Destination Jam: Air guitar to our Top 5 Joan Jett songs to celebrate the iconic female rockstar's birthday
It is a special day for Joan Jett, America's iconic female rock star and lead singer for Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, and earlier founding member of the Runaways. As we pay tribute to Jett on her birthday on Tuesday, September 22, we'd like to introduce you to some of her most beloved and recognizable songs in our Destination Jam playlist. Check out the top five Joan Jett & the Blackhearts songs below.
'I Love Rock N' Roll'
What better way to kick off this list with the song that boldly anthems what Jett is all about. 'I Love Rock N' Roll' remains a timeless classic and one of the singer's most popular songs. Originally, the song was written by Alan Merrill and Jake Hooker and first recorded by the Arrows in 1975. Jett's rendition blew up and even earned an induction into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2016. Apart from receiving platinum certification by the RIAA, Jett's 'I Love Rock N' Roll' became her highest-charting hit, taking the crown at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
If the song sounds familiar, you may have heard it featured in films, TV, and even video games such as 'The Covenant', the series 'Smallville', the popular video game 'Guitar Hero', and more. Britney Spears also covered the song in 2002 for her album 'Britney'.
'Love Hurts'
Before we continue rocking out to some more fire tunes by Jett and her band, we couldn't help but include one of their best slow jams. Although there may be a certain mushy element to this track, there is something about a hardcore rocker letting out emotive senses about relationships that can oftentimes be powerful. 'Love Hurts' plays out like a ballad but encapsulates the resilience and strength sometimes needed to endure in relationship difficulties with the crunch of distorted guitars, snappy drums, and Jett swelling the vocals with lyrics like "Some fools rave of happiness, blissfulness, togetherness. Some fools fool themselves, I guess. But they're not fooling me."
'I Hate Myself for Loving You'
If you want out of sentimental feelings and want to let loose to more uptempo tracks, this rock and roll thumper is your perfect solution. Kicking off with a booming beat and a music video that carries all the thunder and lightning of glorious '80s rock and roll, 'I Hate Myself for Loving You' is an epic arena rock number. Oh, and this upfront rock legend also had planned originally to give it a more promiscuous title, 'I Hate Myself Because I Can’t Get Laid' which got changed later to its current title.
'Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap'
You may want to turn up the volume on this track because the infectious 'Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap' fires on all cylinders. With hard-hitting distortion guitars, power drumming, and a thick, resounding chorus, the song dips into the sounds of heavy metal music. This track was originally written by AC/DC, but Jett's cover has all the satisfying elements to receive a nod from critically-minded listeners. Watch the music video for her rendition below.
'Bad Reputation'
We can't forget Joan Jett's very first, self-titled single from her debut album 'Bad Reputation'. A track that would see her growing from a teenage Runaway into a celebrated music luminary, 'Bad Reputation' took all the past, present, and future hate and embraced it in the spirit of rock and roll. With lyrics like, "Never said I wanted to improve my station. An' I'm only doin' good. While I'm havin' fun. An' I don't have to please no one. An' I don't give a damn. 'Bout my bad reputation," there is a special cheeky element to this track that fully speaks of the Joan Jett charm.
In 2009, it was named the 29th best hard rock song of all time by VH1, which is the highest-ranked song by a woman on the list.
Destination Jam is a daily list of songs that will keep you entertained and grooving up top in lieu of feeling drained and losing the plot. Look out for a fresh selection of great tunes from MEAWW to refresh your mood every day!