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
Insecure
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It starts when I get close to you
I never know just what to do
So much I wanna say
But my nerves get in the way
An' I pray my fears ain't showin' thru
Insecure - if I could feel I really had you for sure
I wouldn't be so insecure
I sit an' wonder what to do
Waitin' for my big time interview
As my palms start to sweat
'Bout this job I'm tryin' to get
Someone says "Hey, Jett, it's time for you"
(I bet they're right now)
Insecure - everybody feels a little
Insecure - tell ya one thing I know for sure
We're all a little insecure
You shouldn't care what people think of you
All you can do is be yourself
No matter how they see you
You really can't be somethin' else
You're not the only one that feels this way
Inside they look the same as you
When it seems never ending
Remember they're pretendin' too
Insecure - natural to feel a little
Insecure - everybody gets it an' there ain't no cure
We're all a little insecure
Insecure - natural to feel a little
Insecure - everybody gets it an' there ain't no cure
We're all a little insecure
The song "Insecure" by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts explores the feeling of insecurity that can arise in different situations. In the first verse, she talks about the nervousness she feels when she is around someone she likes and how she gets tongue-tied and afraid to express herself. She hopes that her fears aren't showing through, indicating that she is conscious of her insecurity and is trying to hide it.
In the second verse, Jett talks about feeling insecure during a job interview. She mentions that everyone feels a little insecure, and later in the song, she emphasizes this idea by saying that it's natural and that everyone goes through it. She advises listeners not to care what people think of them and to be themselves, pointing out that everyone is the same on the inside.
The chorus emphasizes that everyone is insecure to some degree, and that there is no cure for insecurity. The song is relatable to anyone who has ever felt insecure or nervous, and it has an upbeat, encouraging tone that suggests that insecurity is something that can be overcome with time and practice.
Line by Line Meaning
It starts when I get close to you
Feeling insecure starts when the singer gets near the person she has feelings for
I never know just what to do
The singer feels unsure of herself once she's near the person she likes
So much I wanna say
There are a lot of things the singer wants to tell the person she's near
But my nerves get in the way
The singer's nervousness prevents her from speaking her mind
An' I pray my fears ain't showin' thru
The singer worries that her fears are apparent to the person she likes
Insecure - it's strange when I feel it
Feeling insecure is a strange phenomenon for the singer
Insecure - if I could feel I really had you for sure
If the singer knew for certain that the person liked her back, she wouldn't feel insecure
I wouldn't be so insecure
The singer wouldn't have those feelings of doubt and fear if she knew the person felt the same way about her
I sit an' wonder what to do
The singer spends time thinking about how to handle certain situations
Waitin' for my big time interview
The singer uses the metaphor of a job interview to describe the situation she's in
As my palms start to sweat
The singer's nervousness causes her hands to perspire
'Bout this job I'm tryin' to get
The job represents the singer's goal or desire
Someone says "Hey, Jett, it's time for you"
Another person reminds the singer that it's time to face her fears and take action
(I bet they're right now)
The singer agrees with the person who points out that it's time to act
You shouldn't care what people think of you
The singer advises listeners not to worry about what others think of them
All you can do is be yourself
The singer suggests that being honest and true to oneself is the best course of action
No matter how they see you
No matter how other people perceive you, you should remain true to yourself
You really can't be somethin' else
It's impossible to be someone else, so you might as well embrace who you are
You're not the only one that feels this way
The singer reminds listeners that other people experience the same feelings of insecurity
Inside they look the same as you
Internally, other people are dealing with the same issues as you
When it seems never ending
At times, feelings of insecurity can seem like they'll never go away
Remember they're pretendin' too
Other people might be putting on a front, pretending to be confident even if they're not
Insecure - natural to feel a little
It's natural to feel somewhat insecure at times
Insecure - everybody gets it an' there ain't no cure
Everyone experiences feelings of insecurity, and there's no real solution or cure for it
We're all a little insecure
Insecurity is a common experience that unites everyone
Contributed by Connor B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.