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
Goodbye
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Here we are playin' those games
Well I'm runnin' outta patience
And I can't stand the strain
Seems like nothin' ever changes
So I'm gettin' out fast
Darlin' our future is a thing of the past
I tried to leave you so many times
Was it hope or was it weakness
That made me so blind
Don't go promisin' and dreamin'
When you know it won't last
Darlin' our future is a thing of the past
Hey when it was good it was great
And when it got bad it was too late
The story's really sad ain't it
Goodbye I won't sit here and cry
Goodbye I really mean it this time
You're the first one who touched me
You're the only one to know
All my secrets and desires
So it's hard to let go
But I been feelin' trapped
So I better move fast
Darlin' our future is a thing of the past
Hey, I didn't want to end up this way
There's really nothin' else you can say too late
Hey save it for another day
Goodbye I won't lay down and die
Goodbye I really mean it this time
Hey, don't feel so bad it's O.K.
There's no used in fightin' with fate
It's better just to break away
Goodbye I won't stay here and cry
Goodbye I really mean it this time
Goodbye I won't lay down and die
Goodbye see ya
The lyrics of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts' song "Goodbye" talks about the end of a relationship that has become stagnant and unfulfilling. The singer is tired of playing games and feeling trapped, and they have decided to leave their partner. The song expresses the mixed feelings of sadness, regret, and relief that often accompany the end of a long-term relationship. The singer acknowledges that they have tried to leave their partner many times before but was unable due to hope or weakness. The song suggests that the relationship had its good moments, but ultimately it was too late to fix things, and it's better to move on.
The song's lyrics were written by Joan Jett and Desmond Child for Jett's album "Glorious Results of a Misspent Youth" released in 1984. The song was released as a single in the same year and reached number 85 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Line by Line Meaning
Here we are playin' those games
We are repeating the same harmful behaviors and expecting different outcomes.
Well I'm runnin' outta patience
I have reached my limit and cannot continue to tolerate this situation.
And I can't stand the strain
The stress and tension of this situation is unbearable.
Seems like nothin' ever changes
Despite attempts to change, we continue to remain in the same destructive patterns.
So I'm gettin' out fast
I am taking action to remove myself from this environment quickly.
Darlin' our future is a thing of the past
Our relationship and any hope of a future together is over and should be left behind.
I tried to leave you so many times
I have attempted to end this before.
Was it hope or was it weakness
Perhaps it was my desire for things to get better or my own vulnerability that kept me from leaving earlier.
That made me so blind
My emotions clouded my judgment and I couldn't see how harmful this relationship was for me.
Don't go promisin' and dreamin'
Don't make promises or hold onto hopes that you know will never come to fruition.
When you know it won't last
When you know deep down that this relationship cannot continue or thrive.
Hey when it was good it was great
Although this relationship had its positives, the negative aspects outweighed them.
And when it got bad it was too late
By the time I realized how toxic this relationship was, it was already too late to salvage it.
The story's really sad ain't it
Reflecting on the unhappy and unfortunate ending of a once-promising relationship is truly disheartening.
Goodbye I won't sit here and cry
I am saying goodbye and choosing not to dwell on the sadness of the situation.
Goodbye I really mean it this time
This is a final goodbye and I am committed to moving on from this relationship.
You're the first one who touched me
This relationship was once significant to me and I have a personal connection and history with you.
You're the only one to know
You have been my confidant and the only one privy to my secrets and desires.
All my secrets and desires
I have shared with you my innermost thoughts, feelings, and aspirations.
So it's hard to let go
Leaving this relationship brings a significant emotional toll and difficulty in severing the emotional attachment.
But I been feelin' trapped
I have felt constrained and limited in this relationship, unable to act or be myself freely.
So I better move fast
I need to remove myself from this relationship quickly to avoid further damage or harm.
Hey, I didn't want to end up this way
This is not how I wanted our relationship to end and is not the outcome I had hoped for.
There's really nothin' else you can say too late
It's too late to try and fix our relationship and there's nothing left to say that can change that.
Hey save it for another day
There's no point in trying to argue, persuade, or change things now. Leave it for another time.
Goodbye I won't lay down and die
I am choosing not to be defeated by this situation and to move on from this relationship.
Goodbye see ya
This is a final goodbye and I'm leaving this relationship behind once and for all.
Contributed by Amelia I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.