10 Most Rocking Joan Jett Songs

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Joan Jett, born Joan Marie Larkin on September 22, 1958, built one of rock and roll’s toughest careers through talent, persistence, and a refusal to accept the limits other people tried to place on her. After helping launch The Runaways as a teenager, she moved into a solo career with longtime collaborator Kenny Laguna and eventually formed Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. The records that followed mixed punk attitude, hard rock, glam, pop hooks, and Jett’s unmistakable voice into a sound that never needed anyone’s permission.

This list celebrates 10 of Joan Jett’s most rocking songs, from classics that helped define her career to newer material that proves the fire never went away. Nearly her entire catalog could qualify, but these tracks capture the energy, attitude, hooks, and raw rock and roll spirit that have always made Joan Jett such a force. From The Runaways songs she reclaimed to huge Blackhearts hits and soundtrack favorites, every entry here sounds like it belongs turned up loud.

# 10 – If You’re Blue – Mindsets

“If You’re Blue” opens Joan Jett and the Blackhearts’ 2023 EP Mindsets with the kind of distorted guitar attack that has always defined the band. The six-song EP, produced by Joan Jett, Kenny Laguna, and Thom Panunzio, marks the group’s first release of new original music since the acoustic project Changeup. Jett’s vocals still carry the same mix of snarl and encouragement that made her early records so direct. The song pushes against isolation and defeat without softening the band’s punk-rock edge. Starting this list with something this recent reminds you that Joan Jett never became a nostalgia act.

# 9 – Cherry Bomb – Glorious Results of a Misspent Youth

“Cherry Bomb” began as one of The Runaways’ defining songs in 1976, but Joan Jett reclaimed it with the Blackhearts on the 1984 album Glorious Results of a Misspent Youth. The new recording gave the song a heavier 1980s attack without losing the rebellious attitude of the original. Jett’s vocal sounds tougher and more experienced, turning a teenage anthem into a statement from an artist who had survived the industry and built her own career. The album version was produced during sessions involving Kenny Laguna and several other producers across New York studios. Few songs connect Jett’s Runaways past and Blackhearts identity as perfectly as “Cherry Bomb.”

# 8 – I Love Playin’ With Fire – Album

“I Love Playin’ With Fire” on Joan Jett and the Blackhearts’ 1983 Album is another song that reaches back to Jett’s years with The Runaways. Jett and Kenny Laguna are the credited writers of this re-recorded version, which brings the song into the tougher Blackhearts sound of the early 1980s. The official release uses the title spelling “I Love Playin’ With Fire.” Jett’s vocal and rhythm guitar keep the track lean and aggressive while the band drives underneath her with very little wasted motion. It is exactly the kind of straight-ahead rock song that explains why Album remains one of the strongest records in her catalog.

# 7 – Crimson and Clover – I Love Rock ‘n Roll

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts turned Tommy James and the Shondells’ “Crimson and Clover” into one of the biggest hits of Jett’s career. The recording appeared on the 1981 album I Love Rock ‘n Roll and kept much of the original song’s dreamy atmosphere while adding Jett’s rougher vocal and guitar edge. Her performance never treats the song like a museum piece because the Blackhearts make it sound completely at home beside the album’s harder material. Released as a single in 1982, Jett’s version reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100. It remains one of the best examples of her ability to take a familiar song and make it sound unmistakably like Joan Jett.

# 6 – A.C.D.C. – Sinner

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts brought “A.C.D.C.” into the 2000s on the 2006 album Sinner. Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman wrote the song for Sweet, whose original appeared in the glam-rock era that influenced Jett so heavily. Kenny Laguna produced Jett’s version, which strips the song down into a harder and more punk-driven attack. The playful lyric and pounding rhythm fit Jett’s voice naturally, making the cover sound more like part of her own catalog than a borrowed glam-rock track. The song is a perfect example of how Jett can reach backward into her influences while still sounding completely contemporary.

# 5 – I Love Rock ‘n Roll – I Love Rock ‘n Roll

“I Love Rock ‘n Roll” is the song that turned Joan Jett and the Blackhearts into worldwide stars. Alan Merrill and Jake Hooker wrote and recorded the original with The Arrows in the 1970s, and Jett first cut the song in 1979 with Steve Jones and Paul Cook before recording the famous Blackhearts version for her 1981 album. Kenny Laguna and Ritchie Cordell produced the hit recording, built around one of the simplest and most unforgettable guitar riffs in rock history. The single spent seven weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1982. Decades later, it remains impossible to separate the song from Joan Jett’s voice, attitude, leather-jacket image, and absolute love of rock and roll.

# 4 – Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah) – Bad Reputation

“Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah)” was recorded during the sessions for Joan Jett’s first solo album and later became another major hit after the success of I Love Rock ‘n Roll. Gary Glitter and Mike Leander wrote the song, while Kenny Laguna and Ritchie Cordell produced Jett’s recording. Her version appeared on the album originally released independently as Joan Jett in 1980 and retitled Bad Reputation for its 1981 reissue. Released as a single in 1982, Jett’s recording reached number twenty on the Billboard Hot 100. The stomping rhythm and her commanding vocal make it one of the records that helped define the early Joan Jett sound.

# 3 – I Hate Myself for Loving You – Up Your Alley

“I Hate Myself for Loving You” brought Joan Jett and the Blackhearts roaring back into the Top 10 in 1988. Jett and Desmond Child wrote the song, while Child and Kenny Laguna produced the recording for Up Your Alley. Former Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor contributes the blazing guitar solo, adding another layer of fire to an already hard-hitting track. The single reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and became Jett’s first Top 10 pop hit since “Crimson and Clover.” Its combination of frustration, desire, and a huge chorus makes it one of the most durable rock anthems in her catalog.

# 2 – Light of Day – Light of Day

Bruce Springsteen wrote “Light of Day” for the 1987 film of the same name, and Joan Jett gave the song exactly the raw power it needed. In the film, Jett performs it as Patti Rasnick with the fictional band The Barbusters alongside Michael J. Fox. The soundtrack single was credited to The Barbusters and reached number 33 on the Billboard Hot 100. Jett’s performance gave the song a life far beyond the movie, and it became a regular part of her live repertoire. The driving guitar rhythm and working-class urgency make “Light of Day” sound as if Springsteen wrote it specifically for Joan Jett to tear apart onstage.

# 1 – Bad Reputation – Bad Reputation

“Bad Reputation” is the perfect number one choice because the song sounds like Joan Jett turning her entire career philosophy into less than three minutes of rock and roll. Jett wrote it with Kenny Laguna, Ritchie Cordell, and Marty Joe Kupersmith during the sessions for her first post-Runaways album. That record was originally released independently as Joan Jett in 1980 after major labels rejected it, then retitled Bad Reputation for its 1981 reissue. The song never needed a huge original chart run to become one of Jett’s defining recordings because its message of independence kept growing with her reputation. Every guitar hit and every line feels like a refusal to apologize, which is exactly why “Bad Reputation” still sounds like Joan Jett’s ultimate anthem.

Check out our other entertaining and informative Joan Jett articles detailing her albums, songs, band members, and more, all on ClassicRockHistory.com.