BEE GEES - YOU SHOULD BE DANCING

Publicació: juny de 1976

Llistes: Regne Unit: #5  EUA: #1

"You Should Be Dancing" va ser unúmero 1 als Estats Units el setembre de 1976 durant una setmana, i va ser el número 1 a la llista dels EUA Hot Dance Club durant 7 setmanes, convertint-se en un dels èxits discogràfics més grans del moment. La cançó va ser el tercer single número u dels Bee Gee als Estats Units.

Quan la pel·lícula “Saturday Night Fever” va arribar als cinemes el desembre de 1977, la cançó es va utilitzar en una famosa escena de la pel·lícula on John Travolta es fa l’amo de la pista de ball, una opció adequada ja que la cançó tracta específicament de ballar. Aquesta pel·lícula va portar els Bee Gees a un nivell estratosfèric i va consolidar la cançó entre les preferides del públic. Però "You Should Be Dancing" ja era molt popular abans de la pel·lícula. De fet, segons va dir John Travolta va insistir que la cançó s'inclogués a la pel·lícula. Havia estat practicant amb ella i la volia a la pel·lícula. "You Should Be Dancing" va tenir un gran impacte a les discoteques. Segons Nicky Siano, un DJ de diversos clubs de la ciutat de Nova York, es punxava als clubs més populars unes tres vegades per nit durant el seu apogeu i va ajudar a introduir la cultura disco en el corrent popular. 

L'àlbum de 1976 "Children of the World" va dominar les ones radiofòniques amb el seu gran èxit, "You Should be Dancing", la qual és la que obre aquest àlbum de 10 cançons, que els Bee Gees va gravar als Criteria Studios de Miami, on van gravar el seu disc anterior, “Main Course”. Una diferència notable és que “Children of the World” va ser produït per The Bee Gees, Karl Richardson i Albhy Galuten. El resultat és un àlbum immensament optimista que Bruce Eder d'All Music va elogiar com un dels "àlbums més divertits de la història del grup".

"You Should Be Dancing" es mou amb la seva pròpia lògica. Està plena de petits ganxos: el riff de sintetitzador suau, les puntejades de guitarra perfectament cronometrades, l'explosió eufòrica de la secció de vent. Barry havia desenvolupat el seu falset a un grau increïble, convertint-lo en un instrument més. Conforme avança, la cançó sembla anar in crescendo fins que envolta l’oient amb el seu ritme trepidant que el transporta a la pista de ball. El missatge és clar: Has de ballar!

Stephen Stills de Crosby, Stills i Nash van tocar la percussió en aquest tema. Va recordar a The Independent el 17 d'agost de 2013: "Estàvem a l'estudi del costat fent un àlbum de CSN i David (Crosby) estava molt cofoi de si mateix dient que aquell seria l'àlbum de l'any. Vaig respondre:" No, no ho és, això que s'està gravant al final del passadís ho serà", perquè havia escoltat alguna peça de “Saturday Night Fever” i sabia que era totalment únic i que seria monstruós. Així que vaig tocar els timbals i durant molt de temps aquest va ser el meu únic single de platí".

The Dee Gees, el projecte de música disco del grup de rock The Foo Fighters, la va versionar pel seu àlbum "Hail Satin", que inclou quatre versions de Bee Gees i una interpretació de "Shadow dancing" d'Andy Gibb.

Personalment, "You Should Be Dancing" la considero la millor cançó amb diferència de l’època discotequera dels Bee Gees, i la situo en el top 3 de les millors cançons de la història de la música disco. 

BEE GEES - YOU SHOULD BE DANCING

Released: June 1976

Charted:  UK: #5  US: #1

"You Should Be Dancing" was a #1 US hit in September 1976 for one week, and was #1 on the US Hot Dance Club Chart for 7 weeks, becoming one of the biggest disco hits of the era. The song was the Bee Gee’s third number-one single in the US. 

When the movie Saturday Night Fever hit theaters in December 1977, the song was used in a famous scene from the movie where John Travolta takes over the dance floor, an appropriate choice since the song is specifically about dancing. That movie took the Bee Gees to a stratospheric level, and it solidified the cultural place of “You Should Be Dancing.” But “You Should Be Dancing” had lodged itself into the collective unconscious long before the movie. In fact, John Travolta reportedly insisted that the song be included in the movie. He’d been practicing to it, and he wanted the real thing, not a substitute, in the movie. "You Should Be Dancing" had a huge impact on the dance club scene. According to Nicky Siano, a DJ at various clubs in New York City, it was played at the hottest clubs about three times a night during its heyday, and helped bring disco culture into the mainstream.

The 1976 album “Children of the World” dominated the airwaves with its smash hit single, “You Should be Dancing.” Critic Joe McEwen of Rolling Stone called the song “an impossibly propulsive track, whose only rival in the genre is KC’s ‘Get Down Tonight.'” “You Should be Dancing” is the first number on this 10-track album, which the Bee Gees recorded at Criteria Studios in Miami, where they crafted their previous album, Main Course. A notable difference is that Children of the World was produced by The Bee Gees, Karl Richardson and Albhy Galuten. The result is an immensely upbeat and listenable album that Bruce Eder of All Music praised as one of the “most enjoyably light-hearted album in the group’s history”. 

“You Should Be Dancing” moves with its own logic. It’s fully of tiny little hooks: the squelchy synth riff, the perfectly timed guitar scratches, the euphoric explosion of horns. With every passing moment, the song seems to jump a little bit higher. Most pop songs are organized around the idea of tension and release. “You Should Be Dancing” starts with release, and then it gets to more releases, bigger releases.

Stephen Stills of Crosby, Stills and Nash played percussion on this track. He recalled to The Independent August 17, 2013: "We were in the studio next door making a CSN album and David (Crosby) was all full of himself and saying this is going to be the album of the year. I went, "No it's not, that's being recorded across the hall," 'cause I'd heard some of that Saturday Night Fever stuff and I knew it was totally unique and going to be a monster. So I played timbales and for a long time that was my only platinum single."

The Dee Gees, the disco side project of rock band The Foo Fighters, covered this for their album “Hail Satin” which features four Bee Gees covers and an interpretation of Andy Gibb's "Shadow dancing”. 

 BEE GEES - HOW DEEP IS YOUR LOVE

Publicació: setembre de 1977

Llistes: Regne Unit: #3  EUA: #1

"How Deep Is Your Love" és una balada pop escrita per The Bee Gees el 1977 i llançada com el primer senzill de la banda sonora de la pel·lícula "Saturday Night Fever". Els Bee Gees van escriure aquesta cançó d'amor al Château d'Hérouville a França: el "Honky Chateau" on Elton John va gravar tres àlbums a principis dels anys 70. Quan van arribar a gravar cançons per a "Saturday Night Fever", van trobar que estava molt descuidat: l'estudi funcionava, però el terreny era un desastre. Però es van centrar i van seguir perquè tenien poques raons per abandonar l'estudi (basicament d’impostos).

Robin Gibb va explicar el so únic que ell i Barry van crear combinant les seves veus: "Si escoltes 'How Deep is Your Love' creus que és una sola veu, però som jo i Barry cantant a l'uníson, això produeix un so agradable, ja ho vam fer a 'New York Mining Disaster'. És un so que fem, és gairebé com una veu única, però no ho és, i no és una doble pista d’estudi, són les nostres dues veus juntes. És una cosa que hem practicat molt."

Un compositor i comerciant d'antiguitats d'Illinois anomenat Ronald Selle va demandar als Bee Gees, afirmant que una cançó que va escriure el 1975 anomenada "Let It End" era la base de "How Deep Is Your Love". El cas es va portar a judici el 1983. Els Bee Gees van afirmar que mai havien escoltat "Let It End" i no hi havia proves que ho fessin (aquesta cançó mai es va publicar: Selle va fer una gravació casolana que havia enviat a les discogràfiques). El cas es basava en les similituds entre les cançons, i un testimoni expert de Selle -un musicòleg anomenat Arrand Parsons- va intentar convèncer el jurat mitjançant l'anàlisi tècnica de les notes que els Bee Gees van plagiar la cançó. El jurat ho va acceptar i va decidir que els Bee Gees van copiar la cançó de Selle. El jutge, però, va anul·lar la sentència. Més tard, Selle va apel·lar i va tornar a ser rebutjat. El cas va posar de relleu el problema dels jurats que fan judicis sobre música i va donar lloc a una decisió històrica que les "semblances sorprenents" entre les cançons no eren suficients per demostrar el plagi. A partir d'ara, un compositor havia de demostrar que la part infractora realment va escoltar la cançó abans que el cas pogués avançar. Aquesta és una de les raons per les quals els editors de música i els compositors es neguen a escoltar la majoria del material no sol·licitat.

Aquesta va ser la primera de les quatre cançons noves de la banda sonora de "Saturday Night Fever" que va encapçalar el Hot 100 dels Estats Units. Va ser llançada com a senzill abans que la pel·lícula i la banda sonora es publiquessin, i va arribar al primer lloc de la llista una setmana després del debut de la pel·lícula. "How deep is your love" va ser un gran èxit als Estats Units. Va ser número 1 durant tres setmanes i es va mantenir al Top 10 durant 17 setmanes, que va ser un rècord en aquell moment. La cançó també va ser un gran èxit a la llista d'Adult Contemporary, on va estar sis setmanes al número 1. Posteriorment va guanyar el premi Grammy de 1977 a la millor interpretació pop d'un grup.

La cantant nord-americana Yvonne Elliman havia de gravar aquesta cançó, però Robert Stigwood, que va produir la pel·lícula, va dir a Barry: "Has de fer aquesta cançó tu mateix, no l'has de donar a ningú". Així doncs, els Bee Gees la van interpretar ells mateixos per a la banda sonora. Elliman va cantar "If i can't have you" que va també va ser escrita pels Bee Gees i inclosa a la banda sonora. Aquesta cançó també va ser més tard número 1 als EUA.

Quan "How Deep Is Your Love" va arribar al número 3 al Regne Unit, Barry va exclamar: "No tens ni idea quina emoció és tenir un senzill al Top Five a Anglaterra. Amb tota la new wave i el punk rock que està sortint, he pensat que 'How Deep Is Your Love' no tindria cap oportunitat. Seguim avançant i ens fem més forts cada dia".

Brian Wilson, de The Beach Boys, va parlar positivament de la cançó, afirmant: "Sempre m'han agradat molt els Bee Gees. 'How Deep Is Your Love' és realment fantàstica. Pujo el volum de la ràdio sempre que la posen”.

BEE GEES - HOW DEEP IS YOUR LOVE

Released: September 1977

Charted:  UK: #3  US: #1

"How Deep Is Your Love" is a pop ballad written by The Bee Gees in 1977 and released as the first single of the soundtrack of the movie “Saturday Night Fever”. The Bee Gees wrote this love song at the Château d'Hérouville in France - the "Honky Chateau" where Elton John recorded three albums in the early '70s. When they arrived to record songs for “Saturday Night Fever”, they found it had been neglected - the studio worked, but the grounds were a mess. This gave them focus because they had little reason to leave the studio.

There was a beautiful room with a piano where their keyboard player, Blue Weaver, would play. One day, he played as Barry Gibb worked out "How Deep Is Your Love." In the documentary How Can You Mend A Broken Heart, Weaver explained how it came together: "We went into a room at the Chateau. Chopin had stayed there, so every time I looked at this piano I envisioned Chopin playing. I sat down at the piano and thought of his 'Prelude In E-flat,' and I knew Barry could sing in E-flat. Through the stained-glass window came a beam of sunlight, and Barry sang, 'I know your eyes in the morning sun.'"

Robin Gibb explained the unique sound he and Barry created by combining their voices: "If you listen to 'How Deep is Your Love' you think it's a single voice but it's me and Barry singing in unison, which produces a nice sound, as it does on 'New York mining disaster'. There's a sound that we do, it's almost like a single voice, but it isn't, and it's not double-tracked, it's two voices together. It's something that we've done a lot."

A songwriter/antiques dealer in Illinois named Ronald Selle sued the Bee Gees, claiming a song he wrote in 1975 called "Let It End" was the basis for "How Deep Is Your Love." The case went to a jury in 1983. The Bee Gees claimed that they had never heard "Let It End," and there was no evidence that they did (that song was never released - Selle made a home recording that he had sent to music publishers). The case was based on the similarities between the songs, and an expert witness for Selle - a musicologist named Arrand Parsons - tried to convince the jury through technical analysis of the notes that the Bee Gees plagiarized the song. The jury bought it, and ruled that the Bee Gees did copy Selle's song. The judge, however, nullified the verdict. Selle later appealed, and was once again rebuffed. The case underscored the problem of juries making judgments on music, and it led to a landmark ruling that "striking similarities" between songs was not enough to prove plagiarism. Henceforth, a songwriter had to prove that the infringing party actually heard the song before the case could move forward. This is one reason why music publishers and songwriters refuse to hear most unsolicited material.

This was the first of four new songs on the “Saturday Night Fever” soundtrack to top the US Hot 100. It was released as a single before the film or the soundtrack were issued, and rose to the top spot a week after the film debuted. “How deep is your love” was a massive hit in the US. It was #1 for three weeks and stayed in the Top 10 for 17 weeks, which was a record at the time. The song was also a huge hit on the Adult Contemporary chart, where it spent six weeks at #1. This won the 1977 Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance By A Group.

The American singer Yvonne Elliman was supposed to record this song, but Robert Stigwood, who produced the film said, "You've got to do this song yourself, you should not give it to anybody". So, The Bee Gees performed it themselves for the soundtrack. Elliman did sing "If i can’t have you" which was written by the Bee Gees and included on the soundtrack. That song was also a #1 hit in the US.

When "How Deep Is Your Love" reached No. 3 in the UK, Barry exclaimed: "You have no idea what a thrill it is to have a Top Five single in England. With all the new wave and punk rock out, I would have thought something like 'How Deep Is Your Love' wouldn't have a chance. We always kept going forward and we're getting stronger every day".

Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys spoke positively of the song, stating, "I always liked the Bee Gees very much. 'How Deep Is Your Love' is one that I think is really great. I turn the radio up a little bit when it comes on”.

 

CYNDI LAUPER - GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN

Publicació: 1983

Llistes: Regne Unit: #2 EUA: #2

Cindy Lauper va començar la seva carrera a la banda Blue Angel, que va publicar només un àlbum al 1980 abans de separar-se. Va haver de fer de venedora, encara que ocasionalment feia alguna actuació, fins que l'any 1981 va ser vista en un club pel seu futur manager, que li va oferir un contracte amb CBS. Al 1983 va debutar en solitari amb "She's So Unusual", l'àlbum que conté "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" i el seu altre gran èxit "Time After Time", que de seguida la va convertir en l'artista femenina més original de principis dels 80. tant per la seva actitud com pel seu notable talent vocal.

"Girls Just Want to have Fun" es converteix en el primer senzill de l'àlbum i el vídeo fet per promocionar la cançó va tenir una gran repercussió a la recentment inaugurada MTV, empenyent "She's So Unusual" al capdamunt de les llistes d’èxit. Lauper va escriure moltes de les seves cançons, però aquesta no. Com "I will survive", és una cançó de girl power escrita per un home. La cançó la va escriure Robert Hazard, publicada l'any 1979 i tractava sobre. el punt de vista masculí quan estàs envoltat de noies que volen divertir-se. En una entrevista a Rolling Stone, Lauper va dir que havia alterat la lletra de Hazard. "Originalment es tractava de la sort que tenia perquè era un noi rodejat de noies que volien passar-s'ho bé" amb ell. Cindy va reprendre la cançó, la va modificar i va canviar el punt de vista, centrant-se en el que podria ser la perspectiva femenina: les noies no són menys que els nois amb el desig de diversió. La cantant sempre havia estat feminista i amb aquella cançó va aconseguir plantejar les seves idees sobre la igualtat de drets entre homes i dones. La versió de Lauper va guanyar reconeixement com a himne feminista.

Aquesta cançó va ser el gran èxit de Lauper i es va convertir en un èxit mundial a finals de 1983 i principis de 1984. Es considera una de les cançons indispensables de Lauper i va ser una de les cançons més populars dels anys 80. La cançó va ser una part fonamental en la cultura d’aquells anys. Es va convertir en un himne per a l'actitud femenina i va marcar tendències de moda, ja que el vídeo mostrava a Lauper amb roba vistosa i escandalosa que semblava treta d'una botiga de segona mà. Va preparar l'escenari per a artistes com Madonna: dones independents que porten roba barata però de moda amb gust pels accessoris cridaners.

Lauper no volia gravar aquesta cançó, però el seu productor, Rick Chertoff, estava convençut que podria convertir-se en el seu himne. El repte per a Lauper era esbrinar com cantar-lo. Va acabar adaptant la seva veu a l'estil de l‘èxit dels anys 50 "Let the good times roll" de Shirley & Lee, que Shirley Goodman cantava amb una veu aguda. Ellie Greenwich va fer els cors de suport i va crear el contrapunt idoni per a Lauper. Greenwich va ser una compositora llegendaria que va treballar amb Phil Spector en moltes cançons clàssiques dels anys 60, com ara "Be my baby" i "Leader of the pack". Altres cançons en què va cantar inclouen "Evil Woman" d'Electric Light Orchestra i "Dreamin'" de Blondie.

El vídeo, que es passava constantment a MTV, presenta el Capità Lou Albano com el pare de Lauper, i també a la seva mare en la vida real, que no tenia experiència actuant però ho va fer bé. El clip va guanyar el premi al millor vídeo femení als MTV Video Music Awards de 1984. Al vídeo la Cindy s'enfronta a la submisa mare, colpejant contra la paret ofesa amb el pare. Després de contactar amb els seus amics, engega un carrusel als carrers que creix fins que la seva habitació explota. El moment en què tots els convidats a la festa es mostren al vídeo caient en una pila quan s'obre la porta, es va fer com a homenatge a una escena similar de la clàssica pel·lícula dels germans Marx "A Night at the Opera". La idea de la cantant era que els amics de la protagonista havien de ser de totes les races i classes socials, per aquest motiu "Girls just Want to have Fun" es considera el primer vídeo multirracial de la història.

La cançó es va publicar a finals de 1983, però gran part del seu èxit a les llistes es va produir durant la primera meitat de 1984. El senzill va arribar al Top 10 a més de 25 països dels quals va arribar al número 1 en deu.

CYNDI LAUPER - GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN

Released: 1983

Charted:  UK: #2  US: #2

Cindy Lauper began his career in the band Blue Angel, which released only one album in 1980 before splitting up. She became a saleswoman, still performing occasionally, until she was noticed in 1981 in a club by her future manager, who gave her a contract with CBS. In 1983 she debuted solo with “She’s So Unusual”, the album that contains “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” and her other great success “Time After Time”, which immediately set her as the most original female artist of the early 80s, both for her colourful and bizarre attitude and for her remarkable vocal talents.

“Girls Just Want to have Fun” becomes the first single of the album and the video made to promote the song went in heavy rotation on the newborn MTV, pushing “She’s So Unusual” at the top of the charts. Lauper co-wrote many of her own songs, but not this one. Like "I will survive" it's a girl power song written by a man. The song was originally written by Robert Hazard, published in 1979 and it highlighted the male point of view when you are surrounded by girls who want to have fun. Speaking with Rolling Stone, Lauper said that she had to alter the lyrics from Hazard's original. "It was originally about how fortunate he was 'cause he was a guy around these girls that wanted to have 'fun' - with him - down there, which we do not speak lest we go blind," she said. Cindy resumed the song, modified it and shifted the point of view, focusing on what could be the female perspective: girls are not less than boys in wish for fun. The singer had always been a feminist and with that song she managed to raise her ideas on equal rights between men and women. Lauper's version gained recognition as a feminist anthem. 

This song was Lauper's breakthrough hit and becoming a worldwide hit throughout late 1983 and early 1984. It is considered one of Lauper's signature songs and was a widely popular song during the 80s. The song was a huge part of '80s culture. It became an anthem for female attitude and set fashion trends as the video showed Lauper wearing bright, outrageous clothes that looked like they came from a thrift store. It set the stage for artists like Madonna: independent women wearing cheap, yet fashionable clothes with a taste for garish accessories.

Lauper didn't want to record this song, but her producer, Rick Chertoff, was convinced it could become her anthem. The challenge for Lauper was figuring out how to sing it. She ended up doing her vocal in the style of the '50s hit "Let the good times roll" by Shirley & Lee, which Shirley Goodman sings in a high-pitched voice. Ellie Greenwich sang backup vocals and helped come up with the distinctive counterpoint. Greenwich was a legendary songwriter who worked with Phil Spector on many classic songs of the '60s, including “Be my baby” and “Leader of the pack”. Other songs she sang on include "Evil Woman" by Electric Light Orchestra and "Dreamin'" by Blondie.

The video, which ran constantly on MTV, features the wrestler Captain Lou Albano as Lauper's father, and also Lauper's real-life mother, who had no acting experience but did just fine. It won the first ever award for Best Female Video at the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards. In the video Cindy confronts the gray and submissive mother, hitting against the wall raised by the father. After contacting her friends, she starts a carousel in the streets that grows up until her room was exploding. When all of the party guests in the video are shown falling out of the bedroom in a pile when the door is opened, it was a tribute to a similar scene from the classic Marx Brothers film “A Night at the Opera”. The idea of the singer was that the protagonist’s friends must have embrace all racial and social extractions and for this reason “Girls just Want to have Fun” is considered the first multi-racial video in history.

The song was released in late 1983 but much of its success on the charts came during the first half of 1984. The single reached the Top 10 in over 25 countries 

and reached No. 1 in ten of those countries.

JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS - I LOVE ROCK N ROLL

Publicació: desembre de 1981

Llistes: Regne Unit: #4 EUA: #1

"I Love Rock And Roll" va ser gravada originalment per un grup britànic anomenat The Arrows el 1975, i va ser escrit pel seu cantant Alan Merrill i el guitarrista Jake Hooker. Merrill va explicar com va sortir aquesta cançó: "Aquesta va ser una resposta brusca a 'It's Only Rock and Roll' dels Rolling Stones. Recordo haver-la vist a Top of the Pops. Vaig trobar a Mick Jagger unes quantes vegades, i sabia que s’estava relacionant amb gent de la jet-set. Gairebé em va semblar que "It's Only Rock and Roll" era una mena de disculpa als prínceps i princeses de l’aristocråcia amb els quals s’estava divertint. Aquesta va ser la meva interpretació de jove: d'acord, m'encanta el rock and roll. I després, on vas amb aquest gent?"

La cançó es va publicar com a cara B de "Broken Down Heart" de The Arrows. El grup estava gravant per a RAK Records, dirigit per Mickie Most. Com explica Merrill, "I Love Rock And Roll" no s'adaptava als seus gustos, ja que durant aquella època Most preferia les balades i el blues. L'esposa de Most el va animar a girar les cares, però la cançó no va triomfar ja que va tenir molta mala sort en el moment de la seva publicació. Primer, es va haver de tornar a llançar com a cara A. En segon lloc, la cançó va sortir durant una vaga de diaris anglesos, de manera que les cançons noves no tenien l'exposició que tindrien normalment. En tercer lloc, The Arrows estaven en disputa amb el seu segell discogràfic. Com a resultat, la cançó no es va vendre i va romandre en l'obscuritat.

Joan Jett estava de gira per Anglaterra com a membre d'un grup d'adolescents anomenat The Runaways quan va descobrir aquesta cançó. Volia gravar-la amb The Runaways, però a les altres membres no els va agradar la cançó i van cometre l'error de deixar-la passar. Així, el 1979, Jett la va gravar amb Paul Cook i Steve Jones de The Sex Pistols i la va publicar com a cara B. Finalment, el 1981, Jett va gravar la cançó amb la seva banda The Blackhearts, donant com a resultat un èxit mundial.

Jett va recordar a Uncut l'agost de 2010 la seva versió amb el duet dels Pistols: "Vaig fer una versió molt primerenca amb ells, va ser fantàstic treballar-hi, i no, no hi havia cap sensació de tremolor per part meva, malgrat que tothom em deia que eren la banda més famosa del planeta".

A la versió original, la lletra parla d'un noi que coneix una noia i la porta a casa. Era un tema de rock and roll força típic. La versió de Jett es va convertir en una cançó sobre una noia que coneix un noi al costat d'un jukebox i el porta a casa per tenir sexe. Altres cançons d'èxit com "Physical" d'Olivia Newton John i "Hit me Wish your Best shot" de Pat Benatar també tenien connotacions sexuals, però Jett va cantar sobre la persecució agressiva al noi, i va fer de la cançó un himne femení. Aquesta cançó va ajudar a donar forma a la imatge dura de Jett com a estrella de rock i la va convertir en un referent per a moltes dones músics.

El coautor de la cançó, Alan Merrill, va morir als 69 anys el 29 de març de 2020, sent una de les primeres víctimes de la pandèmia de coronavirus. Joan Jett va oferir el seu condol a Twitter, i va publicar: "Encara recordo haver vist els Arrows a la televisió de Londres i com em vaig quedar bocabadada amb la cançó”.

JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS - I LOVE ROCK N ROLL

Released: December 1981

Charted:  UK: #4  US: #1

This was originally recorded by a British group called The Arrows in 1975, and it was written by their lead singer Alan Merrill and guitarist Jake Hooker. Merrill explained how this song came about: "That was a knee-jerk response to the Rolling Stones' 'It’s Only Rock and Roll'. I remember watching it on Top of the Pops. I'd met Mick Jagger socially a few times, and I knew he was hanging around with Prince Rupert Lowenstein and people like that – jet setters. I almost felt like 'It's Only Rock and Roll' was an apology to those jet-set princes and princesses that he was hanging around with - the aristocracy, you know. That was my interpretation as a young man: Okay, I love rock and roll. And then, where do you go with that?"

The song was released as a B-side with The Arrows' "Broken Down Heart." The group was recording for RAK Records, which was run by Mickie Most. As Merrill explains, "I Love Rock And Roll" didn't suit his current tastes, as during that time Most preferred ballads and blues. Most's wife Christina Hayes encouraged him to flip the sides, but the song didn't catch on, as it suffered from a poor run of luck at the time of its release. First, it had to be re-released as an A-side. Second, the song came out during an English newspaper strike, so new songs weren't getting the exposure they'd normally get. Third, The Arrows were feuding with their record label. As a result, the song didn't chart and was banished to obscurity.

Jett was touring England as a member of an all teenage girl group called The Runaways when she discovered this song. She wanted to record it with The Runaways, but the other members didn't like the song and made the mistake of passing it up. So, in 1979, Jett recorded it with Paul Cook and Steve Jones of The Sex Pistols and released it as a B-side. Finally, in 1981, Jett recorded the song with her band The Blackhearts, resulting in a monster hit.

Jett recalled to Uncut August 2010 her version with the Pistols duo: "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."

In the original version, the lyrics are about a guy picking up a young girl and taking her home, which was fairly typical rock and roll subject matter. When Jett covered this, however, it became a song about a girl who notices a guy next to a jukebox and brings him home to have sex. Other hit songs like "Physica.  l. " by Olivia Newton John and "Hit me Wish your Best shot" by Pat Benatar also had sexual overtones, but Jett sang about aggressively pursuing the guy, which for many women made this a female-empowerment anthem. This song helped shape Jett's image as a tough, confident rock star and became an inspiration to many female musicians.

The song's co-writer, Alan Merrill, died at 69 on March 29, 2020, one of the first high-profile victims of the coronavirus pandemic. Joan Jett offered condolences on Twitter, posting: "I can still remember watching the Arrows on TV in London and being blown away by the song that screamed hit to me."