Joan Jett and the Blackhearts are an American rock band led by artist Joan … Read Full Bio ↴Joan Jett and the Blackhearts are an American rock band led by artist Joan Jett. After The Runaways split in 1979, Jett pursued a solo career to explore the same aggressive punk style and met Kenny Laguna. Jett soon released her self-titled debut.

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

Ridin' With James Dean
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

(J. Jett/R. Byrd/R. Browde)

Johnny, Johnny I was by your side
I'm looking for a ride, told me you won't be denied
You want a taste of everything
Your going too fast, you're gonna crash
But you know you'll survive
So much to fight for

Lots of flags to wave
A rebel without a cause
You've got so much to say

Tell me how you feel
Tell me what you see
Ridin' with James Dean
Ridin' with James Dean (Jimmy Dean)

You want the world to go your way
But you'd better find that I can be your kind
But it's O.K.
Things are happening that you don't understand
But don't you worry you know I'll be there
To hold your hand
Got so much to die for
Or even more to live for
Don't you crash and burn
You got so much to give

Tell me how you feel
Tell me what you see
Ridin' with James Dean
Ridin' with James Dean (Jimmy Dean)

Tell me how you feel
Tell me what you see
Ridin' with James Dean
Ridin' with James Dean (Jimmy Dean)

So much to fight for
Lots of flags to wave
A rebel without a cause
You've got so much to say
C'mon say it

Tell me how you feel
Tell me what you see

Ridin' with James Dean
Ridin' with James Dean (Jimmy Dean)

Overall Meaning

The song "Ridin' with James Dean" by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts is a tribute to the iconic American actor, James Dean, who was an epitome of rebellion, charisma, and youth in the 1950s. The lyrics depict the persona of a restless and adventurous youth who seeks to experience everything in life, push the boundaries, and defy authority. The singer of the song is looking for a ride, hoping to join the ranks of the reckless and free-spirited rebels who seek to challenge the norms and live life on their own terms. They seek the thrill of the moment, but also recognize the risks that come with it, hence the lyrics "You're going too fast, you're gonna crash, but you know you'll survive."

The song portrays James Dean as a symbol of such rebelliousness, depicting him as a protagonist worth idolizing and following, much like the singer of the song. The melancholic tone in the chorus of the song, "Tell me how you feel, tell me what you see, Ridin' with James Dean, Ridin' with James Dean," gives it a nostalgic touch, evoking the feeling of lost youth, innocence and longing for the past, much like James Dean.

Overall, the song is an eloquent homage to the iconic actor, encapsulating the spirit of rebellion and restlessness that he embodied, making him a cultural icon for generations.

Line by Line Meaning

Johnny, Johnny I was by your side
I was there to support you, Johnny

I'm looking for a ride, told me you won't be denied
I want to go on a ride and you said nothing will stop us

You want a taste of everything
You want to experience everything life has to offer

Your going too fast, you're gonna crash
You're moving too quickly and may end up hurting yourself

But you know you'll survive
You believe you can handle anything

So much to fight for
There are many important things to stand up for

Lots of flags to wave
Many different causes to support

A rebel without a cause
You don't have a specific cause or purpose, but you still rebel

You've got so much to say
You have a lot of opinions and things to express

Tell me how you feel
Share your emotions with me

Tell me what you see
Share your perspective with me