Synopsis
Set during World War II, the video follows Pat Benatar as a factory riveter whose imagination carries her from the home front into the cockpit of a fighter plane. She becomes a determined flying ace, joining an American mission against Nazi forces while a radio operator and enemy pilots appear in the unfolding combat scenario. The wartime adventure plays as a daydream inspired by her work, transforming an ordinary factory shift into a dramatic fantasy of courage, action, and resistance.
Factoids & Trivia
- The video features Judge Reinhold as an American pilot and Bill Paxton as a German radio operator. Both actors were still early in their careers at the time.
- The aircraft shown are North American T-6 Texan trainers rather than actual World War II combat aircraft. The plane presented as the Nazi aircraft was temporarily painted in camouflage for the production.
- The factory setting reflects the wartime contribution of women working in industrial jobs, while Benatar's character imagines herself taking a more direct role in the fighting.
- The song was written by D.L. Byron for the 1980 film "Times Square," but it was not used in the movie. Before Benatar's recording, versions had been released by Helen Schneider and Rachel Sweet.
- Benatar's version appeared as the lead single from her 1982 album "Get Nervous." It became a major MTV-era hit, reaching No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100.
- The song earned Benatar the 1983 Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, her third consecutive win in that category.
- The video's Nazi imagery reportedly led to it being banned in Germany.