Pat Benatar: Hit Me With Your Best Shot

I am a little late on the TV Thursdays’ post, but I wanted to feature a song that has been used in a promo for one of my favorite shows, NCIS. If you’ve only watched the CBS series just once, you are aware that when team leader Leroy Jethro Gibbs, as played by Mark Harmon, often slaps his employees on the back of the head. Tony DiNozzo (Michael Waatherly) and Timothy McGee (Sean Murray) often are the recipients of this form of occupational abuse.

The promo, featuring the infamous head slap theme, is accompanied by Pat Benatar’s 1980 top ten hit, “Hit Me With Your Best Shot.”

This song reminds me of my Top-40 days at WAMX in Ashland, KY, where I was working Saturday mornings when this song was released. The follow-up to Benatar’s “Heartbreaker” from her first LP, “Hit Me with Your Best Shot” was the initial single from her second album “Crimes of Passion.” it was Benatar’s first million selling single and was awarded gold record status from the Recording Industry Association of America. 

Composed by Canadian Eddie Schwartz, the tune became Benatar’s signature and may be better remembered than songs which charted higher than its peak at #9. At just under 3:00 minutes, the song was a darling for top 40 radio and has been featured in a number of different contexts. Because it is so popular, it is rumored that Benatar dislikes performing it live.

The NCIS Head Slap Promo