Songful Style Link Party #47: “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts

Just like last month’s Songful Style challenge, this one took me way out of my comfort zone as well. I freaking hate jeans particularly on my body, but I wore them anyway because it seemed appropriate for this challenge. Just like last month. And I still hate jeans. I really should just purge them from my closet. But I probably won’t. Ha.

About Songful Style

Songful Style is a style challenge series hosted by Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge, Marsha of Marsha in the Middle, and Suzy of Suzy Turner, The Grey Brunette.

Each month we will share a song with the lyrics and video and we invite you to use whatever aspect of the song that inspires you to create an outfit. 

It is similar to Style Imitating Art where we use artwork to inspire our outfit creations. Except Songful Style gives you lyrics, music, video, and album artwork to inspire your fashion creativity. You may even find inspiration in a memory triggered by the selected song. It is all open to your own personal interpretation and just a fun way to discover new music and get a little bit more creative with your wardrobe.

Anyone is welcome to join us on a permanent basis or you can just play along without any obligation to do anything other than feel inspired. We are flexible and fun and just want to find more ways to play dress up because it’s what we enjoy doing! 

We will be posting on the last Monday of each month and will announce our song choice for the following month at the end of each post. You are welcome to style your own song inspired outfit and add it to the link party or link anything that you want to share even if it has nothing to do with the song.

It was Marsha’s turn to choose our song inspiration and she took us back to 1981 with Joan Jett and the Blackhearts‘ cover of the Arrows‘ 1975 song “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll”.

The Video

The Lyrics

I saw him dancin' there by the record machine
I knew he must a been about seventeen
The beat was goin' strong
Playin' my favorite song
And I could tell it wouldn't be long
'Til he was with me, yeah, me
And I could tell it wouldn't be long
'Til he was with me, yeah, me, singin'

I love rock n' roll
So put another dime in the jukebox, baby
I love rock n' roll
So come and take your time and dance with me
Ow

He smiled, so I got up and asked for his name
"That don't matter", he said, "'cause it's all the same"
I said, "Can I take you home where we can be alone?"
And next we were movin' on
He was with me, yeah, me
Next we were movin' on
He was with me, yeah, me singin'

I love rock n' roll
So put another dime in the jukebox, baby
I love rock n' roll
So come and take your time and dance with me
Ow

Said, "Can I take you home where we can be alone?"
Next we were movin' on
He was with me, yeah, me
And we'll be movin' on
And singin' that same old song
Yeah, with me, singin'

I love rock n' roll
So put another dime in the jukebox, baby
I love rock n' roll
So come and take your time and dance with me
(Repeat chorus 4 more times)

About the Artist

Let’s start with Joan Jett, the front woman of the Blackhearts. She was born Joan Marie Larkin on September 22, 1958, in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, the oldest of three children to James Larkin, an insurance salesman, and his wife Dorothy, a secretary. In 1967, the Larkin family moved to Rockville, Maryland, where Joan attended Randolph Junior High School and Wheaton High School.

At the age of 13, Joan acquired her first guitar and began taking lessons which she soon quit because her instructor was only teaching her folk songs. Her family then moved to West Covina in Los Angeles County, California, which gave Joan more opportunities to explore her musical interests.

Shortly after the move to California, Joan’s parents divorced, prompting her to change her name to Joan Jett because it sounded more rock and roll than Joan Larkin. She initially told people that Jett was her mother’s maiden name, which was not true.

In 1975, 16-year-old Joan founded The Runaways with 15-year-old Sandy West who she met through producer and manager Kim Fowley. Never becoming a major success in the United States, the all-girl punk group produced five albums before disbanding completely in the spring of 1979.

Shortly after, Joan Jett was pursuing a solo career in England where she recorded three songs, including an early version of “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” with Paul Cook and Steve Jones of The Sex Pistols. After meeting and becoming close friends with songwriter and producer Kenny Laguna, Jett moved to his hometown of Long Beach, New York, so they could continue working together.

Before releasing her own debut solo album, Jett had produced an album for the Germs and released thrash metal and rap recordings on her label Blackheart Records. On May 17, 1980, Jett released her debut self-titled album in Europe with Ariola Records. After the new album was rejected by 23 major labels in the United States, Jett and Laguna formed their own label, Blackheart Records, to release the album. The duo also formed the Blackhearts in 1979. After many lineup changes over the years, Jett and Laguna have remained the only consistent members of the group. Forty-four years after the formation of the Blackhearts, they most recently released a 6 song EP titled Mindsets on June 2, 2023.

Joan Jett has always managed to keep her private life private despite lots of public speculation about her sexuality, refusing to accept any labels whatsoever. She has been a vegetarian and animal rights activist since the 1980s and she is avid fan of the New York Liberty basketball team and the Baltimore Orioles baseball team.

Despite her status as the Godmother of Punk, Joan Jett has never received any individual noteworthy music awards. However, as a member of the Blackhearts, she received one Grammy nomination in 1989 for “I Hate Myself for Loving You” and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Fame in 2015. Jett still resides in Long Beach, New York, where she continues to work on her craft after more than half a century in the music business.

About the Song

“I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” is a 1975 song written by Alan Merrill and Jake Hooker for their English glam rock band, the Arrows. The song didn’t garner international attention until Joan Jett covered it on her 1981 album of the same name. Her rendition is the most widely known version of the song.

Merrill actually wrote both the music and the lyrics in response to the Rolling Stones’ “It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll (But I Like It)”. Hooker received co-writer credit for the song as part of settling a debt with Merrill. The song was originally released by the Arrows in 1975 as a B-side but was re-recorded and switched to A-side status on subsequent pressings of the record.

While touring England with the Runaways in 1976, Joan Jett saw the Arrows perform this song on their weekly UK television series Arrows. She and manager Kim Fowley brought it to the band in 1977. After the Runaways learned the song, they ultimately decided to pass on it because they had previously covered “Rock & Roll” by the Velvet Underground.

After the Runaways disbanded in 1979, Jett recorded her first version of the song with Steve Jones and Paul Cook of the Sex Pistols. Vertigo Records released it on vinyl as a B-side to “You Don’t Own Me”, achieving limited success. After founding the Blackhearts, Jett re-recorded the song for her 1981 album I Love Rock ‘n Roll. The single, produced by Kenny Laguna and Ritchie Cordell, was released by Boardwalk Records on January 20, 1982, in the U.S. and Canada. The music video was produced by Barry Ralbag and received extended air time on the fledgling MTV network. The video was originally filmed in color but Jett hated the look of her red leather jumpsuit so they converted the film to black and white.

Joan Jett’s version of “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” was a commercial and critical success, earning a nomination for International Single of the Year at the 1983 Juno Awards, losing to Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger”. It was the only number single for the band, topping the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks. The song was platinum certified on September 20, 1982, for selling over two million copies in the United States. It eventually became recognized as the third most successful song of 1982 and one of the most successful songs of the decade. In 2024, 42 years after its release, Joan Jett’s version of “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” debuted at number 23 on Billboard‘s Hard Rock Streaming Songs charts.

About My Outfit

Although Joan Jett recorded and released this song with the Blackhearts, I knew immediately that I was going to style my Joan Jett Runaways tee shirt. Below is a photo of Jackie, Joan, Sandy, Cherie, and Lita of the Runaways wearing the same tee shirts with their names.

Since I don’t own any lace up denim like Joan’s, I paired my tee with a pair of skinny distressed jeans because they felt the most rock and roll to me. Joan’s style aesthetic in the 1980s was very punk-oriented with lots of denim and leather. She predominantly wore black, white, and denim with accents in red or hot pink. So I decided to wear an old faux leather motorcycle jacket in dark red. The jacket has an attached black hoodie which fit perfectly into a Joan Jett inspired outfit.

I contemplated wearing black combat boots but ultimately settled on my black low top Converse Chuck Taylors, the epitome of 1980s footwear style.

I accessorized with a black messenger hat, a black leather choker necklace, a gold chain necklace with a “Love” pendant, and simple gold earrings.

While I am pleased with this outfit for accurately depicting Joan Jett and “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” vibes, I really do despise jeans. Or maybe it’s just skinny jeans I don’t like anymore. I’m not sure. But they never feel good against my skin and I have no butt to make the back end of jeans look good so I rarely wear them these days. Perhaps I’ll get around to some spring cleaning and denim downsizing soon!

I hope you have enjoyed this Songful Style challenge. Won’t you check out how my musical friends have interpreted this song into an outfit. Just click the links to their blogs below for more fashion inspiration. 

• Marsha of Marsha in the Middle
• Suzy of Suzy Turner, The Grey Brunette

Featured Favorite from Songful Style Link Party #46: “Carry On Wayward Son” by Kansas

If you enjoyed our musically inspired outfits for this round, please come back on April 27, 2026, to see how we style my next song choice, “Zombie” by The Cranberries. These style challenges are such a great way to learn new music or revisit old songs while also viewing your wardrobe from a totally different perspective. If you are feeling in the mood for some good old fashioned dress up fun, won’t you join us for the next round of Songful Style! 

Happy styling! 

Keeping it on the edge, 

Shelbee