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
Victim of Circumstance
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You better move your ass
Or we'll really get rough
I never wanted trouble
But I sure got enough
I'm bad at bein' subtle
But I ain't that tough, no
Didn't you know
Just a victim of circumstance
Doesn't it show
I'm just a victim of circumstance
Wherever I go
Just a victim of bad reputation
I go no chance of shakin'
Really gets you down when you don't belong
An' everyone around says you growed up wrong
But why do they resent it, I ain't doin' anything
They say that I'm demented an' I never could sing
Then everywhere I went I caused them such alarm
You know I never meant to cause anybody harm, no
Just a victim of circumstance
Didn't you know
Just a victim of circumstance
Doesn't it show
I'm just a victim of circumstance
Wherever I go
Just a victim of bad reputation
I go no chance of shakin'
I've been laughed at, I've been shut out
But let there be no doubt
Never been afraid of chances I been takin'
The police are waitin' when the sun came up
You better move your ass
Or we'll really get rough
I never wanted trouble
But I sure get enough
I'm bad at bein' subtle
But I ain't that tough, no
Just a victim of circumstance
Didn't you know
Just a victim of circumstance
Doesn't it show
I'm just a victim of circumstance
Wherever I go
Just a victim of bad reputation
I go no chance of shakin'
The song "Victim of Circumstance" by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts is a testimony of the artist's struggles with society's expectations and the misunderstandings that come along the way. The lyrics revolve around the idea that circumstances beyond one's control can lead to a bad reputation, trouble with the law and feelings of isolation. Jett describes how the police are waiting for her when she wakes up and how she has to constantly move to avoid getting into more trouble. She doesn't wish for any kind of conflict, but it seems to follow her wherever she goes.
Jett also reflects on how people who don't understand her often criticize her, making her feel like she doesn't belong in society. She feels like she has been unfairly judged, and her bad reputation precedes her wherever she goes, leaving her with no chance of shaking it off. The song is a reminder that people should not be too quick to judge others because we never know the circumstances behind their actions.
Line by Line Meaning
The police were waitin' when the sun came up
The police were present when Joan Jett woke up in the morning and she was warned to leave or face severe consequences.
You better move your ass
She must leave immediately to avoid getting in trouble with the police.
Or we'll really get rough
If she does not comply, the police will become aggressive.
I never wanted trouble
Joan Jett had no intention of causing any issues.
But I sure got enough
Despite her intentions, she always finds herself in trouble.
I'm bad at bein' subtle
Joan Jett is not very good at hiding her true feelings or intentions.
But I ain't that tough, no
Despite her rebellious image, Joan Jett is not as tough as she appears to be.
Just a victim of circumstance
Joan Jett is not responsible for her misfortunes because her situation is beyond her control.
Didn't you know
She is asking if the listener is aware of her situation.
Doesn't it show
Her circumstances are evident and can be seen by others.
Wherever I go
No matter where Joan Jett travels, her fate remains the same.
Just a victim of bad reputation
Due to her image, people automatically assume she is up to no good.
I go no chance of shakin'
Joan Jett cannot escape her reputation or the consequences of her actions.
Really gets you down when you don't belong
It can be depressing and isolating when you feel like an outsider.
An' everyone around says you growed up wrong
People have judged Joan Jett for her choices and actions, regardless of whether they were right or wrong.
But why do they resent it, I ain't doin' anything
Joan Jett does not understand why people resent her, especially when she is not doing anything wrong.
They say that I'm demented an' I never could sing
Despite her talent, people criticize Joan Jett's singing abilities and label her as crazy.
Then everywhere I went I caused them such alarm
No matter where she goes, Joan Jett's reputation precedes her and causes others to be scared or suspicious of her.
You know I never meant to cause anybody harm, no
Joan Jett did not intend to harm anyone or cause any trouble, despite how her actions were perceived.
I've been laughed at, I've been shut out
Joan Jett has been rejected and ridiculed by others.
But let there be no doubt
Despite the rejection she has faced, Joan Jett is still confident in herself and her abilities.
Never been afraid of chances I been takin'
Joan Jett has never been afraid to take risks, no matter the consequences.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: JOAN JETT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind