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
You're Too Possessive
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't want your lover's tips
I don't need your interrogations
Don't ask me 'bout my other relations
You're too possessive for me
So leave me alone, get off my back, go on home
You're too possessive for me
I come in late an' you throw a fit
You sit me down and give me some lip
Well, I don't have to waste my time
A wimp like you ain't worth a dime
You're too possessive for me
So leave me alone, get off my back, go on home
You're too possessive for me
So get out of my life, get off my back, I ain't your wife, no way, baby
Go away an' don't come back
I don't want my mirror cracked
Go and find somebody new
Got no time to mess with you
You're too possessive for me
So leave me alone, get off my back, go on home
You're too possessive for me
So get out of my life, get off my back, I ain't your wife
You're too possessive for me
So leave me alone, get off my back, go on home
You're too possessive for me
So get out of my life, get off my back, I ain't your wife, no way, baby
The lyrics of "You're Too Possessive" by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts is a catchy and upbeat tune about a woman who is tired of her controlling partner. She pleads to be set free from his possessive hold on her. She doesn't need someone who interrogates her or dictates who she sees. The lyrics suggest that she's had enough of her partner's constant monitoring of her whereabouts and accountability for her actions, which causes her to feel trapped.
The first verse of the song starts with "Let me out of your iron grip." which implies the control her partner has over her. She also says that she doesn't need her partner to give her tips on being a lover, signifying that she's already tired of his constant criticisms. The second verse suggests that her partner gets angry when she arrives late, indicating a sense of mistrust. Despite wanting to make it work, she can't continue with the relationship because he is too possessive, and she cannot handle it anymore.
Overall, the song's messages showcase solidarity and courage in standing up for oneself and taking control of one's life. It is a perfect anthem for those who value their independence and don't want to be trapped in a possessive relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Let me out of your iron grip
Please release me from your tight hold on me
I don't want your lover's tips
I do not want your advice on how to be a good lover
I don't need your interrogations
I do not need you to question me
Don't ask me 'bout my other relations
Please refrain from asking me about my relationships with others
You're too possessive for me
Your level of controlling behavior exceeds what I am comfortable with
So leave me alone, get off my back, go on home
Please allow me space, stop pestering me, and leave my presence
I come in late an' you throw a fit
You become angry when I arrive home later than expected
You sit me down and give me some lip
You scold me and talk back to me
Well, I don't have to waste my time
I do not have to put up with this behavior
A wimp like you ain't worth a dime
You, a weak and cowardly person, are not valuable to me
Go away an' don't come back
Please leave and do not return
I don't want my mirror cracked
I do not want you to break anything of mine
Go and find somebody new
Seek out another person to be possessive over
Got no time to mess with you
I do not have time to deal with your controlling ways
So get out of my life, get off my back, I ain't your wife
Please remove yourself from my life and stop treating me as if I belong to you
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind