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
Nitetime
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't like what I'm seeing
In the world today
Money talks people listen
Cuz everyone's on the make
I'm sick and tired of hearing
You'd better do some business
If you wanna survive
Oh oh oh oh oh
I hear the same thing everyday
Oh oh oh oh oh
If you want to get somewhere you gotta pay the fare
Scratch my back and I'll scratch your back
Scratch my back and I'll scratch your back
Scratch my back or I won't play this game with you
Oh oh oh oh oh
You got the answer right here in your hands
Oh oh oh oh oh
If you want to get somewhere you got to touch me there
Scratch my back and I'll scratch your back
Scratch my back and I'll scratch your back
Scratch my back or I won't play this game with you
Yeah ow
Scratch my back and I'll scratch your back
Scratch my back and I'll scratch your back
Scratch my back or I won't play this game with you
Ow yeah
When I'm with you at night
And we're safe in my room
I let your love surround me
And the words have a different tune
Ow
Oh oh oh oh oh
You got the answer right here in your hands
Oh oh oh oh oh
If you want to get somewhere you got to touch me there
Scratch my back and I'll scratch your back
Scratch my back and I'll scratch your back
Scratch my back or I won't play this game with you
Ow yeah
Scratch my back and I'll scratch your back
Scratch my back and I'll scratch your back
Scratch my back or I won't play this game with you
No oh c'mon
Scratch my back and I'll scratch your back
Scratch my back and I'll scratch your back
Scratch my back or I won't play this game with you
No c'mon
Scratch my back and I'll scratch your back
Scratch my back and I'll scratch your back
Scratch my back or I won't play this game with you
The lyrics to Joan Jett and the Blackhearts' song Nitetime are a commentary on the corrupt and greedy nature of society, where money talks and compromise is often required to succeed. Joan Jett sings about how tired she is of hearing that compromising in business is necessary to survive, and that if you want to get ahead, you have to pay the fare. The lines "scratch my back and I'll scratch your back" and "if you want to get somewhere you gotta touch me there" suggest that success is often contingent on making deals and exchanging favors with others in power.
The second half of the song's lyrics takes a turn towards a more personal and intimate topic, as Jett sings about being with someone at night and letting their love surround her. However, the lines "scratch my back or I won't play this game with you" continue the theme of power dynamics and the need for reciprocity in relationships.
Overall, the lyrics of Nitetime are a powerful critique of a society driven by greed and compromise, where success often requires playing games and making deals with those in power. The song suggests that even personal relationships can be affected by these power dynamics and the need for give and take.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't like what I'm seeing
The singer is expressing her dissatisfaction with the current state of the world.
In the world today
The singer is referring to the current state of affairs.
Money talks people listen
The singer is expressing her disdain for how people are motivated by money.
Cuz everyone's on the make
The singer is saying that everyone is looking to profit.
I'm sick and tired of hearing
The singer is expressing her annoyance with something she often hears.
You gotta compromise
The singer is saying that people often have to make concessions in order to succeed.
You'd better do some business
The singer is saying that one must engage in some form of commerce to succeed.
If you wanna survive
The singer is implying that one must be able to adapt to the situation to thrive.
Oh oh oh oh oh
The singer is using these repeating sounds to illustrate her frustration and annoyance.
I hear the same thing everyday
The singer is expressing her frustration with hearing the same thing repeatedly.
If you want to get somewhere you gotta pay the fare
The singer is saying that success often comes at a high cost.
Scratch my back and I'll scratch your back
The singer is warning that favors and benefits must often be reciprocated to maintain a relationship.
Scratch my back or I won't play this game with you
The singer is suggesting that relationships are often transactional.
You got the answer right here in your hands
The singer suggests that the solution is already available.
If you want to get somewhere you got to touch me there
The singer is using a suggestive metaphor to say that getting ahead often requires intimate connections.
Yeah ow
The singer is expressing a brief moment of excitement or pleasure.
When I'm with you at night
The singer is referring to a romantic relationship.
And we're safe in my room
The singer is implying that she feels secure with the other person.
I let your love surround me
The singer is saying that she is being affectionate with the other person.
And the words have a different tune
The singer is suggesting that she is speaking with a different tone when she is being intimate.
No oh c'mon
The singer is expressing a moment of mild protest or annoyance.
Contributed by Elijah F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.