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
Gotcha
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It was a matter of time
I always said I would get ya
And sooner or later I'd make you mine
Stop playin' this game with me
You know it drives me insane
You know you're just what I needed
Gotcha, where I want ya
Gotcha, yeah it's so true
Gotcha, where I want ya
I... i... g-g-g-gotcha, g-g-g-gotcha
Our love could be dangerous
It makes me tremble inside
I'm gettin' tired of chasin' you
Baby you can run but you can't hide
Gotcha, where I want ya
Gotcha, yeah, by the jewels
Gotcha, where I want ya
I... i... g-g-g-gotcha, g-g-g-gotcha
I got you but you don't know it
I got you but you don't know it
I... i... g-g-g-gotcha
I... i... g-g-g-gotcha, g-g-g-gotcha, g-g-g-gotcha
In "Gotcha" by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, the lyrics seem to be directed toward someone who has been playing games with Jett. She sings about always saying she would get this person and make them hers, and that she has finally achieved that goal. The chorus "Gotcha, where I want ya, Gotcha, yeah it's so true" signifies that she has finally caught this person and has them exactly where she wants them. However, the lyrics also reveal that their love could be dangerous, and that Jett has grown tired of chasing this person. The repetition of "I...i...g-g-g-gotcha" at the end of the song seems to be Jett's way of reveling in the fact that she has finally caught the person she has been pursuing.
Overall, the song appears to be about power dynamics in a relationship. Jett sings about wanting someone and actively pursuing them until she achieves her goal. The lyrics emphasize the sense of satisfaction and even triumph that comes from finally getting what you want. However, the repetition of lines like "our love could be dangerous" and "you can run but you can't hide" suggest that there may be a darker side to this pursuit - one that involves potentially controlling or manipulating the other person.
Line by Line Meaning
You ran around like a hotshot
You were acting like you were too cool for everyone else.
It was a matter of time
I always knew that eventually I would catch you.
I always said I would get ya
I always promised myself that I would win you over.
And sooner or later I'd make you mine
Eventually you were going to be mine.
Stop playin' this game with me
Stop trying to make me chase you.
You know it drives me insane
You know that I can't handle the games that you play.
You know you're just what I needed
You are the perfect person for me.
I couldn't wait to take you away
I was so excited to finally be with you.
Gotcha, where I want ya
I finally caught you and you are under my control now.
Gotcha, yeah it's so true
It's true that I finally got you.
Gotcha, yeah, by the jewels
I got you by the most important and sensitive parts of yourself.
Our love could be dangerous
Our love is powerful and could be risky.
It makes me tremble inside
It gives me intense excitement and fear.
I'm gettin' tired of chasin' you
I'm exhausted from trying to win you over.
Baby you can run but you can't hide
You might be able to avoid me for a while, but you can't escape me forever.
I got you but you don't know it
I finally won you over, but you don't even realize it yet.
I... i... g-g-g-gotcha
I finally caught you!
I... i... g-g-g-gotcha, g-g-g-gotcha, g-g-g-gotcha
I finally caught you and I'm going to keep reminding you of it.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Christine Steiner
You betta believe you got me, Joan! She's the best female Rocker of all time! No one even comes close to her talent, longevity, and off-stage contributions. Love this song-- thanks for posting!
mrdaniel911
The "hottest and hardest rocking women in history" is right!!! Thanks for putting this together!
Just_Josie
this is f*ckin awesome shes my all time favorite you did an excellent job !! thank you for making this
marleychivan
awesome! Joan Jett rocks!
Human Nature
She's awesome!
RiotsBird
Jone Jett inspired some of my favorite bands from the Punk Rock scean aka Riot Girrl era like... Bikini kill, Brat Mobile and 7 year bitch. Hail Jone Jett. I would be surprised if Pink knew who Jone Jett is or any of the other bands I mentioned. Thanks for sharing this rare post. Riot Girrl 4life
River Green
she IS one of the hottest people of all time, but there's just one problem: joan, NEVER DYE YOUR HAIR BLONDE!!! you're a gorgeous brunette and it needs to stay that way <3
funnyhaha07
Great tribute!!! Yeah she's a little bad ass hottie!!! Joan Jett is a REAL rock star !!!!
Marr
she is Rock & Roll
Sandra Alphonse
It's a long ways to the top rock and roll