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
Misunderstood
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
everything that they say
Fame is outrageous I'm
really wasting away
I'm your man I'm your
genie I'm your junkie
I'm your man I'm your
maybe I'm your must be
I'm a little too in pieces
If I could I would act like I should act
Little misunderstood
Rumors are dangerous
Don't believe what they say
I'm not contagious
In time it will fade
I'm your man I'm your
monkey I'm your magic
I'm your man I'm your
memory I'm your static
Life's a little too intense
I am less than perfect
The world is too immense
I'm a little too in pieces
If I could I would act like I should act
Little misunderstood
Little misunderstood
These four walls
Scream like sirens
Damn this neighborhood
I'm so good
Life's a little too intense
I'm a little too in pieces
If I could I would act like I should act
Little misunderstood
Little misunderstood
In the song Misunderstood by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, the lyrics suggest feelings of insecurity and self-doubt. The opening lines - "I'm not courageous I'm everything that they say, Fame is outrageous, I'm really wasting away" - indicate that the singer feels weighed down by the pressures and expectations that come with fame. They feel misunderstood and ostracized by the people around them, who spread rumors and misconceptions that only add to their sense of alienation.
The chorus - "Life's a little too intense, I'm a little too in pieces" - further emphasizes the singer's sense of emotional fragmentation. They feel overwhelmed and incapable of living up to the expectations placed on them. The lyrics suggest that the singer sees themselves as a complex and multifaceted person, containing elements of magic, memory, and static. However, they feel that others only see them as a "monkey" or "junkie," reducing them to narrow stereotypes and misconceptions.
Overall, Misunderstood is a song about the pain and complexity of feeling misunderstood and misrepresented. It speaks to the universal human experience of struggling to reconcile our internal selves with the external perceptions of others.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm not courageous I'm
everything that they say
I lack courage and I embody all of the negative qualities that people have attributed to me.
Fame is outrageous I'm
really wasting away
Being famous is overwhelming and it's causing me to deteriorate.
I'm your man I'm your
genie I'm your junkie
I am whoever you want me to be - I can be your savior, your wish-granter, or your addict.
I'm your man I'm your
maybe I'm your must be
I am ambiguous in my role in your life - maybe I'm what you want or maybe I'm necessary, but either way, I am there.
Life's a little to intense
I'm a little too in pieces
If I could I would act like I should act
Little misunderstood
Life is overwhelming and I am struggling to keep myself together. If I could, I would act the way I am supposed to, but I am often misunderstood by those around me.
Rumors are dangerous
Don't believe what they say
I'm not contagious
In time it will fade
Gossip can be harmful and untrue - don't assume that what you hear is accurate. Whatever is currently impacting me will eventually go away and will not infect others.
I'm your man I'm your
monkey I'm your magic
I'm your man I'm your
memory I'm your static
I can be entertaining like a monkey or enchanting like magic. I can also be a memory that lingers or a static noise that never truly goes away.
I am less than perfect
The world is too immense
I'm a little too in pieces
If I could I would act like I should act
Little misunderstood
I am flawed and imperfect, and sometimes I feel like the world is too much for me to handle. I wish I could behave in a way that makes sense to others, but I am often seen in a negative light despite my efforts.
These four walls
Scream like sirens
Damn this neighborhood
I'm so good
Being confined to these walls is like being in a chaotic environment with blaring sirens. Despite this, I am capable and skilled.
Contributed by Makayla T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
HarleyTheQuinn
I grew up listening to Joan Jett from the age of 3 and this has and always will be one of my MANY Favourites from her <3
MrBizley45
really cool song, thanks for posting it. I've always loved Joan Jett since I first heard her back in 79. She has always been herself no matter what, I love her for it
Lucile Jagger
She gets more and more beautiful, while growing up !
Maverick 78
Her Smile is so Beautiful ! O Sorriso dessa mulher é Lindo D+ ! ;D
L. M. ALG
Man, she was always beautiful!! Never seemed to take an ugly shot in her life. . . ♥
George Typhoon
LONG LIVE THE QUEEN OF ROCK N ROLL !!!!!
Katia 0
This song is beautiful.
MrGert1960
One of my fave JJ Songs. A real party song!
PoppaBlue59
Soooo pretty. The loveliest eyes in Rock and Roll. Don't know how I could have stood two years in the West German winter without my Joan records. Baumholder, 1981-1983.
Thanks Joan, and Best Wishes from Texas!
Sandi Camargo
Joan Jett is awesome!