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
Hold me
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everybody's got their problems
And secrets that they try to hide
No fight or fuss tonight, be gentle as you can
Everyone thinks I'm stronger,
Much stronger than I am
I get scared and lonely
I get scared and lonely
And I need someone to hold me
Just like you do
There's no place left to go
When you're runnin' from yourself
It's easy when you draw conclusions
While you're lookin' at someone else
I tell the truth to you we've really got a lot
There is no time for sympathy
I think we ought to take a shot
Honey, I get scared and lonely
And I need someone to hold me
I get scared and lonely
And I need someone to hold me
Just like you do
Just take my hand, we'll find our way through
We won't be afraid 'cause
We've got each other to hold on to
Honey, I get scared and lonely
And I need someone to hold me
I get scared and lonely
And I need someone to hold me someone like you
I get scared and lonely
And I need someone to hold me, just like you do
The opening lines of the song "No tears for us tonight, we've really got to try" suggests that the song is about trying to stay strong in a challenging situation. The song seems to be about two people who are struggling with personal problems and trying to be there for each other. The lyrics describe that everyone has their own problems and secrets that they try to hide, and there is no time for sympathy.
The lines "I get scared and lonely and I need someone to hold me" convey vulnerability and the need for support from a loved one. The lines "There's no place left to go, when you're running from yourself" could refer to struggling with inner demons or feeling overwhelmed with life. The chorus "Just take my hand, we'll find our way through, we won't be afraid cause we've got each other to hold onto" suggests that together, the two people will be able to overcome their struggles.
Overall, "Hold Me" is a song about seeking comfort and support in times of distress. It's a reminder that there is strength in vulnerability, and that we all need someone to hold onto during difficult times.
Line by Line Meaning
No tears for us tonight, we've really got to try
We should make an effort to get through our problems without breaking down and crying
Everybody's got their problems
Everyone experiences difficult situations in their lives
And secrets that they try to hide
Many people have things they keep hidden from others
No fight or fuss tonight, be gentle as you can
Let's try to get along without argument, and be as kind as possible
Everyone thinks I'm stronger, Much stronger than I am
Others may see me as tough, but I am not always as strong as I appear
I get scared and lonely, And I need someone to hold me
Despite appearances, I still experience feelings of fear and loneliness, and I crave comfort from another person
Just like you do
My need for solace from another is no different than your own
There's no place left to go, When you're runnin' from yourself
It's difficult to escape your own problems, even if you try to ignore them
It's easy when you draw conclusions, While you're lookin' at someone else
Judging others is simple, but it's different when you're dealing with your own issues
I tell the truth to you we've really got a lot
I am honest with you, and we have much in common
There is no time for sympathy I think we ought to take a shot
We should not focus on feeling sad about our problems, but rather take a chance to fix them
Just take my hand, we'll find our way through
Let's work together to get through our difficulties
We won't be afraid 'cause We've got each other to hold on to
As long as we have each other, we can overcome our fears
I need someone to hold me someone like you
You would be the perfect person to comfort me in my times of need
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: WILFRIED OBST, FRANK SCHAUER, FREDRICK EUGENE BYRD, PERCY NATHAN RODGERS, CALVIN WILLIAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind