|
All news is attributed to the source from which it was received so that readers may judge the validity of the statements for themselves.
Have Joan Jett news to report? Email us at jettfc@aol.com, and please include the source of the information so it can be validated.
JOAN JETT dishes on her biggest hit
from: chron.com
by KEN HOFFMAN
I always have fun hearing the stories behind great rock 'n' roll songs.
So when I heard that JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS were performing at
Sam Houston Race Park last Saturday night, I went early and rattled her
ears with questions.
Tell me everything about I Love Rock 'n' Roll.
I Love Rock 'n' Roll spent seven weeks as No. 1 on Billboards Hot 100
chart in 1982. The 45 single (history lesson to follow) sold more than
2 million copies. The video played endlessly on a new cable TV channel
called MTV. It's No. 56 on Billboards Top Songs of All Time.
...of All Time.
I Love Rock 'n' Roll got Jetts solo career rolling, and more than a
quarter-century later, it's still the song her fans scream for in
concert.
Todays kids love rock 'n' roll, too, because Jett's greatest hit is
included in the Guitar Hero video game.
"A lot of people think I wrote that song, but its a cover. I heard it,
actually, in England in 1975 when I was in the RUNAWAYS, my first band.
We were an all-girl band on tour. I believe I first heard it on a TV
show," Jett said.
I Love Rock n Roll was recorded by the Arrows and was written by band
members Alan Merrill and Jake Hooker. There is a video of the Arrows
performing I Love Rock 'n' Roll on www.youtube.com. One reason the song wasn't a hit for the Arrows -- it was released as the B-side of one of their singles.
"People don't know what a B-side is anymore," she said. "When we used
to make 45 rpm singles, there were two sides, the A-side and the
B-side. For you kids out there, the B-side was the flip side, the other
side, the song that wasn't meant for radio."
Jett, now 50, is in remarkable physical shape. Her hair is JOAN JETT
black. During her concert at the Showgrounds at Sam Houston Race Park,
she was soaked with sweat and no body parts were loose and hanging.
Nothing jiggled. She looked and moved like a total rock star.
Her best friend and songwriting partner KENNY LAGUNA produced the
song. Twenty-three record companies rejected Jett's demo of the song.
Eventually she signed with a small label called Boardwalk Records. Jett
had her first solo single. But she was selling records out of the trunk
of her car after concerts.
"I thought it was a smash when I recorded it. But it did very little at
first. It was what you'd call a groundswell song. Fans started
requesting the song. This was back in the day when radio took requests
and jocks actually listened. So I have to thank the fans for it
becoming a hit, too."
Jett bought the radio rights to I Love Rock 'n' Roll for $2,500. Her
investment paid off in millions.
Jett made a video for I Love Rock 'n' Roll. The black-and-white video
was perfect for MTV, defiant and loud, and it played around the clock.
After her concert Saturday night at the Showgrounds at Sam Houston Race
Park, fans were still singing about rock 'n' roll long after she left
the stage. It's hard to get out of your head.
She remembers the first time she heard I Love Rock 'n' Roll on the
radio.
"It's something that is so amazing, there's no describing it. I still
get a kick when something of ours comes on the radio. I turn it up loud
-- it's great. I feel blessed that I am part of something that so many
people love."
Her second hit single was the old Tommy James hit, Crimson and Clover.
"I always loved Tommy James and the Shondells, and we'd fool around
with Crimson and Clover during rehearsal. One day, Kenny said, 'If you
like the song so much, why dont you do it?' He sort of knew the song,
since he was in the group."
Todays trivia: Who is the only person to be named Time Magazines
Man of the Year three different times?
Correction: Last week, this column got the date wrong for an upcoming
Big Brothers Big Sisters event. Here is the correct information:
Big Brothers Big Sisters will have a party 1-4 p.m. May 30 at Discovery
Green. There will be tons of fun and games. Adults and kids currently
involved in the program will serve as hosts, and grown-ups and children
looking for a match are invited. Everything is free. Click on
www.gobighouston.org.
|
| |
This Week:
No shows scheduled this week.
Click on the LIVE DATES link for upcoming shows |
Item Of The Month:
|
