Shortly after that, with Kenny's assistance, Joan formed the backing group "The Blackhearts" with three obscure New York area musicians: Gary Ryan on bass, Eric Ambel (replaced shortly thereafter by Rick Byrd) on guitar and Lee Crystal on drums. After almost a year of touring, Joan's first album with The Blackhearts, entitled I Love Rock'N'Roll came out in December of 1981. The album included a version of "Little Drummer Boy" on the pre-Christmas editions. The album's impact on the music scene was immediate with the LP reaching the Top Five, while the single "I Love Rock'n'Roll" hit the very top of the Billboard's Charts on March 20, 1982 and stayed #1 for 7 weeks. Joan Jett had come back from nowhere.
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, the first one being Blood, Sweat & Tears in Romania in 1969. She was among the first English-speaking rock acts to appear in Panama and the Dominican Republic.
Forced label changes in the 80's led to a decline in popularity. Despite the follow-up albums "Album" and "Glorious Results of a Misspent Youth" being praised by her devout fans, neither got the attention or radio play the first two albums received.
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. 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. Later that year, Jett released "Good Music", which featured appearances by The Beach Boys, The Sugarhill Gang and singer Darlene Love. The album only spawned two minor singles which received little airplay. This label decided the band had to either take in outside help or they would lose their contract.
And so they did. Her next release, Up Your Alley, went multi-platinum and was followed by "The Hit List", which was an international hit. Popular songwriter/producer Desmond Child was brought in, resulting in the release of album "Up Your Alley". This album brought the band a resurgence in popularity, with top 10 singles "I Hate Myself for Loving You" and "Little Liar".
This return to the spotlight would be short-lived, however. Follow-up album "The Hit List", an all-cover songs release, spawned only a minor hit with Jett's version of AC/DC's "Dirty Deeds".
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.
1991 and 1994 had two more releases, "Notorious" and "Pure & Simple". But radio had started looking to grunge by this time, and neither album got the attention they deserved.
In the 1990s, Jett and Laguna released "Flashback", a compilation of her career so far on their own Blackheart Records. Her next release, "Notorious" (which featured The Replacements' Paul Westerberg) was the last with Sony/CBS as Jett switched to Warner Brothers.
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).
While a slew of hits packages, some with an occasional new or previously unreleased track were released following this, it would be 10 years before a new studio album would appear.
This would be 2004's "Naked", and thus far has been a Japan-only release. The album sees Jett returning to a more raw and experimental sound, closer to that of her first 4 releases than the polished material that began with "Good Music".
Failing to get "Naked" released in other markets, Jett released on a more international level "Sinner" in June 2006, on Blackheart Records, her own label.. This album featured many remixed tracks from "Naked", and a complete rewrite of "Stuck in the Middle" to new version "Riddles". Lead-off single and video was a cover of "A.C.D.C." by Sweet.
To support the album, the band appeared on the 2006 Warped Tour, and embarked on a Fall 2006 tour with Eagles of Death Metal.
After a long break from recording, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts released a 6-song EP of new material, "Mindsets," in June 2023.
Wynnewood
Activity Grrrl
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To see if she can find a reason for what's wrong
In life she puts her thoughts into magazine form
And passes them all around her dorm
Showing me another way another way to fight
Activity grrrl trying to change the world
She's gonna knock on your door
She's impossible to ignore
She spends her days involved in community things
And at night she'll go out to a club where she likes to sing
She teaches so the others will know
There's more beneath the skin that doesn't show
And she's looking at the challenge that tomorrow's bringing
Activity grrrl trying to change the world
She's gonna knock on your door
Activity grrl in an uptight world
She's impossible to ignore
Hopes to fix the problems that come within her space
And takes hurting people real serious you can see it on her face
She can't accept that life is unfair
She wants to think the others care
And won't go away she's gonna stay right in your face
Activity grrrl trying to change the world
She's gonna knock on your door
Activity grrl in an uptight world
She's impossible to ignore
Activity grrrl trying to change the world
She's gonna knock on your door
Activity grrl in an uptight world
She's impossible to ignore
"Activity Grrrl" by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts is a song about a woman who is determined to make a difference in the world. She works tirelessly to make things right and find a reason for what's wrong in life. She puts her thoughts into magazine form and shares them with those around her. She is constantly looking for ways to fight and make a positive change.
The first verse describes her as always working hard to make things right. She is seen passing around her thoughts in magazine form, showing others another way to fight. The second verse describes her as being involved in community activities during the day and going out at night to a club where she likes to sing. She teaches others to look beyond what is on the surface and to see what lies beneath. She is ready to face the challenges of tomorrow head-on.
The chorus emphasizes her determination to make a difference in the world. She will knock on your door and is impossible to ignore. She wants to fix the problems that are within her space and takes hurting people seriously. She cannot accept that life is unfair and wants to think that others care. She will stay in your face and not go away until she makes a change.
Overall, "Activity Grrrl" is a song about a woman who is fighting to make a difference in the world. She is determined, strong-willed, and passionate about her cause. She is a symbol of hope and inspiration for others who want to make a positive change in their lives and in the world around them.
Line by Line Meaning
She works real hard to try to make things right
The singer is dedicated to making things right in her world and puts her utmost effort towards achieving it.
To see if she can find a reason for what's wrong
She tries to analyze the root cause of the problems she sees around her to address their underlying causes.
In life she puts her thoughts into magazine form
She expresses her views on life in the form of a magazine to share her perspective with the world around her.
And passes them all around her dorm
The artist distributes the magazine to others in her dorm, hoping to inspire them to take action towards creating change.
Showing me another way another way to fight
Through her magazine, the artist is hoping to introduce an alternative approach to fighting against the problems she sees in society.
She spends her days involved in community things
The singer is deeply involved in various community activities to make a tangible impact in her surroundings.
And at night she'll go out to a club where she likes to sing
She takes time off from her busy schedule to enjoy herself and practice self-care by indulging in her favorite hobby.
She teaches so the others will know
The character takes it upon herself to educate her community members so they too can contribute to creating a meaningful change.
There's more beneath the skin that doesn't show
She believes that people have potential and strength hidden under their exterior, which they can harness to make a difference.
And she's looking at the challenge that tomorrow's bringing
The artist is aware of the potential struggles that the future poses for her, but she's mentally preparing herself to tackle them head-on.
Hopes to fix the problems that come within her space
The singer wants to address the issues that she can impact within her immediate surroundings to make a difference therein.
And takes hurting people real serious you can see it on her face
She empathizes with those suffering around her and takes their issues seriously- her face tells us that she truly cares.
She can't accept that life is unfair
The singer doesn't believe that things are supposed to be unfair and that it's her responsibility to try to create a significant positive difference.
She wants to think the others care
She hopes that her community members would also take responsibility and care enough to create change where they can.
And won't go away she's gonna stay right in your face
The singer won't give up on her dream to make a difference, and she will make sure her voice is heard, even if it requires persistence.
Activity grrrl trying to change the world
The young activist is passionately trying to change the world and make it a better place.
She's gonna knock on your door
The character will proactively reach out to people, even if it may seem intrusive, to spread her message.
Activity grrl in an uptight world
It's not an easy world to create change in, and the singer is effectively doing it despite society's resistance to it.
She's impossible to ignore
The singer's message and efforts are so potent that people cannot ignore the good that she's aiming to do.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: JOAN JETT, KENNETH BENJAMIN LAGUNA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind