Song of the Day 6/16: Pat Benatar, “Hell Is for Children”

We all realize that Republicans live in a heavily insulated bubble, but I don’t think we can grasp how weird it is in there. Every once in a while, though, one of them says something that shows they live in a very different world.

Today’s example comes from Ted Cruz, who told some wingjob talk show host, “I don’t think Senate Democrats, if you had video of Joe Biden murdering children dressed as the devil under a full moon while singing Pat Benatar, they still wouldn’t vote to convict.” To which, uhhh…Pat Benatar? Really? Your knowledge of popular culture told you Pat Benatar was the epitome of satanic song?

What’s particularly hilarious here is that the former Patricia Mae Andrzejewski is known for eschewing the usual trappings of a rock and roll lifestyle — no drugs, no public scenes, no band infighting, no infidelity. She did get divorced from the high school sweetheart she married at 19, but kept his last name. She married her guitarist and co-writer, Neil Giraldo, in 1982. They’re still together.

The best theory I’ve seen speculates that Cruz was thinking of “Hell Is for Children,” a song Benatar released on her second LP, 1980’s “Crimes of Passion.” Despite having a title that sounds like it belongs on a Spinal Tap album, it’s a song about the horrors of child abuse, prompted by a series of articles Benatar read in the New York Times. It was never released as a single, but was usually included in Benatar’s concert sets.

The song has been covered by a lot of hard rock and metal bands, for example Halestorm, the Red Lion, Pa., quartet fronted by Elizabeth “Lzzy” Hale.