design

Charts

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

=Weekly charts=

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|+ Weekly chart performance for Seven the Hard Way

! scope="col"| Chart (1985–1986)

! scope="col"| Peak
position

scope="row"| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report){{sfn|Kent|1993|pp=32–33}}

| 19

{{album chart|Canada|35|chartid=0624|rowheader=true|access-date=August 20, 2021}}
scope="row"| European Albums (Eurotipsheet){{cite magazine |title=European Hot 100 Albums |magazine=Eurotipsheet |volume=2 |issue=51/52 |date=December 23, 1985 |page=31 |oclc=29800226}}

| 51

scope="row"| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista){{cite book |last=Pennanen |first=Timo |section=Pat Benatar |url=https://musiikkiarkisto.fi/oa/_tiedostot/julkaisut/sisaltaa-hitin.pdf |title=Sisältää hitin – Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 |language=fi |edition=2nd |location=Helsinki |publisher=Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava |year=2021 |page=28 |isbn=978-952-7460-01-6}}

| 16

{{album chart|Germany4|42|id=33002|artist=Pat Benatar|album=Seven the Hard Way|rowheader=true|access-date=March 31, 2018}}
scope="row"| Japanese Albums (Oricon){{cite book |last=AA.VV. |title=Album Chart-Book Complete Edition 1970~2005 |location=Tokyo |publisher=Oricon |date=April 25, 2006 |isbn=978-487-1-31077-2}}

| 53

{{album chart|New Zealand|2|artist=Pat Benatar|album=Seven the Hard Way|rowheader=true|access-date=August 30, 2019}}
{{album chart|Sweden|32|artist=Pat Benatar|album=Seven the Hard Way|rowheader=true|access-date=July 26, 2014}}
{{album chart|UK2|69|date=19851201|rowheader=true|access-date=August 20, 2021}}
{{album chart|Billboard200|26|artist=Pat Benatar|rowheader=true|access-date=August 20, 2021|refname="bb200"}}

{{col-2}}

=Year-end charts=

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|+ Year-end chart performance for Seven the Hard Way

! scope="col"| Chart (1986)

! scope="col"| Position

scope="row"| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report){{sfn|Kent|1993|p=438}}

| 84

scope="row"| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ){{cite web |url=https://aotearoamusiccharts.co.nz/archive/annual-albums/1986-12-31 |title=Top Selling Albums of 1986 |publisher=Recorded Music NZ |access-date=August 20, 2021}}

| 35

{{col-end}}

Certifications

{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for Seven the Hard Way}}

{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Canada|artist=Pat Benatar|title=Seven the Hard Way|award=Platinum|relyear=1985|certyear=1986|access-date=November 21, 2019}}

{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=New Zealand|artist=Pat Benatar|title=Seven the Hard Way|award=Gold|id=1986-02-14|source=newchart|access-date=2024-11-20|relyear=1985}}

{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=United States|artist=Pat Benatar|title=Seven the Hard Way|award=Gold|certyear=1986|relyear=1985|date=March 4, 1986|access-date=November 21, 2019|refname="RIAA"}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true}}

References

{{Reflist}}

=Bibliography=

{{Refbegin}}

  • {{cite book |last=Kent |first=David |author-link=David Kent (historian) |title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 |edition=illustrated |location=St Ives, N.S.W. |publisher=Australian Chart Book |year=1993 |isbn=0-646-11917-6}}

{{Refend}}

{{Pat Benatar}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Seven The Hard Way}}

Category:1985 albums

Category:Albums produced by Joe Chiccarelli

Category:Albums produced by Mike Chapman

Category:Chrysalis Records albums

Category:Pat Benatar albums