Why Joan Jett Was Never The Same After Covering I Love Rock 'N Roll

May 2024 ยท 2 minute read

In 1979, three years after first hearing the Arrows' version of "I Love Rock 'n Roll," Joan Jett got together with two members of the Sex Pistols, drummer Paul Cook and Steve Jones, the guitarist, and released it as the B-side of her single "You Don't Own Me," according to "Listen to Classic Rock!" "I did a very early version with them, it was great working with them, and no, there was no sense of trepidation on my part, despite the fact that everyone was telling me they were the most notorious band on the planet," Jett recalled in a 2010 interview with Uncut (via SongFacts).

The record belonged to Polygram, the Runaways' label before the band broke up that year, but the company's executives weren't interested in Joan Jett or her version of "I Love Rock 'n Roll," per SongFacts. Jett and her producer, Kenny Laguna, continued to believe the song would be a hit so Laguna bought the song's rights from the record company for cheap, per SongFacts. The Who bankrolled studio time and transportation for Jett to record her first solo album, "Joan Jett," which would later be repackaged as "Bad Reputation." But she held off re-recording "I Love Rock 'n Roll" until she could get a major label deal, which came in 1981.

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