In 1979 , Having already recorded solo tracks backed and produced by ex- Sex Pistols Steve Jones and Paul Cook, she placed an ad in the L.A. Weekly "looking for three good men." John Doe of X sat in on bass for auditions held at S.I.R. studios in Los Angeles. He mentioned a local bass player, Gary Ryan, that had recently been crashing on his couch. Ryan was part of the L.A. punk scene and had played bass with local artists Top Jimmy and Rik L. Rik. He had been a huge fan of the Runaways and Jett for years. Jett recognized him at the audition and he was in. Gary recommended guitarist Eric Ambel, who was also at the time part of Rik L. Rik. The final addition to the original Blackhearts was drummer Danny Furious aka Danny O'Brien, formerly of the infamous San Francisco band The Avengers. This line-up played several gigs at the Golden Bear and Whisky a Go Go in Hollywood before embarking on their first European tour which consisted of an extensive tour of the Netherlands, and a few key shows in England including the Marquee in London.
Upon returning to the States, Jett, Ryan, and Ambel moved to Long Beach, N.Y. O'Brien stayed behind in England to pursue other interests. Auditions were set up and Lee Crystal, formerly of The Boyfriends and Sylvain Sylvain, became the new drummer. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts then toured throughout the States and built quite a following in New York. Jett and Laguna soon used their personal savings to press up copies of the Joan Jett album in 1980 and set up their own system of independent distribution, sometimes selling the albums out of the trunk of Laguna's Cadillac at the end of each concert. Laguna was unable to keep up with demand for her album. Eventually, old friend and founder of [abel]Casablanca Records, Neil Bogart, made a joint venture with Laguna and signed Jett to his new label, Boardwalk Records and re-released the "Joan Jett" album as Bad Reputation in 1981. After a year of touring and recording, The Blackhearts recorded a new album entitled I Love Rock N' Roll for the label. During the recording process, Ambel was replaced by local guitarist Ricky Byrd. Eric went on to a successful career as a founding member of the Del-Lords, and later worked as a producer of a wide variety of bands. He currently plays with his band, The Yayhoos, and was a member of The Dukes, Steve Earle's band from 2000 to 2005.
With Byrd on guitar, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts recorded their hit album. The new single was a re-recording of the title track, "I Love Rock N' Roll", which in the first half of 1982 was number one on the Billboard charts for seven weeks in a row. It is now Billboard’s #28 song of all time.
A string of Top 40 hits followed, as well as sellout tours with The Police, Queen, and Aerosmith, among others. Jett was the second American act of any kind to perform behind the Iron Curtain, after Blood, Sweat & Tears appeared in Romania in 1969. She was among the first English-speaking rock acts to appear in Panama and the Dominican Republic.
After receiving her own MTV New Year's Eve special, Jett beat out a number of contenders to appear in the movie Light of Day with Michael J. Fox. Bruce Springsteen wrote "the title song" especially for her, and her performance was critically acclaimed. It was about this time that Ryan and Crystal left the Blackhearts. They were soon replaced by the powerful rhythm section of Thommy Price and Kasim Sulton from Utopia. Later that year, Jett released Good Music, which featured appearances by The Beach Boys, The Sugarhill Gang and singer Darlene Love.
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts became the first rock band to perform a series of shows at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on Broadway, breaking the record at the time for the fastest ticket sell-out ever. Her next release, Up Your Alley, went multi-platinum and was followed by The Hit List, which was an album consisting of cover songs. During this time, Jett also co-wrote the song "House of Fire", which appeared on Alice Cooper's hit 1989 album Trash.
Her 1991 release, Notorious (which featured The Replacements' Paul Westerberg) was the last with Sony/CBS as Jett switched to Warner Brothers. A CD single of Cole Porter's "Let's Do It" featuring Jett and Westerberg was also released during this time and appeared in the song credits for the movie Tank Girl. In 1993, Jett and Laguna released Flashback, a compilation of various songs on their own Blackheart Records.
Jett produced several bands prior to releasing her debut and her label Blackheart Records released recordings from varied artists such as thrash rock band Metal Church and rapper Big Daddy Kane.
The press has touted Jett as the "Godmother of Punk" and the "Original Riot Grrrl". In 1994, the Blackhearts released the well received Pure and Simple, which featured tracks written with Kat Bjelland (Babes in Toyland), Donita Sparks (L7) and Kathleen Hanna (Bikini Kill).
In 1999 she put out the sexually charged Fetish and followed that up with politically outspoken Sinner in 2006.
She continues to tour each year, performing USO shows in places as far off as Afghanistan, and has a regular sattellite radio show. The current touring band includes longstanding drummer Thommy Price and manager Kenny Laguna on keys along with Dougie Needles on lead guitar and Enzo Penizzotto on bass. .
Desire
Joan Jett & The Blackhearts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Each time our eyes meet
I want to touch you
Sudden attraction
Such strange reaction
Hold me to you
Then you push me away
Make you want to stay
So let me take you, take you
Take you baby all the way
'Cause I feel that desire
You're the flame that feeds my fire
Will you take me higher
Give me that love that I desire
Learned all that you want baby
Then why don't you show babe
Don't play with me baby
'Cause I'll find somebody
Who knows how to love me
So if you want it
You better take it right now
I want to make you, make you
Make you want to stay
So let me take you, take you
Take you baby all the way
'Cause I feel that desire
You're the flame that feeds my fire
Will you take me higher
Give me that love that I desire
Come on and take me through the night
You know I won't put up a fight
Just wrap your arms around me tight
Tonight, tonight, tonight
Wondered why you make me
It might make you want to stay
If you don't take me
Life might never take me back this way
I feel that desire
You're the flame that feeds my fire
Will you take me higher
Give me that love that I desire
I feel that desire
You're the flame that feeds my fire
Will you take me higher
Give me that love that I desire
Desire, desire, desire
The song "Desire" by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts is about a couple who are experiencing strong and sudden attraction towards each other. The lyrics convey the singer's desire for physical affection from her partner, but he keeps pushing her away. She wants to be able to make him want to stay and is asking him to give her the kind of love that she desires. She warns him not to play with her feelings or else she will find someone who knows how to love her.
The chorus repeats the theme of desire and love, with the singer asking her partner to take her higher with his love. She also expresses her longing for physical intimacy and wants him to wrap his arms around her tightly. The song ends with a sense of urgency, with the singer warning that life might never bring them back together if he doesn't take her now.
Overall, the lyrics of "Desire" are about the complexities of desire and the push and pull of emotions in a relationship. The song captures the intense feelings that arise when two people are attracted to each other but are unsure of how to navigate their emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
You're gone from mean street
You have left the rough life behind
Each time our eyes meet
Every time we make eye contact
I want to touch you
I desire to be physically close to you
Sudden attraction
An immediate feeling of being drawn to someone
Such strange reaction
A peculiar response to this attraction
Hold me to you
Embrace me tightly
Then you push me away
But you always seem to resist
I want to make you, make you
Make you want to stay
So let me take you, take you
I want to convince you to stay with me and take you in my arms
Take you baby all the way
Fully commit to a romantic relationship with you
'Cause I feel that desire
You're the flame that feeds my fire
Will you take me higher
Give me that love that I desire
My passion for you sparks my enthusiasm to explore a deeper emotional and physical connection
Learned all that you want baby
I have understood what you need
Then why don't you show babe
But why aren't you expressing your interest
Don't play with me baby
Please don't lead me on
'Cause I'll find somebody
Who knows how to love me
So if you want it
You better take it right now
If you don't reciprocate my feelings, I might look for someone else who can truly love me. Hence, act fast and express your love for me now
Come on and take me through the night
You know I won't put up a fight
Just wrap your arms around me tight
Tonight, tonight, tonight
Take me on a romantic adventure tonight and hold me close
Wondered why you make me
I ponder why you create such feelings in me
It might make you want to stay
Perhaps, expressing my desires might make you want to stay with me
If you don't take me
If you don't own up to our feelings
Life might never take me back this way
I might never get another chance with you again
Desire, desire, desire
Repeating the theme of the song - the passionate craving for love and affection
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Realsongs
Written by: DIANE EVE WARREN, JOAN JETT, KENNETH LAGUNA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
D. DeVille
I love this song!
carmen veyette
I love this song,,,Joan really gives her heart into it and I feel the same attraction when I hear it..Good one Joanny..
silver588
One of the best songs ever...and in the big shaddow. Finally on, thanks.
Kimberly J. Sullivan
Got it! Love this classic! :)
Nicole branam
i love this song!
Jetthead18
Great song!
Lyran Princess 6913
BEAUTIFUL <3 Says it all
Autumn Starr Empathic
Saw you in concert JOAN, LUV YOU! YOU're AWESOME GREAT INSPIRATION FOR FEMALES!!
ammy ammy
2021