Love is a battlefield

Every so often there comes a song that doesn't conform to any logical standards of goodness, and yet is still worth YouTubing and listening to at least four times in a row. I think for each person that song is different, but for me, it's Pat Benatar's "Love Is a Battlefield." I don't know exactly where my my enjoyment of this cheesy pop "gem" from the '80s came from, but I believe it has its roots in three separate but equally important schools of thought.

1. The "shoulder shaking" dance that Pat does in the music video to scare away the asshole in the strip joint is one of history's best (and possibly first) examples of a problem being solved by a dance off.

2. It's catchy enough to like, but not catchy enough to openly admit to liking. This gives listening to the song a "forbidden" vibe.

3. Pat Benatar somewhat resembles a dragonfly.

I wouldn't go so far as to say that my enjoyment of this song is cause enough for me to write Pat Benatar a fan letter (especially since I bet she would start doing the shoulder shakes at me if there were any typos, and I don't want any of that action), but if she sees this blog, which I assume is likely since all she probably does these days is Google herself, I would like to make it known that I think Pat Benatar is still dece. At least two times decer than Guns N' Roses ever was, and about 3/4ths as dece as The Cure currently is. And she's probably equal to Morrissey. Pat Benatar's general decency can be determined using the following equation:

(The White Stripes - Cursive) x 5
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marketability of Shia LaBeouf

Although scientists are still working to determine the exact level of dece possessed by Pat Benatar, great advances are being made thanks to increasing interest in the '80s. It is my fondest hope that by 2010, we'll at least know whether or not it's socially acceptable for Miley Cyrus to do Pat Benatar covers.