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
Cover Bird Dog
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A very funny joker (he's a bird)
But when he jokes my honey (he's a dog)
His jokin' ain't so funny (what a dog)
Johnny is a joker that's a'tryin' to steal my baby (he's a bird dog)
Hey, bird dog get away from my quail
Hey, bird dog you're on the wrong trail
Hey, bird dog get away from my chick
Hey, bird dog you better get away quick
Bird dog you better find a chicken little of your own
Johnny sings a love song (like a bird)
He sings the sweetest love song (ya ever heard)
But when he sings to my gal (what a howl)
To me he's just a wolf dog (on the prowl)
Johnny wants to fly away and puppy-love my baby (he's a bird dog)
Hey, bird dog get away from my quail
Hey, bird dog you're on the wrong trail
Bird dog you better leave my lovey-dove alone
Hey, bird dog get away from my chick
Hey, bird dog you better get away quick
Bird dog you better find a chicken little of your own
Johnny kissed the teacher (he's a bird)
He tiptoed up to reach her (he's a bird)
Well he's the teacher's pet now (he's a dog)
What he wants he can get now (what a dog)
He even made the teacher let him sit next to my baby (he's a bird dog)
Hey, bird dog get away from my quail
Hey, bird dog you're on the wrong trail
Bird dog you better leave my lovey-dove alone
Hey, bird dog get away from my chick
Hey, bird dog you better get away quick
Bird dog you better find a chicken little of your own
In “Bird Dog,” Joan Jett and the Blackhearts are singing about a guy named Johnny who has two sides to him. On one hand, he’s a funny, carefree guy who jokes around and sings sweet love songs like a bird. On the other hand, he's also a bit of a dog. When he jokes around with Jett’s girl, it's not so funny anymore. And when he tries to steal Jett's baby, he becomes a bird dog. He's no longer just a joker, he's a predator.
The chorus tells Johnny to "stay away from [their] quail" and to "get away from [their] chick" because he's barking up the wrong tree. He needs to find his own girl to chase after instead of Jett's.
Line by Line Meaning
Johnny is a joker He's a bird
Johnny is someone who jokes around a lot, he's like a bird that chirps playfully
But when he jokes my hone He's a dog
However, when he crosses the line with my significant other, he becomes a bad dog
Johnny is a joker that's a cryin'
Johnny is still making jokes but they are no longer funny, he is desperate because he wants to take away my partner
To steal my baby He's a bird dog
Johnny is actively trying to win my significant other, he's like a bird dog that hunts its prey
Johnny sings a love song Like a bird
Johnny has a beautiful singing voice when he sings a love song, he sounds like a melodic bird
Sings the sweetest love song You ever heard
His love songs are enchanting and have a lasting impression on my partner, it's a warning sign that he's dangerous
But when he sings to my gal What a howl
When Johnny tries to charm my lover with his music, it sounds terrible to me like a wolf's howl
To me he's just a wolf dog On the prowl
He's just like a wolf dog on the hunt to take my partner away from me
Johnny wants to fly away and Bug a lug my baby He's a bird dog
Johnny wants to take my partner away and travel the world with them like a bird dog on an adventure
Hey bird dog stay away from my quail
I warn Johnny to stay away from my partner, who is my precious quail
Hey bird dog you're on the wrong trail
Johnny is chasing after the wrong person and he should change his direction
Bird dog you better leave my lovey dove alone
Johnny should forget about my partner because they are in love with me, their special lovey-dove
Hey bird dog get away from my chick
I warn Johnny again to stay away from my partner, who is my chick
Hey bird dog better get away quick
Johnny should leave immediately because he's not welcome near my partner
Bird dog you better find A chicky little of your own
Johnny should find someone else to love, he needs to stop pursuing my significant other
Johnny kissed the teacher He's a bird
Johnny is kissing his teacher, an older authority, he's like a bird who sneaks around unnoticed
He tiptoed up to reach her He's a bird
Johnny is trying to be sneaky and quietly approach his teacher, he reminds me of a secretive bird
Though he's the teacher's pet now He's a dog
Even though he may have an advantageous relationship with his teacher now, he becomes a bad dog when he crosses the line
What he wants he can get now What a dog
He can get whatever he wants due to his favorable association with his teacher, it's clear he's a bad dog
He even made the teacher let him sit Next to my baby He's a bird dog
Not only does he take advantage of his teacher, but he also uses the opportunity to sit next to my partner, like a bird dog taking its place next to its prey
He's a bird dog he's a bird dog
Repeated chorus to emphasize that Johnny is a persistent bird dog, chasing after my partner
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Boudleaux Bryant
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Raul Martinez
Joan Jett---QUEEN OF ROCK!! LONG LIVE THE QUEEN!!
psychedelicsam1
queen of covers. rock on joan
ChevyCaprice90
I wish there was a music video for this song))
LesSmith45
Joan Jett covering the Everely Brothers Just amazing to be able to pull this one off. Great Job Joan.
trfesok
I put both versions in my Jett playlist.
alonenjersey
If there's anyone else out here who can breathe new life into Rock-N-Roll classics better than her, someone tell me who.
Hans-Jorn Jakobsen
No matter what It's Rock and Roll - Great Joan Jett
silver588
Madonna listened this 347 times...learning how to sing.
dagypz RENEGADE
nvr heard her version.
markko17
One thumb down. How did Justin Bieber get in here?!!?