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
Time Has Come Today
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Young hearts can go their way
Can't put it off another day
And I don't care what the others say
'Cause they say we don't listen anyway
Time has come today, Hey!
The rules have changed today, Hey!
And I'm thinkin' about the subway, Hey!
Love has gone away, Hey!
And tears have come and gone, Hey!
Oh my God, I have to run, Hey!
I have no home, Hey!
I have no home, Hey!
Now the time has come, Time!
There's no place to run, Time!
Might get burned up by the sun, Time!
Well, I've had my fun, Time!
Well, I've been loved and put aside, Time!
And I've been crushed by tumblin' tide, Time!
And my soul's be psychedelicized, Time!
Now the time has come, Time!
There are things to realize, Time!
Time has come today, Time!
Time has come today, Time!
Time!
Now the time has come, Time!
There are things to realize, Time!
Time has come today, Time!
Time has come today, Time!
Time!
Now the time has come, Time!
Time has come today, Time!
Time has come today, Yeah!
In the song "Time Has Come Today," Joan Jett and the Blackhearts sing about the inevitability of change and the passing of time. The song begins with the declaration that the time to move on has come and that young hearts should leave behind any obstacles and pursue their own paths. The lyrics suggest that the singer is uninterested in the opinions of others who claim that young people don't listen.
As the song progresses, the theme of change continues, as the singer acknowledges that love has gone away, and tears have come and gone. In this section of the song, the singer's pleas become more urgent as they express their need to run away and their lack of a home.
The chorus of the song speaks to the inescapable nature of time and the need to face the changes that come with it. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts warn listeners that there is nowhere to run as time marches on and that they may feel burned up by the intensity of change. The song concludes with the repetition of the chorus, emphasizing the importance of recognizing that the time has come for acceptance and action.
Overall, "Time Has Come Today" is a powerful message about embracing change and being willing to make difficult choices in spite of uncertainty or fear.
Line by Line Meaning
Time has come today
It is time for a change in life
Young hearts can go their way
Young people should follow their dreams
Can't put it off another day
It is not wise to delay important decisions
And I don't care what the others say
I won't let others' opinions dictate my choices
'Cause they say we don't listen anyway
Others think we won't listen regardless of what they say
The rules have changed today, Hey!
Things are different today, and new rules apply
I have no place to stay, Hey!
I have nowhere to go
And I'm thinkin' about the subway, Hey!
I am considering taking the subway to get away
Love has gone away, Hey!
Love has ended
And tears have come and gone, Hey!
I have cried and moved on from those tears
Oh my God, I have to run, Hey!
I have to run from what is happening in my life
I have no home, Hey!
I am homeless
Now the time has come, Time!
The time for change has arrived
There's no place to run, Time!
There is nowhere to hide from the consequences of my decisions
Might get burned up by the sun, Time!
I might get hurt or experience difficulties
Well, I've had my fun, Time!
I have enjoyed myself up until now
Well, I've been loved and put aside, Time!
I have experienced love and heartbreak
And I've been crushed by tumblin' tide, Time!
Life has knocked me down several times
And my soul's be psychedelicized, Time!
My soul has been through a lot and changed because of it
There are things to realize, Time!
There are important things to understand
Time has come today, Time!
The time for change is now
Time!
The passing of time
Time has come today, Yeah!
The time for change is here, and it is welcomed
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Joseph Lamar Chambers, Willie Mack Chambers
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind