Few rock songs are as on the nose as Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll.” Despite that, it has become an enduring anthem in the genre and a powerful statement of female empowerment to boot.
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There’s no doubt what the definitive version of this record is. Jett’s rendition is the most famous bar none. But, did you know that she didn’t pen the track herself? Meet the man who wrote “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll,” below.
Meet the Writers
Many people think of “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” as a Joan Jett original. Despite her rendition being undoubtedly the most popular, it was actually written and recorded by a U.K.-based group, Arrows – specifically vocalist Alan Merrill.
The group released the track as a single in 1975. Jett then saw them perform the track while overseas and subsequently recorded “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” for herself.
The song is credited to both Merrill and guitarist Jake Hooker, but only the frontman lent his songwriting prowess to the song. The additional writing credit for Hooker was payment for the guitarist paying Merrill’s airfare back home to England from Japan.
“Jake won the lottery with that air ticket,” Merrill told Guitar World, shortly before his death in 2020.
The group originally intended the song to act as a B-side to another, more profitable track. Little did they know, just a few years later Jett would launch the song into international fame with her version.
Since Jett’s version in 1981, countless artists have recorded the track. According to Merrill, while he loves Jett’s version, it isn’t his favorite of the lot.
“Everyone knows Joan’s version of ‘Rock ’n’ Roll,’ but ironically that wasn’t the one that made me a lot of money,” he continued in the same Guitar World interview. “I do think Joan did a great job on it, but I think maybe my favorite is L.A. Guns’ take. There are so many covers out there that I probably haven’t even heard half of them – but I’m glad I wrote it!”
History of the Band
Arrows had a short-lived career. The band – Merrill, Hooker, Paul Varley, and Terry Taylor – banded together in 1974. Along with “Rock ‘n’ Roll,” the group had a couple of hit singles of their own in the U.K., namely, “Touch Too Much” and “My Last Night with You.”
To help bolster their career, the band had a weekly television show titled Arrows. The show ran from 1976 to 1977. They are the only band to have had two 14-week broadcasts while releasing zero records. The lack of music released was a result of a rift between the band’s manager, Ian Wright, and their producer, Mickie Most.
“We thought our management could force his hand to put records out, but the management was cowed by Mickie and his partner, Peter Grant,” Merrill once explained to Songfacts. “Our manager was impotent against Mickie, and as a result we had a TV series with no records out.
“People would go, ‘They had their own TV series and they didn’t have any hits,'” he continued. “Well, you can’t have any hit records if you don’t have anything out. That was how Mickie told off the band for disrespecting him and taking on management when he said we shouldn’t.”
The band called it quits in 1977, forcing Merrill to move on to other musical pursuits. In addition to his tenure in Arrows, Merill played with Rick Derringer, Meat Loaf, and shared several solo projects. Merrill died on March 29, 2020, of COVID-19 complications.
“The Coronavirus took my father this morning,” Laura Merrill wrote on Facebook at the time of his death (per Billboard). “I was given 2 minutes to say my goodbyes before I was rushed out. He seemed peaceful and as I left was still a glimmer of hope that he wouldn’t be a ticker on the right-hand side of the CNN/Fox News screen.
“I walked 50 blocks home still with hope in my heart,” she continued. “The city that I knew was empty. I felt I was the only person here and perhaps in many ways I was. By the time I got in the doors to my apartment, I received the news that he was gone.”
(Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
I wonder how much money was made from the Sunday Night Football intro?