I Love Rock 'n' Roll

So put another dime in the jukebox, baby!

SONG: I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll

ALBUM: I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll

ARTIST: Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

YEAR: 1981

Buried somewhere in my parents’ garage is grainy footage on Super 8 film of yours truly bouncing on couches and rocking out to this kickass song.

I believe I was “performing” with one of my brothers and a couple of our pals. Usually, we’d pick a song we liked, play it ad nauseum until our lip syncs and air guitars were beyond reproach, then perform for our parents who tried not to laugh.

It was love at first listen with I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll. As soon as I heard it, I ran around the house until I found a blank tape. Then I parked it in front of my boombox and waited for the song to come on the radio again. When it did, I recorded that sucker and played it until my Maxell cassette wore out.

I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll hit the airwaves in 1981, and soared all the way to #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100.

I would have been nine or ten at the time. Which means I was spending most of my days playing road hockey (caaaaaaaar!) and wishing I was Spiderman or Andre the Giant. I still don’t know which one I’d rather be. Ask me again in a couple of years when I’m all grown up.

Here’s something I haven’t known all these livelong years: I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll is actually a cover song!

It was written by Alan Merrill and Jake Hooker, and recorded by British band Arrows in 1975. I heard the original for the very first time while writing this piece, and was amazed at how good it is!

Apparently, Joan Jett heard the song while touring England with The Runaways in 1976. The rest is music history.

So let’s bend and stretch and move the furniture out of the way.

Now come and take your time and dance with me.