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 Don
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm not just one of your many toys,
You don't own me
Don't say I can't go with other boys
And don't tell me what to do,
And don't tell me what to say,
And please when I go out with you,
You don't own me ,
Don't try to change me in any way,
You don't own me,
Don't tie me down cause I'll never stay,
I don't tell you what to say,
I don't tell you what to do,
So just let me be myself,
That's all I ask of you,
[Repeat: x2]
I'm young and I love to be young,
I'm free and I love to be free,
To live my life the way I want,
To say and do whatever I please.
[Repeat: x2]
No no, you don't own me...you don't own me, you don't own me
We're young and we love to be young, you dont own me
The lyrics to "You Don't Own Me" by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts are about a woman who is fed up with being controlled by her partner. She asserts her independence and refuses to be treated like a possession, making it clear that she won't tolerate being told what to do or who she can spend time with. She wants to be able to make her own choices and live her life the way she wants.
The song is truly empowering for anyone who has ever felt suffocated or suppressed in a relationship. It is a powerful message of self-determination and self-worth, encouraging individuals to stand up for themselves and their right to make their own decisions.
In addition to its empowering message, "You Don't Own Me" has become an iconic feminist anthem over the years. The song has been covered by various artists, including Lesley Gore, who originally recorded the song in 1963, and Grace featuring G-Eazy, whose cover was featured in a 2015 advertisement for a women's clothing line.
Line by Line Meaning
You don't own me
I refuse to be your possession
I'm not just one of your many toys,
I am not an object for you to play with and discard
Don't say I can't go with other boys
I am not limited by your rules or beliefs
And don't tell me what to do,
I am capable of making my own decisions
And don't tell me what to say,
I have the power to express myself
And please when I go out with you,
I expect you to treat me with respect and equality
Don't put me on display,
I am not an object for you to flaunt or showcase
Don't try to change me in any way,
I am an individual with my own beliefs and values
Don't tie me down cause I'll never stay,
I value my freedom and will not be held captive
So just let me be myself,
I am unique and deserve to be allowed to express that
That's all I ask of you,
To respect and accept me for who I am
I'm young and I love to be young,
I am still growing and changing, and that excites me
I'm free and I love to be free,
I thrive on not being limited or restricted
To live my life the way I want,
I have the right to live my life as I see fit
To say and do whatever I please.
I will not be silenced or told what to do by anyone else
No no, you don't own me...you don't own me, you don't own me
I am my own person and will not be controlled
We're young and we love to be young, you dont own me
We are a collective group of individuals who do not want to be owned or oppressed
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: David White, John Madara
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mister Itchy
I have never heard a bad version of this song and this is no exception. Joan Jett rocks!
Serena Y M
@user-qx7hb9fl2x Klaus Nomi's version is quite good too.
Dianne Carpenter
Thank you, Joan Jett for all your music.
Cool, hot and spot-on rockin’
You rock !!
🎤🎸🎵🥁
Life is better with music.
Carol Jones
Absolutley awesome. I love her voice!!! 💞🌹💞🎶🎶🎶🎶
Roderick Ray Rutledge
Lesie Gore was an angel for women's rights. 🙏♥️. Thank you Joan for doing this song so well.
taija saksa
fan since 1982.. i love joan jetts voice
Tanja
🎸 The best of our generation....Kids today don't~ won't understand 🎸 JOAN JETT IS THE BOSS LADY 🎸
Jordan Fehr
I'm 21 and I thought that that was obvious to anyone
Just Kendry
I'm 15 and I just started to love Joan 🔥
Tami Noll
"Kids today" is such a dated term. "Kids today" are open to so many music genres. I was 15 when I got into her music. That was 2008. I was "Kids today" when I learned to appreciate her and also the runaways.