I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll (1981 – I Love Rock ‘n Roll) It would go on to define how Joan Jett would present herself musically to the world just 5 years later, with a bang! 1. Although the lead vocals on the original version were sung by Cherie Currie, Joan Jett later re-recorded the track in 1984.īut the original is far superior, the power of Cherie Currie’s 16-year-old voice and the band’s overall teenage attitude creates a hard-rocking punk-influenced anthem that became their signature track. The song was composed by Joan Jett and the band’s then-manager, Kim Fowley. The only Joan Jett song on our list from when she was with her first band the Runaways. The song was definitely autobiographical.” 2. They weren’t supposed to play instruments. They were supposed to be dainty, wear dresses. When she was singing those lyrics, it was radical because there were no girls doing anything other than what they were supposed to do, they were all supposed to be like the girl groups. “I don’t give a damn about my reputation, it’s a new generation,’ that was the whole thing, a girl could do what she wants to do. Kenny Laguna in a Songfacts interview recalls the inspiration behind the track: It was one of the band’s true hard-rocking hits and one of our favorite Joan Jett songs of all time. If there’s any song that is emblematic of where Joan Jett fits into the rock ‘n’ roll scene, it’s this song. It was one of her first collaborations with her newly acquire producer, Kenny Laguna, and what a good one it was. This was one of the first Joan Jett songs that became a music video for MTV, having just become popular in the late 1980s. Released on side two of her most successful album I Love Rock ‘n Roll, it’s a song to be sure not to miss out on. It’s a tale of reckless youth, being in the wrong place at the wrong time, as well as the anti-establishment attitude she so strongly expressed throughout her career. This was one of the rare songs by Joan Jett that really tells a story through the lyrics. Victim of Circumstance (1981 – I Love Rock ‘n Roll) 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned Joan Jett & the Blackhearts a Grammy Awards nomination. Interestingly, former Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor played the guitar solo for the song. The screams and handclaps add a taste of 1970s British glam rock blended with 1980s hair band. Its stomping verse becoming a rock anthem for women worldwide. It epitomizes classic Joan Jett rock ‘n’ roll. I Hate Myself for Loving You (1988 – Up Your Alley)Īny true fan will know this Joan Jett song. But like many great artists, Joan Jett decided to add her own rock spin to the iconic track when she released it on her 1990 covers album The Hit List. Most people became familiar with this song when it was released by The Everly Brothers in 1960. The track painted a picture of what was to come in terms of 1980s hair bands and the anthem style rock songs that would soon dominate the charts. Released in the summer of 1982, it reached No. She decided to do her own version of it and gloss it up with a bit of 80s flair. She had been a fan of British glam rock singer Gary Glitter who originally wrote the song in the 1970s. There’s a handful of Joan Jett songs that are about lust and sex. Do You Wanna Touch Me (1981 – Bad Reputation) It was the female version of the bad boy song released by AC/DC just a decade earlier.
In her version of the song, she shortened the original title and took out “Done Dirt Cheap.” However, her song was just as dirty and gritty as the original. It was released on her first cover album The Hit List in 1990. Like “Crimson and Clover,” “Dirty Deeds” was another Joan Jett song that was a cover. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1982, becoming the group’s second highest-charting hit in the United States. The song was released in 1981 and reached No. In comparison to the psychedelic original, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts created a unique hard-rocking punkish version. One of her most popular covers was of Tommy James and the Shondells’ “Crimson and Clover.” While Joan Jett wrote and performed her own music, she also recorded a lot of cover songs.
Crimson and Clover (1981 – I Love Rock ‘n Roll) I Hate Myself for Loving You (1988 – Up Your Alley)