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
Summertime Blues
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I'm gonna raise a holler
About workin' all summer
Just tryin' to earn a dollar
Well, I went to my boss
That governs me
He said "No, dice, bud
You gotta work late!"
Sometime I wonder
What I'm ever gonnna do
Well there ain't no cure
For the summertime blues
Well, my mom and papa told me
Now you better earn some money
If one of you is gonna go
Ridin' next Sunday
Well, I didn't go to work
I told my boss I was sick
He said, "You can't use the car
'Cause you didn't work a lick"
Sometime I wonder
What I'm ever gonnna do
Well there ain't no cure
For the summertime blues
Gonna save two weeks
Gonna have a fine vacation
Gonna take my problem
To the United Nations
Well, I went to my Congressman
He sent me back a note
It said, "I'd like to help you, hon
But you're too young to vote"
Sometime I wonder
What I'm ever gonnna do
Now there ain't no cure
For the summertime blues
Now there ain't no cure
For the summertime blues
Now there ain't no cure
For the summertime blues
The lyrics of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts' "Summertime Blues" convey the frustration of a young person who is eager to enjoy their summer break but can't seem to escape the responsibilities of work. The song starts with the singer announcing that they are going to "raise a fuss" and "raise a holler" because they have been working all summer just to earn a dollar. They approach their boss to ask for a break and are met with a refusal. The singer is left feeling helpless and wonders how they will ever find relief from their situation.
The second verse reveals that the singer's parents advise them to earn some money so that they can go for a ride the following Sunday. The singer decides not to go to work and tells their boss they are sick. The boss, however, is not fooled and denies them the use of the car since they did not work. The singer is left with the same feeling of helplessness and wonders how they will escape the "summertime blues."
Overall, the song captures the monotony and frustration that can come with obligations during the summer, whether it be work or other responsibilities. It speaks to those who are looking to have a fun, carefree summer but find themselves unable to do so due to external pressures.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I'm gonna raise a fuss
I am going to make a big commotion
And I'm gonna raise a holler
And I will shout loudly
About workin' all summer
Because I have been working all summer
Just tryin' to earn a dollar
Only to earn a few bucks
Well, I went to my boss
So I went to talk to my boss
That governs me
Who is in charge of me
He said "No, dice, bud
He said "Sorry, not gonna happen, friend
You gotta work late!"
You have to work overtime!
Sometime I wonder
Sometimes I am curious
What I'm ever gonnna do
What I am going to do
Well there ain't no cure
But, unfortunately, there is no remedy
For the summertime blues
For the feeling of unhappiness in the summertime
Well, my mom and papa told me
My parents told me
Now you better earn some money
That I needed to make some money
If one of you is gonna go
If one of you wants to go
Ridin' next Sunday
Riding bikes on Sunday
Well, I didn't go to work
I did not go to work
I told my boss I was sick
I informed my boss that I was ill
He said, "You can't use the car
He replied, "You cannot use the car
'Cause you didn't work a lick"
Since you have not worked at all."
Gonna save two weeks
I am going to save up for two weeks
Gonna have a fine vacation
So I can have a great vacation
Gonna take my problem
I will take my issue
To the United Nations
To the United Nations
Well, I went to my Congressman
So I went to see my Congressman
He sent me back a note
He sent me a response
It said, "I'd like to help you, hon
It read, "I would like to assist you, hon
But you're too young to vote"
But you are too young to vote."
Now there ain't no cure
So, unfortunately, there is no solution
For the summertime blues
For the feeling of unhappiness in the summertime
Now there ain't no cure
So, unfortunately, there is no remedy
For the summertime blues
For the feeling of unhappiness in the summertime
Now there ain't no cure
So, unfortunately, there is no solution
For the summertime blues
For the feeling of unhappiness in the summertime
Contributed by Savannah D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.