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
Desire
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Each time our eyes meet
I want to touch you
Sudden attraction
Such strange reaction
Hold me to you
Then you push me away
Make you want to stay
So let me take you, take you
Take you baby all the way
'Cause I feel that desire
You're the flame that feeds my fire
Will you take me higher
Give me that love that I desire
Learned all that you want baby
Then why don't you show babe
Don't play with me baby
'Cause I'll find somebody
Who knows how to love me
So if you want it
You better take it right now
I want to make you, make you
Make you want to stay
So let me take you, take you
Take you baby all the way
'Cause I feel that desire
You're the flame that feeds my fire
Will you take me higher
Give me that love that I desire
Come on and take me through the night
You know I won't put up a fight
Just wrap your arms around me tight
Tonight, tonight, tonight
Wondered why you make me
It might make you want to stay
If you don't take me
Life might never take me back this way
I feel that desire
You're the flame that feeds my fire
Will you take me higher
Give me that love that I desire
I feel that desire
You're the flame that feeds my fire
Will you take me higher
Give me that love that I desire
Desire, desire, desire
The song "Desire" by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts is about a couple who are experiencing strong and sudden attraction towards each other. The lyrics convey the singer's desire for physical affection from her partner, but he keeps pushing her away. She wants to be able to make him want to stay and is asking him to give her the kind of love that she desires. She warns him not to play with her feelings or else she will find someone who knows how to love her.
The chorus repeats the theme of desire and love, with the singer asking her partner to take her higher with his love. She also expresses her longing for physical intimacy and wants him to wrap his arms around her tightly. The song ends with a sense of urgency, with the singer warning that life might never bring them back together if he doesn't take her now.
Overall, the lyrics of "Desire" are about the complexities of desire and the push and pull of emotions in a relationship. The song captures the intense feelings that arise when two people are attracted to each other but are unsure of how to navigate their emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
You're gone from mean street
You have left the rough life behind
Each time our eyes meet
Every time we make eye contact
I want to touch you
I desire to be physically close to you
Sudden attraction
An immediate feeling of being drawn to someone
Such strange reaction
A peculiar response to this attraction
Hold me to you
Embrace me tightly
Then you push me away
But you always seem to resist
I want to make you, make you
Make you want to stay
So let me take you, take you
I want to convince you to stay with me and take you in my arms
Take you baby all the way
Fully commit to a romantic relationship with you
'Cause I feel that desire
You're the flame that feeds my fire
Will you take me higher
Give me that love that I desire
My passion for you sparks my enthusiasm to explore a deeper emotional and physical connection
Learned all that you want baby
I have understood what you need
Then why don't you show babe
But why aren't you expressing your interest
Don't play with me baby
Please don't lead me on
'Cause I'll find somebody
Who knows how to love me
So if you want it
You better take it right now
If you don't reciprocate my feelings, I might look for someone else who can truly love me. Hence, act fast and express your love for me now
Come on and take me through the night
You know I won't put up a fight
Just wrap your arms around me tight
Tonight, tonight, tonight
Take me on a romantic adventure tonight and hold me close
Wondered why you make me
I ponder why you create such feelings in me
It might make you want to stay
Perhaps, expressing my desires might make you want to stay with me
If you don't take me
If you don't own up to our feelings
Life might never take me back this way
I might never get another chance with you again
Desire, desire, desire
Repeating the theme of the song - the passionate craving for love and affection
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Realsongs
Written by: DIANE EVE WARREN, JOAN JETT, KENNETH LAGUNA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind