I Know That Song! The One She Refused To Play At Her Induction Ceremony

Keep track of the songs thru the week and then on Friday call in to name the 5 songs and their common theme to win a $25 Jersey Mike’s gift card

This legend’s solo career looked like it was destined to be a dud after her band, ‘The Runaways’ fell apart, but everything broke wide open with the release of this song in 1981, which was originally recorded by a British group called The Arrows in 1975

After the breakup of HER band, she reformed with a group called the Blackhearts and assembled a set list of songs that were all about having fun and not making anyone think too hard, she explained, "I love the whole style of early '70s glitter music...The stories in the songs aren't really too hard to understand. Who wants to think for a million years what a song's about? I can't enjoy music if I have to sit there and figure it out. I like it to be simple. Nice little songs that people can understand and identify with."

This chick couldn't get arrested just mere months before the release of this song, she suddenly found herself with a massive hit on her hands. The song soared up the charts, hitting No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and she was suddenly off and running as a solo artist.

In the original version, the lyrics are about a guy picking up a young girl and taking her home, which was fairly typical rock and roll subject matter. But when she released HER version, it became a song about a girl who notices a guy next to a jukebox and picks HIM up. 

Other hit songs like "Physical" by Olivia Newton John and "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" by Pat Benatar also had similar overtones, but today’s singer overtly sang about pursuing the guy, which for many women made this a female-empowerment anthem. This song helped shape her image as a tough, confident rock star and became an inspiration to many female musicians.

A 2010 movie about the Runaways, starring Kristen Stewart as today’s singer, brought some much deserved, and long overdue recognition, for her contributions to music, but the ultimate honor came in 2015 when she, and her band, were finally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

This song seems like a perfect fit for a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame performance, but when she was inducted in 2015, she didn't play the song. Although it is by far her biggest hit, she has repeatedly downplayed this song throughout her career, typically performing it in the middle of sets while using "Bad Reputation" and "I Hate Myself For Loving You" as bookends.

These days, the New York-based star spends eight months of the year on the road with the Blackhearts and will be at Spirit Mountain Casino on Friday, September 3rd.

Joan Jett and The Blackhearts...I Love Rock and Roll...I Know That Song


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