Wide Awake in Dreamland explained

Wide Awake in Dreamland
Type:Studio
Artist:Pat Benatar
Cover:Benawake.jpg
Caption:Cover photography by Moshe Brakha
Released:July 4, 1988[1]
Recorded:1987
Studio:Spyder's Soul Kitchen,
Ocean Way Recording ("All Fired Up"), Los Angeles, California
Genre:Rock, hard rock, glam metal
Length:50:12
Label:Chrysalis
Prev Title:Best Shots
Prev Year:1987
Next Title:True Love
Next Year:1991

Wide Awake in Dreamland is the seventh studio album by American rock singer Pat Benatar, and her eighth album overall, released in 1988. After a string of successful albums, this was her last rock-oriented album of the 1980s, before she would go on to try a blues-based sound with True Love in 1991.

The album's lead single, "All Fired Up", peaked at number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100[2] and number 25 on the Cash Box Top 100.[3] It was nominated for a Grammy Award but did not win.[4]

The album was certified Gold by the RIAA.[5]

Background and writing

The album was primarily recorded at Neil Giraldo's studio, with most of the songwriting by Giraldo and longtime drummer Myron Grombacher. Four of the tracks are also co-written with Benatar (who is credited as Pat Giraldo). One of the two songs from other songwriters was "Cerebral Man" written by Tully Winfield and well-known stick player Don Schiff. In an interview from 2002, Schiff recalled how this track was added to the album: "Tully Winfield and I demoed songs at what was becoming a very popular studio in LA (Woodcliff Studio)... we had just recorded "Cerebral Man". If I recall correctly the demo just had Tully's voice, stick and drums. Peter Coleman was producing Pat's next album for Chrysalis and happened to be the next session in and heard the tune. He asked if he could take the song to Pat Benatar and hopefully put it on her next album. Her camp liked it and they did a wonderful job with the song. I thought Tully and I would get a few more songs on that album as they liked the style of our song, but at the last minute she decided to go back to her more familiar rock style, leaving our song the only one stylistically like it on the album."[6]

Personnel

Musicians

Production

"All Fired Up"
"Let's Stay Together"

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1988)! scope="col"
Peak
position
European Albums (Music & Media)[7] 36
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[8] 17

Year-end charts

Chart (1988)! scope="col"
Position
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[9] 53
US Billboard 200[10] 97

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: BPI.
  2. Web site: Pat Benatar Chart History: Hot 100 . Billboard.com . . March 21, 2018 .
  3. CASH BOX Top 100 Singles . . 27 August 1988 . 2018-04-01 .
  4. Web site: Grammy Awards: Best Rock Vocal Performance – Female. Rock on the Net.com. May 25, 2010.
  5. Web site: RIAA Searchable database: search for "Benatar" . . July 18, 2014.
  6. Web site: Don Schiff . Long . Andy . Global Bass.com . March 2002 . July 29, 2014 .
  7. European Top 100 Albums . . 5 . 34 . August 20, 1988 . 18 . 29800226 . World Radio History.
  8. Book: Pennanen, Timo . Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 . fi . 1st . Helsinki . . 2006 . 978-951-1-21053-5.
  9. Top 100 Albums of '88 . RPM . 49 . 10 . December 24, 1988 . 13 . 0033-7064 . World Radio History.
  10. Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1988 . Billboard . August 20, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200811124006/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1988/top-billboard-200-albums . August 11, 2020.