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
Consumed
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Things don't matter so much today
I really can't think too straight
Don't wanna make these tears go away
Cuz I believe that you could be my fate
Ya got me singin' a love song, I'm so consumed, so consumed
These tears are tears of happiness
I just need a little control
To hold it inside and hide my bliss
An' hope it will be enough to feed my hungry little soul, yeah
Ya got me singin' a love song, I'm so consumed, so consumed
Thinking that you can do no wrong, I'm so consumed, so consumed
Never off the phone, even when you're not home
I gotta hear your voice, I got no choice
I'm hooked in tight but I feel no fright
As we walk on slowly into the night, into the light, into ya
Ya got me singin' a love song, I'm so consumed, so consumed
Thinking that you can do no wrong, I'm so consumed, so consumed
The song "Consumed" by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts is a love song about being completely consumed by someone. The lyrics suggest that the singer is so in love with the person that they cannot focus or think straight. They are willing to cry, even if it's just to keep their beloved around. The tears they cry are tears of happiness, and they're willing to do whatever it takes to keep their love afloat. They're "so consumed" by this love that they're singing love songs, never off the phone, and have no control over their emotions.
The chorus "Ya got me singin' a love song, I'm so consumed, so consumed / Thinking that you can do no wrong, I'm so consumed, so consumed" is repeated throughout the song, emphasizing the depth of the singer's feelings. The lyrics convey a sense of addiction to the person they're in love with, and they cannot imagine living without them. The song paints a picture of a love that is strong enough to take over every facet of one's life, and it's all-consuming.
Line by Line Meaning
Things don't matter so much today
Today, the singer is not worried about anything in particular
I really can't think too straight
Because of the intensity of the singer's feelings, they are having trouble concentrating
Don't wanna make these tears go away
The singer is experiencing tears of happiness, and doesn't want them to stop
Cuz I believe that you could be my fate
The artist thinks that their relationship with the subject of the song could have a profound impact on their life
Ya got me singin' a love song, I'm so consumed, so consumed
The strength of the artist's feelings for the subject of the song is overwhelming
Thinking that you can do no wrong, I'm so consumed, so consumed
The singer is completely convinced that the subject of the song is perfect and can do no wrong
These tears are tears of happiness
The singer is crying because they are happy
I just need a little control
The artist is overwhelmed by their emotions and needs to regain some control
To hold it inside and hide my bliss
The artist wants to keep their happiness to themselves and not let it show too much
An' hope it will be enough to feed my hungry little soul, yeah
The artist hopes that the strength of their emotions will sustain them
Never off the phone, even when you're not home
The singer is always on the phone with the subject of the song, even when they're not together
I gotta hear your voice, I got no choice
The artist is compelled to listen to the voice of the subject of the song, and feels like they have no choice in the matter
I'm hooked in tight but I feel no fright
Even though the singer is strongly attached to the subject of the song, they are not afraid of the feelings this attachment creates
As we walk on slowly into the night, into the light, into ya
The singer is looking forward to their future with the subject of the song
Contributed by Natalie G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jared's Corner
My favorite track from this awesome album! 👍
silver588
...thinking that you can do no wrong....I am so consumed.