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 Drive Me Wild
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That's why I want you so bad when you're gone, yeah
Come on, come on and take me home
Please stay with me and don't you leave me alone
You drive me wild
Yeah yeah
You know you do
You drive me wild
You know I need you
You're on my mind always my one desire
Lets get together and build us a fire
Make me tremble make me shake
Pleasin' each other rockin' till daybreak
You drive me wild
Yeah yeah
You know you do
Uh huh
You drive me wild
You know I need you
You drive me wild
Yeah yeah
You know you do
Uh huh
You drive me wild
You know I need you
Don't hold off do it, I need your lovin'
I'm getting so hot I'm cooking like an oven
My head is all filled with crazy thoughts
Love like this just can't be bought
You drive me wild
Yeah yeah
You know you do
Uh huh
You drive me wild
You know I need you
In "You Drive Me Wild," Joan Jett and the Blackhearts express their wild passion for a lover who makes them feel ecstatic and alive. The chorus directly speaks about how the lover drives the singer wild and how they need them. The lyrics portray how the person turns them on so that even when they are not around, they keep thinking about them, and it is their one desire to be close to them. The singer is asking their love interest to take them home and stay with them because they don't want to be alone. A sense of urgency and obsession pervades the lyrics; the singer is imploring their lover to give in to their desire for them, to "do it" because they "need" their love.
The chorus "You drive me wild/Yeah yeah/You know you do" is repeated several times throughout the song, emphasizing the volatile and uncontrollable nature of their passion. The lyrics describe an intense physical relationship that consumes their thoughts and emotions. The singer wants to be with their love interest to the point of begging, and they can't get enough of their attention and affection. The imagery of "build us a fire" and "rockin' till daybreak" suggests a primal and fiery form of lovemaking that brings together two people into an intense, joyous, and life-affirming experience.
Line by Line Meaning
You know when you're close you really turn me on
When we're near each other, your presence has a strong effect on me, exciting and arousing me.
That's why I want you so bad when you're gone, yeah
Because of the way you affect me, I crave your presence when you're not around.
Come on, come on and take me home
Please invite me to your home so that I can be close to you and feel your presence.
Please stay with me and don't you leave me alone
I'm afraid of being alone without you, so please don't leave my side.
You drive me wild
Your effect on me is so strong that it drives me crazy.
Yeah yeah
You know you do
You're aware of the effect that you have on me and how much I desire you.
Uh huh
You know I need you
I'm not just attracted to you, but I also need you in my life and by my side.
You're on my mind always my one desire
I constantly think about you and you're the one thing I desire above all else.
Lets get together and build us a fire
Let's come together and create something passionate and intense between us.
Make me tremble make me shake
I want you to arouse and excite me to the point where I physically tremble and shake.
Pleasin' each other rockin' till daybreak
Let's satisfy each other's desires all night long and continue until the sun comes up.
Don't hold off do it, I need your lovin'
Please don't wait or hesitate, I need your love and affection now.
I'm getting so hot I'm cooking like an oven
My desire for you is heating up my body to the point where I feel like I'm on fire.
My head is all filled with crazy thoughts
You have me so consumed with desire that I can't stop thinking about you and what we could do together.
Love like this just can't be bought
Our connection and attraction to each other is priceless and can't be replicated or bought.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: JOAN JETT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind