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
Love Like Mine
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What you're supposin' I am
I am all girl a lady I'm not
I like to fool around a lot
I never think a lot, when I drink a lot
Of sparkling wine
Hey, it's a ragged race can ya stand the pace
Of a love like mine
About my constant insanity
An' for my tasteless profanity
I'm shunned by high society
I get talked about I been carried out
A thousand times
You made a big mistake there ain't no break
With a love like mine
There's a scene goin' down
When there's trouble who's always around
If you could see what your future would be
You go far out of town away from me
I never get dressed up when I'm all messed up
I'm feelin' fine
Think what life would be with a girl like me
And a love like mine
I'm not the girl next door oh no
I wake up mean an' ornery
Don't try to make me straight
You'll see what hell there's gonna be, oow
Won't you love a love like mine
Won't you love a love like mine
Won't you love a love like mine
The lyrics of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts' "Love Like Mine" convey a message about a woman who is unapologetically herself, including her flaws and quirks. The song's chorus points out that her love is a bit wild and unconventional, and the person she's addressing needs to be able to keep up with it. The opening lines address a common trope of women being seen as "charming" or "coy," but she refuses to be put in that box. She asserts her femininity but also acknowledges that she likes to have fun and be unconventional at times.
The second verse of the song sees the singer acknowledging that she's not everyone's cup of tea. Her "tasteless profanity" and tendency to cause a scene make her an outcast in high society. Regardless, she's not going to change who she is to fit in. The song's bridge highlights the intensity of her personality, warning that trouble seems to follow her wherever she goes. She's self-aware enough to recognize that her love might be too much for some people, but instead of trying to tone herself down, she's looking for someone who can handle it.
Overall, "Love Like Mine" is a celebration of being yourself, even if that means going against what society deems as the norm. The song's lyrics embrace an idea of love that's not about playing games or pretending to be something you're not. It encourages the listener to embrace their quirks and look for a love that can appreciate them for who they are.
Line by Line Meaning
You call it charm but I'm not
You think I'm charming, but I'm not. I'm a different kind of woman.
What you're supposin' I am
You have a certain idea of who I am, but that's not completely accurate.
I am all girl a lady I'm not
I'm definitely a woman, but I don't fit the traditional mould of a lady.
I like to fool around a lot
I enjoy having fun and playing around.
I never think a lot, when I drink a lot
I tend to let loose and not worry too much when I've had a lot to drink.
Of sparkling wine
I prefer to drink sparkling wine.
Hey, it's a ragged race can ya stand the pace
Being with me is intense and it takes a certain kind of person to handle it.
Of a love like mine
My love is passionate and wild and not for everyone.
I'm warnin' you now so don't complain
I'm telling you upfront so that you can't say you didn't know what you were getting into.
About my constant insanity
I tend to behave in unconventional ways that others might see as crazy.
An' for my tasteless profanity
I don't always use proper language and some might find it offensive.
I'm shunned by high society
My behaviour doesn't fit in with the expectations of high society.
I get talked about I been carried out
People have a lot to say about me and I've been removed from places before.
A thousand times
I've been kicked out or asked to leave on many occasions.
You made a big mistake there ain't no break
If you're with me, there's no turning back.
With a love like mine
My love is all-consuming and not easy to leave behind.
There's a scene goin' down
Wherever I am, there's always something happening.
When there's trouble who's always around
I tend to be in the middle of any kind of trouble.
If you could see what your future would be
If you knew where this was going, you might run far away.
You go far out of town away from me
You would need to go a long way to get away from me.
I never get dressed up when I'm all messed up
When I've had too much to drink, I don't bother trying to dress up.
I'm feelin' fine
I'm having a good time regardless of how I look.
Think what life would be with a girl like me
If you're with me, your life will never be boring.
And a love like mine
But you need to be ready for an intense and unconventional love.
I'm not the girl next door oh no
I'm not the kind of woman you're used to seeing or dealing with every day.
I wake up mean an' ornery
I can wake up feeling irritable and unpleasant to be around.
Don't try to make me straight
You can't change who I am, so don't try to make me conform to your idea of normal.
You'll see what hell there's gonna be, oow
If you try to change me, things will quickly become unpleasant.
Won't you love a love like mine
If you're ready for it, my love can be intense and fulfilling.
Won't you love a love like mine
But you need to be prepared for it, because it's not for the faint of heart.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: JOAN JETT, KENNETH BENJAMIN LAGUNA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jackie Nihil
Great song! I love this, my favorite Joanie album :)
AR O
Thanks for posting this. One of my favs from Joan.
Fallon 〈3
i love this song!!!
Fallon 〈3
Favorite song!
Janely Montgomery
Love it! never heard it!
joanjettboy
1 of my JJ favs❤️❤️❤️❤️
Jashal Kylene Quimado
i love joan jett song
Info Pelmeds
Glorious Results of an 80s Girl.
luana garcia
gostei
Eva Russell
I would love her constant insanity.