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
Everyone Knows
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't tell me what they say
It used to get to me
But I won't change my ways
As time goes by
I will never learn
And I don't care
If everyone knows
Nobody understands
We don't play by the rules
I can't imagine why
They can't buy what we do
With all that's real
Is the way we feel
And I don't care if everyone knows
Owww
Just when I'm sure no one sees what I see
I realize that there's still you and me
You know I am there for you
I'll always care for you
I see 'em stare at us
Whenever we're together
They haven't got the right
Just 'cause we're wearin' leather
If you're alright
If I'm alright
And I don't care if everyone knows
If it feels this strong
It can't be wrong
And I don't care
If everyone knows
People get scared 'cause
They think we are freaks
But they will never bring me to my knees
You know I am there for you
I'll always care for you
If you're alright
And I'm alright
Everyone knows
[Repeat x 3]
The lyrics of Joan Jett's "Everyone Knows" assert individuality and rebellion towards societal norms. Jett defies people who gossip, poking fun that they cannot comprehend her behavior, and choose to wear leather even when others stare at her. She asserts that she stays true to herself despite the disapproval from society, as she tells her partner that she is always there for them. The lyrics depict a sense of mutual understanding between Jett and her partner, that no matter how people perceive their relationship, it is authentic and real in their eyes. The phrase "And I don't care if everyone knows" is repeated throughout the song, emphasizing a sense of confidence and pride in their relationship.
In essence, the song's message is to encourage authenticity and fearlessness in being true to yourself and your relationships, even if it means going against social norms. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts' "Everyone Knows" is an anthem for those who choose to live their lives outside of societal expectations and assert their individuality.
Line by Line Meaning
I know that people talk
I'm aware that people talk behind my back
Don't tell me what they say
I don't want to hear what people say about me
It used to get to me
It used to affect me emotionally
But I won't change my ways
I won't change myself to please others
As time goes by
Over time
I will never learn
I won't change my behavior
And I don't care
I don't care about their opinions
If everyone knows
If everyone knows about my behavior, it doesn't bother me
Nobody understands
No one understands us
We don't play by the rules
We don't follow societal norms
I can't imagine why
I can't understand why people can't accept us as we are
They can't buy what we do
They can't comprehend our lifestyle choices
With all that's real
Despite what's real
Is the way we feel
Our feelings are genuine
And I don't care if everyone knows
I'm unbothered by the fact that everyone knows our unconventional behavior
Just when I'm sure no one sees what I see
Just when I think people don't understand our lifestyle
I realize that there's still you and me
I'm relieved that we still have each other
You know I am there for you
You know that I'm always there for you
I'll always care for you
I'll always love and care for you
I see 'em stare at us
I notice people staring at us
Whenever we're together
Whenever we're in public together
They haven't got the right
They don't have the right to judge us
Just 'cause we're wearin' leather
Just because we dress differently
If you're alright
If you're okay with our relationship
If I'm alright
As long as I'm okay with our relationship
If it feels this strong
If our love is this powerful
It can't be wrong
It can't be immoral or incorrect
People get scared 'cause
People get scared of what they don't understand
They think we are freaks
They think we are abnormal and strange
But they will never bring me to my knees
Their disapproval won't affect me emotionally
Everyone knows
Everyone knows about our unconventional lifestyle
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Jim Vallance, Joan Jett, Kenneth Laguna
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind