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
Tube Talkin'
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She knows everything
And she's gonna
Tell on you
Oh yeah
We'll see about that
Yeah
I can't fake happy
I will not take delight
Conversationally
You bark you bark you bark you bark you bark you bite
You make me wanna stay at home every night
You're just tube talkin'
Again
I heard you talkin'
Again
You been talkin' up a storm
That you been drowning me in
Talkin' up a storm
That you been drowning me in
Oh yeah
Tube talkin' again
Don't wanna be your drive in movie
Turn myself from your silver screen
Oh yeah I trust you that's right
Maybe in your dreams
Your just tube talkin'
Again
I heard you talkin'
Again
You been talkin' up a storm
That you been drowning me in
Talkin' up a storm
That you been drowning me in
Oh yeah
Tube talkin' again
She said (oh yeah, we'll see about that)
She said (oh yeah, we'll see about that)
She said (she knows everything)
She said (oh yeah, we'll see about that)
She said (you bark you bark you bark)
Owww
You bark you bark you bark you bark you bark you bite
You make me wanna stay at home every night
You're just tube talkin'
Again
I heard you talkin'
Again
Na na na na na na
Na na na na na na
Tube talkin'
Tube talkin'
Again
You been talkin' up a storm
That you been drowning me in
Talkin' up a storm
That you been drowning me in
Oh yeah
Tube talkin'
Again
Oh yeah
Tube talkin'
Again
You bark you bark you bark
in' up a storm, but it's just tube talkin'.
In this song, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts are calling out a person who talks behind their back while enjoying the anonymity that comes with it. The song's message is about people who are not brave enough to confront you face-to-face, but are perfectly comfortable criticising you behind your back. This type of behaviour is not only disrespectful, but it can also be hurtful, which is why Jett expresses her disappointment and exhaustion with it.
The chorus of the song, "You're just tube talkin' again," is an ironic take on the phrase "water-cooler talk," which refers to the discussions employees have with each other in the office break room. Still, instead of having face-to-face conversations, these talks happen over the internet or TV. This kind of talk is superficial and doesn't lead to solutions, as Jett implies in the song.
Overall, Tube Talkin' is a critique on those who gossip or talk behind someone's back without any real purpose. Jett and the Blackhearts express their disappointment in these people and their lack of courage to confront problems head-on rather than hiding behind a screen.
Line by Line Meaning
She said
She, the person being talked about, made a statement
She knows everything
She claims to have full knowledge of all that has happened
And she's gonna
She intends to
Tell on you
Report or disclose all the details, to everyone else
Oh yeah
An expression that shows disbelief or sarcasm
We'll see about that
It remains to be seen if this claim is true
I cannot be polite
I can't act nice or agreeable
I can't fake happy
I can't pretend to be joyful or content
I will not take delight
I won't enjoy the conversation, or derive any pleasure from it
Conversationally
The discussion, conversation or talk
You bark you bark you bark you bark you bark you bite
You act aggressively, first with words, then physically
You make me wanna stay at home every night
You are such a nuisance that I do not want to go out or socialize with anyone
You're just tube talkin'
You're gossiping, spreading rumors or talking about meaningless things
Again
This is not the first time you've done this
I heard you talkin'
Overheard your conversation
You been talkin' up a storm
You have been talking incessantly, with little or no pause
That you been drowning me in
You've been overwhelming me with your constant chatter
Don't wanna be your drive in movie
I don't want to be the passive spectator of your life
Turn myself from your silver screen
I refuse to be part of your movie of life, where you're the star and everyone else is just an extra
Oh yeah I trust you that's right
Irrespective of what you think, I don't trust you at all
Maybe in your dreams
This is a thing that can only happen in your imagination or when you're asleep
Na na na na na na
The sound used for expression of displeasure, refusal or disbelief
Tube talkin'
A reference to the kind of gossip that happens through a media channel like television or social media
Contributed by Jordan N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.