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
Baby Blue
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Bittersweet
Reads the magazines
She's not meant to read
Switch hitter
You know she plays the field
She ain't concerned
Oh, as long as it's real
Um, and they call her baby blue
Baby blue
Top bottom
She does either
Always in control
She's a teaser
And they call her baby blue
Baby blue
Baby blue
Baby blue
Ooh yeah (baby blue) baby blue
Ooh right (baby blue) black and blue
Ooh yeah (black and blue) baby blue
Ooh
Yeah she tries to speak
Through broken wires
Was meant to follow
Just feeds her fire
And they call her baby blue
And they call her baby blue
And they call her baby blue
Ooh yeah (baby blue) baby blue
Ooh right (baby blue) black and blue
Ooh yeah (black and blue) baby blue
Ooh oh yeah baby blue
The lyrics to "Baby Blue" by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts are about a woman who's in control of her own life, sexuality, and emotions. She takes her time and is bittersweet, which suggests a certain ambivalence or complexity to her character. She reads magazines that she's not meant to read, which could be interpreted as her breaking societal norms or expectations. She's a switch hitter, which means that she's bisexual or open to experiences with people of different genders. She's not concerned about who she's with, as long as it's real.
The chorus of the song refers to her as "Baby Blue." This could have several meanings. It might be a reference to her mood or emotions, which are perhaps often melancholy or blue. Alternatively, it could represent the idea of being blue-blooded, which could be interpreted as her coming from a privileged background. The song also describes her as a top and bottom, which suggests that she's versatile and can play different roles in different situations. She's always in control and is a teaser, indicating that she knows how to manipulate or tease others.
Overall, the song celebrates a woman who's unapologetically herself and refuses to conform to societal expectations or norms of behavior. She takes risks and enjoys herself, even if others don't approve. The broken wires and desire to follow that the song mentions could be interpreted as the woman struggling against societal pressures or norms that attempt to restrict her sexuality or behavior.
Line by Line Meaning
Takes her time
She is not in a rush and takes things at her own pace
Bittersweet
She has mixed feelings about something
Reads the magazines
She reads magazines that are not meant for her
She's not meant to read
The magazines are not intended for her
Switch hitter
She is bisexual and has relationships with both men and women
You know she plays the field
She is not committed to any specific person or relationship
She ain't concerned
She is not worried about anything
Oh, as long as it's real
The only thing she cares about is authenticity and being true to herself
Top bottom
She is versatile in bed and can play both dominant and submissive roles
She does either
She is comfortable in either dominant or submissive roles
Always in control
She likes to have control in her life and relationships
She's a teaser
She likes to playfully tease and flirt with others
Yeah she tries to speak
She attempts to express herself
Through broken wires
However, there are obstacles in her way preventing her from doing so
Was meant to follow
She was intended to conform to societal norms and expectations
Just feeds her fire
But this only ignites her rebellious spirit and desire to be different
Ooh yeah (baby blue) baby blue
The chorus is a repetition of her nickname, 'baby blue', which is symbolic of her free spirit and untamable nature
Ooh right (baby blue) black and blue
The reference to 'black and blue' suggests she may have experienced physical abuse in the past, adding to her complex and troubled character
Ooh yeah (black and blue) baby blue
Again, this emphasizes the contradictions and complexities of her personality
Ooh oh yeah baby blue
The song ends with a final repetition of her nickname, leaving the listener to contemplate the true essence of 'baby blue'
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, TERRORBIRD PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: JOAN JETT, KATHLEEN HANNAH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind