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
I Got No Answers
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I just told him they were probably sad
Is that true
I just don't know
I got no answers
So the little boy asked me why the people are sad
They're just survivin' they don't know what they have
We come and go
I got no answers
When I'm down feeling lonely and confused
I just hide it all that's the only thing to do
A little girl asked me why the sky is so grey
It wants to rain on this cloudy day
Is that true
And what will it wash way
I got no answers
I got no answers
I got no answers
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts' "I Got No Answers" is a song that touches on the human condition of struggling to make sense of the world we live in. The lyrics revolve around a series of questions from two children, who are trying to understand the reasons behind people getting mad and the sky being grey. The singer responds to the questions with a sense of mystery and uncertainty, admitting that they do not have the answers to these fundamental questions.
The song's powerful message is that sometimes in life, we have to accept that we cannot find all the answers we seek. It is both a humbling and frustrating experience, but one that we must confront in order to make sense of the world around us. The lyrics also suggest that our emotions, like sadness or anger, are often not straightforward but rather a complicated blend of different feelings.
In essence, "I Got No Answers" is a powerful reminder that we should be compassionate and understanding towards others, even if we do not understand their experiences. It is a song about the need for patience, empathy, and acceptance in a world that often seems overwhelming and confusing.
Line by Line Meaning
Little boy asked me why people get mad
A child asked me about the reason for people's anger
I just told him they were probably sad
I answered that people might be feeling sad, which causes them to be angry
Is that true
The child wanted to confirm if my answer is correct
I just don't know
I'm not completely sure if my answer was correct
I got no answers
I don't have all the answers to life's questions
So the little boy asked me why the people are sad
The child then enquired the reason behind people's sadness
They're just survivin' they don't know what they have
People are trying to make it through life but they might not realize the good things they already possess
We come and go
Life is temporary and things change constantly
When I'm down feeling lonely and confused
During times of sorrow and confusion
I just hide it all that's the only thing to do
The only way out is to keep it all hidden inside
A little girl asked me why the sky is so grey
Another child asks why the sky appears grey
It wants to rain on this cloudy day
The sky appears grey because it wants to rain on this cloudy day
Is that true
The child wants to know if my answer is correct
And what will it wash away
The child seeks to understand what the rain will wash away
I got no answers
I was unable to provide satisfactory answers
I got no answers
I am not capable of solving every mystery in life
I got no answers
Sometimes there are no answers to the questions we ask
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: JOAN JETT, KENNETH BENJAMIN LAGUNA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind