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
Science Fiction
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
One, two, three, four
Michael Rennie was ill
The Day the Earth Stood Still
But he told us where we stand
And Flash Gordon was there
Claude Rains was the Invisible Man
Then something went wrong
For Fay Wray and King Kong
They got caught in a celluloid jam
Then at a deadly pace
It Came From Outer Space
This is how the message ran...
Science fiction, double feature
Doctor X will build a creature
See androids fighting Brad and Janet
Anne Francis stars in Forbidden Planet
Wo oh oh oh oh oh
At the late night, double feature, picture show
I knew Leo G. Carroll
Was over a barrel
When Tarantula took to the hills
And I really got hot
When I saw Janette Scott
Fight a Triffid that spits poison and kills
Dana Andrews said prunes
Gave him the Runes
Passin' 'em used lots of skills
And When Worlds Collide
Said George Pal to his bride
I'm gonna give you some terrible thrills
Like a...
Science fiction, double feature
Doctor X will build a creature
See androids fighting Brad and Janet
Anne Francis stars in Forbidden Planet
Wo oh oh oh oh ohAt the late night, double feature, picture show
Science Fiction, double feature
Frank has built and lost his creature
Darkness has conquered Brad and Janet
The servants gone to a distant planet
Wo oh oh oh oh oh
At the late night, double feature, picture show
I wanna go
To the late night, double feature, picture show
In the back row
By RKO
I wanna go
The song "Science Fiction" by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts is a celebratory homage to the classic science fiction movie genre. The opening lines cite Michael Rennie from "The Day the Earth Stood Still" as a prophet, whose message continues to resonate. Flash Gordon, Claude Rains, and other iconic figures from classic sci-fi films are referenced in the lyrics as well. Jett also mentions Fay Wray and King Kong being trapped in a celluloid jam, a metaphor for their fate as actors and characters who are forever etched in film.
The later verses pay tribute to lesser-known sci-fi films, such as "Tarantula" and "Triffids". "Doctor X", "Forbidden Planet", and "When Worlds Collide" also feature in the lyrics as memorable sci-fi films of the past. Jett's enthusiasm and sense of nostalgia for these movies comes across in the upbeat beat and infectious melody of the song, and the chorus becomes a rallying cry for all science fiction lovers: "Science Fiction, double feature, Doctor X will build a creature, see androids fighting Brad and Janet." The song creates a sense of unity and connection among sci-fi enthusiasts who have seen and loved these films.
Line by Line Meaning
Michael Rennie was ill
The singer of The Day the Earth Stood Still, Michael Rennie, is ill
The Day the Earth Stood Still
The title of the film in which Michael Rennie starred
But he told us where we stand
The singer, Michael Rennie, delivered a message that had a deep impact on the viewers of the film
And Flash Gordon was there
The artist of the film Flash Gordon was present in the scene
In silver underwear
Flash Gordon was wearing silver briefs
Claude Rains was the Invisible Man
Claude Rains played the role of the Invisible Man in the film with the same name
Then something went wrong
Something unexpected happened next in the sequence of events
For Fay Wray and King Kong
Fay Wray and King Kong were the main characters in the film King Kong
They got caught in a celluloid jam
The characters Fay Wray and King Kong got stuck in a film reel or a celluloid jam, which is a technical issue when projecting films
Then at a deadly pace
The plot became more intense and thrilling
It Came From Outer Space
The title of a science fiction film
This is how the message ran...
This is the basic plotline of the film It Came From Outer Space
Science fiction, double feature
The film is a science fiction movie that has more than one feature or storyline
Doctor X will build a creature
The film Doctor X will feature a scientist building a monster
See androids fighting Brad and Janet
The film will show robots battling the characters Brad and Janet
Anne Francis stars in Forbidden Planet
Anne Francis plays a major role in the science fiction film Forbidden Planet
At the late night, double feature, picture show
The artist is watching two science fiction films in a late night showing
I knew Leo G. Carroll
The singer was familiar with the actor Leo G. Carroll
Was over a barrel
The singer thought that Leo was in a difficult situation
When Tarantula took to the hills
The film Tarantula featured giant spiders that could climb up hills
And I really got hot
The artist became extremely excited
When I saw Janette Scott
The artist was interested in the actress Janette Scott
Fight a Triffid that spits poison and kills
The film features a plant-like monster called a Triffid that can shoot poison and kill people
Dana Andrews said prunes
The actor Dana Andrews spoke about his diet including prunes
Gave him the Runes
The consumption of prunes caused him some digestive issues
Passin' 'em used lots of skills
Passing stool after eating prunes required a lot of effort
And When Worlds Collide
The title of a science fiction film about two planets colliding
Said George Pal to his bride
George Pal, the director of the film, talked to his wife about the movie's plot
I'm gonna give you some terrible thrills
The film would contain thrilling and scary moments
Frank has built and lost his creature
The plot of the film features a character named Frank who creates a monster that he loses control of
Darkness has conquered Brad and Janet
The characters Brad and Janet are defeated by the forces of darkness
The servants gone to a distant planet
The plot of the film may involve some characters leaving the earth and traveling to a faraway planet
I wanna go
The artist is expressing their desire to watch the double feature
To the late night, double feature, picture show
The artist is referring to the late night film screening that features two science fiction films
In the back row
The singer wants to sit in the back row of the cinema
By RKO
RKO is a defunct American film production and distribution company that produced some of the films mentioned in the song.
Contributed by Andrew B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.