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
Back It Up
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With all those things you had before
All I see is what you are
With all your talks you got you for
Take your time to face the truth
You got no class you got no couth
(What is it that you're trying to prove)
Yeah can you back it up
Who're you trying to fool
Yeah you're still talking tough
Show me what you can really do
You're insecure and yeah it shows
And then you think that no one knows
If you only heard yourself
You'd wish that you were someone else
Hey boy take your time to change your line
Your talking shit your wasting time
(What is it that you're trying to prove)
(Can you tell me)
Yeah can you back it up
Who're you trying to fool
Yeah you're still talking tough
Show me what you can really do
I believe you concede
He's a fag come on change your act
(What is it that you're trying to prove)
(Can you tell me)
Yeah can you back it up
Who're you trying to fool
Yeah you're still talking tough
Show me what you can really do
The lyrics to Joan Jett & The Blackhearts' song "Back It Up" express a sentiment of skepticism towards someone who talks tough but doesn't follow through with action. The opening line, "All I hear is what you're worth, with all those things you had before," implies that the person is living in the past and trying to prove their worth through material possessions rather than their present character. The next line, "All I see is what you are, with all your talks you got you for," confirms this suspicion - the person may have a big ego and talk a big game, but their actions don't match up.
The chorus repeats the question, "Can you back it up?" which is a challenge to the person to prove themselves through action. The lyric "You're insecure and yeah it shows" suggests that the person's tough talk is actually a front to cover up their insecurity. The line "He's a fag come on change your act" could be interpreted as a homophobic slur, but also could be seen as a comment on the person's inauthenticity - they're not being true to themselves, and need to change their act in order to truly back up their words.
Overall, the lyrics to "Back It Up" are a call to action for someone to prove themselves through their actions, rather than just their words. The repeated question of "Can you back it up?" challenges the listener to take action and show what they're really capable of.
Line by Line Meaning
All I hear is what you're worth
I only hear about your past accomplishments and how much success you have had
With all those things you had before
You constantly talk about all the things you have done in the past and how great you were, but that doesn't define you now
All I see is what you are
I only see who you are and how you act in the present moment; it doesn't matter what you did in the past
With all your talks you got you for
Your constant talking and bragging only benefits yourself and is not impressing anyone else
Take your time to face the truth
You need to take a step back and realize that your behavior and words are not impressive or respected by others
You got no class you got no couth
Your behavior is unrefined and lacks etiquette or sophistication
(What is it that you're trying to prove)
Asking what your motivation is for constantly bragging and talking tough
(Can you tell me)
Asking for clarification and honesty in your intentions
Yeah can you back it up
Asking you to prove your skills, talents, or accomplishments instead of just talking about them
Who're you trying to fool
Questioning whether your constant talking tough is actually impressing anyone or if you are just fooling yourself
Yeah you're still talking tough
Noticing that you are still talking big and acting tough without backing it up
Show me what you can really do
Challenging you to prove your words and demonstrate your actual abilities or accomplishments
You're insecure and yeah it shows
Pointing out that your behavior stems from insecurity and lack of confidence
And then you think that no one knows
Observing that you believe your behavior is not evident to others, but it is
If you only heard yourself
Suggesting that if you listened to yourself, you would realize how unimpressive and insecure you sound
You'd wish that you were someone else
Implying that if you heard yourself, you would realize you are not living up to your potential and would want to be someone else
Hey boy take your time to change your line
Encouraging you to take a step back and change your behavior and words to be more respectful and impressive
Your talking shit your wasting time
Noticing that your boastful talking is a waste of time and unimpressive to others
I believe you concede
Stating that you agree with someone else's opinion of you
He's a fag come on change your act
Implying that someone else thinks poorly of you and that you need to change your behavior to be more respected
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BROWDE RIC, JOAN JETT, RICKY BYRD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind