The Runaways, created to be the female version of the Ramones, featured both Lita Ford and Joan Jett. Despite being big in Japan and recording a Rock version of Martha and the Vandella’s “Nowhere To Run,” the Runaways didn’t live up to expectations.
Jett fared far better fronting The Blackhearts.
Like The Pretender’s Chrissie Hynde, Jett was neither victim nor fool. Dressed in black leather she was a force to be reckoned with.
While Jett was a songwriter, she also had great success with covers, Naturally, the original’s groove got jacked up.
She suggestively rocked Gary Glitter’s “Do You Wanna Touch Me.” For Tommy James & the Shondells’ 60’s hit “Crimson And Clover” Jett gave it a harder edge while still retaining the ethereal feeling. The ’82 release went to #7 on the Billboard Hot 100.
One of her best was “I Hate Myself For Loving You.” Not only was this a great guitar driven track it also showed off Jett’s raw-passion vocals.
The song was reworked into “Waiting All Day For Sunday Night” to open the NFL’s Sunday night games.
Of course, her signature song was “I Love Rock And Roll.” Jett saw The Arrows perform the song on their weekly TV series while she was touring England with The Runaways. Her version, backed by the Sex Pistols’ Steve Jones and Paul Cook, went nowhere. But three years later Jett took another stab at the song with the Blackhearts. “I Love Rock n’ Roll” went on to top the Billboard Hot 100 becoming the band’s only #1.
In the ‘90s, Jett joined her former Runaway bandmates in a suit over unpaid royalties from producer Kim Foley and Polygram Records.
After an extended hiatus, Jett (and the Blackhearts) returned in ’06, with “Sinner,” featuring the anti-Bush single “Riddles.”
Once the pandemic lifted (in ’22) Jett & The Blackhearts joined Mötley Crüe and Def Leppard on The Stadium Tour which grossed a total of $173.5 million with 1.3 million tickets sold for 36 tour dates.
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