The Story Behind the 1980s Hit That Turned Joan Jett Into a Legend

You don’t even really have to know Joan Jett to know “I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll”. The song is just a standard phrase. We basically come into the world knowing it at this point. But there was a time when Jett wasn’t the legend we know her as today, and this track was a shocking No. 1. Learn more about how Jett came to be the effective owner of this hit and how it impacted her career.

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How Joan Jett Got Ahold of “I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll”

Jett wasn’t the writer of this song, nor was she the first to perform it. Instead, that honor belongs to English rockers The Arrows, consisting of songwriters Alan Merrill and Jake Hooker.

“That was a knee-jerk response to the Rolling Stones’ ‘It’s Only Rock ‘N’ Roll’,” Merrill once said of writing this song. “I had the chorus, which to me sounded like a hit.”

He would’ve been correct. Though The Arrows didn’t earn massive fame with this song, it did prove them successful songwriters once Jett got a hold of it. While on tour with The Runaways, Jett saw The Arrows deliver this rough-and-tumble track. A little while later, she found herself in the position to record it, thanks to collaborator Kenny Laguna.

Joan Jett’s Record Label

Record labels were not kind to Jett. She struggled to find footing anywhere. In the end, she and Laguna had to be their own label very early in her career. Once they founded Blackheart Records, this song was able to get its flowers.

This track soared to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, proving all those years of championing this song were worth it. Jett once recognized that moment as a pivotal one for her career.

“Knowing that the momentum was moving forward was big, and then when it hit number one…I did not know that I had ever felt that I had made it,” Jett once said. “Because once you make it once, you have to make it again. I would have to prove it every time. We were indie and forced to be indie; we wanted to sign with a big label, but nobody wanted me. I kept all the letters so we have proof; all 23 majors and minors heard them, and everybody passed.”

“But when ‘I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll’ hit number one, that would have to be my moment, because we did this with our own blood, sweat, and tears,” she added.

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