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
Don
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I couldn't get the time at day
Now I'm doin' everything I can
I thought I had it made
Strangers drop in and pretend they're friends
People I don't even know
I want you, I need you, it's so hard to tell
Don't abuse me
Now you listen to what I say
If you're tryin' to use me
Why don't you just go away?
You took me around and you showed me the town
I thought you were kind of nice
But if someone stepped in with more to show
You'd drop me without thinkin' twice
You tie yourself to my apron strings
Thinkin' your friends will be impressed
You get your way by bribin' me
Tellin' me I'm the best
Don't abuse me
Now you listen to what I say
If you're tryin' to use me
Why don't you just go away?
Who can I trust and where can I go
To find someone who truly wants me?
Take me for what I am
That's the way it's gotta be
Rock n' roll love, you want so bad
Tellin' everybody you're mine
We both know deep down inside
You're just diggin' for every dime
Don't abuse me
Now you listen to what I say
If you're tryin' to use me
Why don't you just go away?
Don't abuse me
Now you listen to what I say
If you're tryin' to use me
Why don't you just go away?
The lyrics to Joan Jett's song 'Don't Abuse Me' delve into the complexities of being in the limelight and the alienation that can come with fame. The opening lines refer to her early struggles to gain recognition, where she was overlooked and ignored, however, now that she has achieved success, people she doesn't even know pretend to be her friend just to bask in her fame. This puts her in a difficult position where she questions the motives of the people around her and wonders if they genuinely care or if they are simply using her for their own benefit.
Jett then reflects on a person who took her around and showed her the town, who she thought was nice, but the minute someone else with more to offer came into the picture, they were dropped. This person tries to tie themselves to her, thinking they will gain status with her fame, and bribes her by telling her she's the best to get their way. The chorus of the song warns them not to abuse her, and if they are trying to use her or her fame, they should go away.
The song captures the potential for people around a famous person to exploit them, and highlights the need for trust and true connections, rather than surface-level relationships. Jett wants to be taken for who she is, without being reduced to a mere commodity to be used or exploited.
Line by Line Meaning
Before I was in a rock n' roll band
I wasn't popular or cool before I joined this band
I couldn't get the time at day
No one paid attention to me or respected me before
Now I'm doin' everything I can
I'm working hard to keep this newfound fame and status
I thought I had it made
I thought getting popular would solve everything, but now people are using me
Strangers drop in and pretend they're friends
People I don't know act like they're close to me for selfish reasons
People I don't even know
These people aren't even acquaintances, they're complete strangers
I want you, I need you, it's so hard to tell
I'm not sure if people genuinely like me or are just using me for my fame
What you're really feelin' won't show
People are hiding their true intentions from me and I can't trust anyone
Don't abuse me
Don't take advantage of me or use me for your own benefit
Now you listen to what I say
I won't stand for being used and need to be heard
If you're tryin' to use me
If you're only interested in me for what I can do for you
Why don't you just go away?
I don't want anything to do with people who only want to exploit me
You took me around and you showed me the town
You acted nice and friendly to me, making me believe we were genuine friends
I thought you were kind of nice
I trusted you and thought highly of you
But if someone stepped in with more to show
If someone cooler or more popular than me came along
You'd drop me without thinkin' twice
You would abandon our friendship without hesitation
You tie yourself to my apron strings
You cling to me and try to be associated with me for your own benefit
Thinkin' your friends will be impressed
You believe that being close to me will enhance your social status
You get your way by bribin' me
You use flattery and fake friendship to manipulate me
Tellin' me I'm the best
You shower me with compliments to get on my good side
Who can I trust and where can I go
I feel lost and alone, unsure who to confide in or who to trust
To find someone who truly wants me?
I want genuine, sincere relationships instead of people using me
Take me for what I am
Accept me unconditionally, without expecting anything in return
That's the way it's gotta be
I won't stand for being exploited or taken advantage of
Rock n' roll love, you want so bad
People are attracted to the glamour and excitement of rock and roll culture
Tellin' everybody you're mine
People brag about being associated with me to enhance their social status
We both know deep down inside
We both know the truth, that they're only interested in me for what I can do for them
You're just diggin' for every dime
You're trying to profit off of me and get as much out of the relationship as possible
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: JOAN JETT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mayakyen 369
✊🏽✊🏻✊🏿✊🏼✊🏾
PLAY THIS SONG LOUD WHEN U FEEL LIKE GIVING UP ON EVERYTHING.
ESPECIALLY IN THESE TRYING TIMES.
WHEN TYRANNY IS FORCED UPON U, REMEMBER DONT GIVE AWAY YOUR POWER! SAY NO AND MEAN IT!
YOU ARE NOT ALONE NO MATTER WHAT THEY SAY IN NEWS MEDIA!!!
DONT SURRENDER YOUR HUMANITY.
Love to All!
Siddhant Gedam
I can see the sadness in your eyes
Hard knocks and hurt are hard to hide
It can be a long and lonely ride
But it makes you strong inside
When you're down and out the streets get rough
You need love but ya just don't enough
And ya feel like no one's on your side
When you wanna throw it all away and you've had it
Don't surrender, don't surrender
Cause the fight inside your hearts
Your best defender, don't surrender
You try so hard but you feel just like a clown
And there ain't enough luck to go around
All your dreams they crash right to the ground
You wanna get right outta town
You can say "What the hell I've given up lay down to die" but it's just a bluff
Cause ya know there's no place left to hide
Sometimes life seems like a war and you're surrounded
Don't surrender, don't surrender
Cause the fight inside your hearts
Your best defender, don't surrender
Don't give up when you know you right
When you're feelin all alone just remember
Don't surrender
Yeah
When you wanna throw it all away and you've had it
Don't surrender
Don't surrender
Cause the fight inside your hearts
Your best defender, don't surrender
Don't give up when you know you right
When you're feelin all alone just remember
Don't surrender
Don't surrender
Don't surrender
Don't surrender
Don't surrender
Andrew Walsh
She has so many wonderful songs, many of which she wrote or co-wrote. She is a real talent!
Eli Tagarelli
Escucho está canción cada vez que estoy triste. Y puedo jurar que siempre me salva de cometer una estupidez, como autolesionarme, y agradezco que existe gente como Joan.
La conozco aproximadamente hace un año, pero me salvó de muchas.
Cada vez que mis papás pelean o tengo un ataque de ira escucho la música de todos ellos y me siento realmente mejor. En serio mucho
Y se que para ella seré una simple fanática, pero ella por siempre y para siempre va a ser mi casita <3 te amo
Ben Blackwell
I will always love this woman's music!!!!
alonenjersey
What's not to love?
rosenovarocks
Because of you Joan, I’m not gonna surrender. Thanks for being my idol, hero, inspiration, and role model ❤️
Donald Murphy
Never surrender.
Ever.
Not EVER.
DRAG THEM TO HELL AND PUNISH THEM ALL THE WAY.
Alexander Thüringer
Great Song. Thank's for this. I love you Joan. You're the best.
raven king
how the hell did this comment get 137 likes..I dont get it
Ronnie Ratliff
Still beautiful and making great music. Joan is the real Queen of Rock!
Mayakyen 369
✊🏽✊🏻✊🏿✊🏼✊🏾
PLAY THIS SONG LOUD WHEN U FEEL LIKE GIVING UP ON EVERYTHING.
ESPECIALLY IN THESE TRYING TIMES.
WHEN TYRANNY IS FORCED UPON U, REMEMBER DONT GIVE AWAY YOUR POWER! SAY NO AND MEAN IT!
YOU ARE NOT ALONE NO MATTER WHAT THEY SAY IN NEWS MEDIA!!!
DONT SURRENDER YOUR HUMANITY.
Love to All!