Today is Joan Jett's 65th birthday.
For such a gloriously loud sound she makes with that raspy voice and distorted guitar, she has quietly ruled the school.
All while failing to live up to her bad reputation since she's so damn good.
Ask any rock star what they did when they were sixteen and no matter what they say it won't be cooler than Joan Jett.
When Joan was sixteen she founded the all-girl band, The Runaways.
Whatever one thinks of the 2010 Runaways movie starring Kristen Stewart as Joan, at least there finally was a full blown Hollywood treatment of the trailblazing group she made happen.
Occasionally a debate will rise if she's punk.
Of course she's punk.
Punk isn't just one style. It doesn't have to be aggro or sloppy or whatever the cartoon image is. The Clash were punk and they dressed sharp.
Joan Jett chopped off her hair and just looked a different type of amazing all of a sudden.
Bono never did that.
Bono also never got asked by the remaining members of Nirvana to sing "Teen Spirit" with them at their Rock n Roll Hall of Fame induction.
Who else would you choose if Joan Jett is up for it?
After Krist introduced Joan he said he can't believe she hadn't yet been voted into the Rock Hall yet.
The next year she was in.
Most fans know some of her hits like "I Love Rock & Roll," "Do You Wanna Touch Me," and "Crimson and Clover" were covers. It may make some believe all of them were.
Both "Bad Reputation" and "I Hate Myself for Loving You" were each co-written by Joan.
With that said, here are some less talked about covers she does that should also be celebrated.
"Star Star" - The Rolling Stones
Joan has covered the Goats Head Soup cut 86 times. The first was in 1980. It is believed the song was written by Jagger as a rebuttal to Carly Simon's "You're So Vain."
"Androgynous" - The Replacements
Speaking of punk, what's punker than "Androgynous" on The Replacements' 1984 classic Let It Be sandwiched between the slamdance inducing "Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out" and the dark KISS cover "Black Diamond"?
The ode to gender nonconformity is not exactly something coming out on many albums in the mid-80s (or mid-90s for that matter). Jett, a longtime supporter of the LGBTQ+ community has played it 182 times and has placed it on two of her albums.
"Love Is All Around" - Sonny Curtis
Joan has covered the upbeat theme of the Mary Tyler Moore Show 204 times. The first was in 1996 when she closed with it at the Webster Theater in Hartford.
Curtis said he knew someone who managed Moore and heard they needed a theme song and dropped off a four page treatment of the series. Two hours later Curtis said he had written the song, who should he play it to. The friend said James L. Brooks. Curtis went down there, sang it for Brooks, followed by one staffer after another. Everyone loved it. What's not to love?
"Pretty Vacant" - The Sex Pistols
Never mind the Blackhearts, how amazing does Joan sound and look covering the Sex Pistols classic. She has played it 26 times.
"Light of Day" - Bruce Springsteen
The Boss originally wrote "(Just Around the Corner to the) Light of Day" for 1984's Born in the USA, but it didn't make the cut. When it became available to the filmmakers of the 1987 Michael J. Fox film, he sang it with Joan Jett as the fictional band The Barbusters, and it went to #33 on the charts.
Joan has sung it 508 times. Bruce has played it 359 times.
Happy Birthday Joan Jett! We're so lucky to have you.
