One of my first music video viewing experiences was “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts. In the grainy black and white video, Jett strikes quite a pose with her fierce snarl and all-leather outfit. Where fellow female rocker Pat Benatar hit a sassier & sexier tone, Jett was all punk and attitude. By this time in her career, Jett was already a music veteran due to her time with the teen girl punk rockers “The Runaways.” Along with Lita Ford and Cherie Curry, Jett was the most successful breakout star from the short-lived group. After forming her backup band, “The Blackhearts,” she struck pay dirt in 1981 with one of the great rock anthems of the 1980s.
“I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” is the title track from her second solo album and first with “The Blackhearts.” The song is actually a cover first recorded by British rock group “The Arrows,” But it was Jett’s version that sent the song into the stratosphere. And Jett had a magnetic, bold presence that was a perfect fit for early MTV. The video was released in late 1981, just as the fledgling music network was starved for content. And Jett was more than happy to oblige, creating a tough image that showed she could rock out just as hard and fierce as her male counterparts.
The music video is a grainy black and white affair, with Jett and her band jamming in a dingy dive bar. The clip is intercut with her and “The Blackhearts” lip-synching around the bar’s corner jukebox. There’s not much behind-the-scenes information on the now 41-year-old video, and I couldn’t track down the director. There was a report that the clip was originally shot in color, but Jett didn’t like the bright color of her outfit and had it converted to black and white. I’m glad the change was made as the low-budget, grimy look highlights the song’s hard-charging nature.
Joan Jett, like Pat Benatar, would become one of the early MTV era stars, leaving a long legacy of stylish, trend-setting videos. And Joan Jett remains one of the most iconic female rockers, influencing future generations with her amazing talent. Her life story is one to research, as it features a woman who pulled herself up by the bootstraps and paved her road to success. I highly suggest checking out the 2010 film biopic “The Runaways,” which stars Kristen Stewart as a young, ambitious Jett (along with Dakota Fanning as Cherie Curry).
Check out the video below and let me know your thoughts in the comments section.