I Love Rock 'n' Roll
| "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Arrows | ||||
| B-side | "Broken Down Heart" (R. Ferris) | |||
| Released | 1975 | |||
| Format | 7" single | |||
| Recorded | 1975 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 2:48 | |||
| Label | RAK | |||
| Writer(s) | Alan Merrill, Jake Hooker | |||
| Producer | Mickie Most | |||
| Arrows singles chronology | ||||
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"I Love Rock 'n' Roll" is a rock song written in 1975 by Alan Merrill and Jake Hooker of Arrows, who recorded the first released version. The song was later made famous by the hit version by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts in 1981.[1] Alan Merrill has been playing the song recently live in England, Europe, Japan and most often in his home town New York City.
The song was originally recorded and released by Arrows in 1975 on RAK Records, with lead vocals by Merrill and produced by Mickie Most. In an interview with Songfacts, Merrill said he wrote it as "a knee-jerk response to The Rolling Stones' 'It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)'.".[1][2] This version was first released as a B-side, but was soon re-recorded and flipped to A-side status on a subsequent pressing of the record. Although not a chart hit in its original version as a result of nonexistent promotion by the band's label, the song has come to worldwide prominence due to very successful cover versions.
Contents |
Joan Jett version[edit]
| "I Love Rock 'n Roll" | ||||
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| Single by Joan Jett and The Blackhearts | ||||
| from the album I Love Rock 'n Roll | ||||
| B-side | "You Don't Know What You've Got" "Love Is Pain" "You're Too Possessive" |
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| Released | January 20, 1982 | |||
| Format | 7" single, 12" single | |||
| Recorded | 1981 | |||
| Genre | Hard rock | |||
| Length | 2:52 | |||
| Label | Boardwalk | |||
| Producer | Ritchie Cordell, Kenny Laguna | |||
| Certification | Platinum | |||
| Joan Jett and The Blackhearts singles chronology | ||||
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Joan Jett saw Arrows perform "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" on their weekly television series Arrows.[1] when she was touring England with The Runaways in 1976. She first recorded the song in 1979 with two of the Sex Pistols: Steve Jones and Paul Cook. This first version was released on vinyl in 1979 on Vertigo records as a b-side to "You Don't Own Me" and this early version was not released on CD until 1993 and the issue of the album Flashback. In 1981, Jett re-recorded the song, this time with her band, The Blackhearts. This recording became a U.S. Billboard Hot 100 number-one single for seven weeks,[3] effectively launching Jett's solo career. The single was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, representing one million units sold. All versions count once toward certification. This success propelled Jett's I Love Rock 'n Roll album to number two on the Billboard 200. Joan Jett's version was ranked #89 in the list 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of Rolling Stone.[4]
Music video[edit]
"I Love Rock 'n' Roll"'s gritty, black-and-white music video received heavy play from the just-launched MTV network. In it, Jett and The Blackhearts travel to a small, dingy bar and proceed to excite the drunken crowd by performing the song and yelling out its famous chorus. A snippet of Jett's 1981 hit "Bad Reputation" is featured at the beginning of the video. Jett followed up "I Love Rock 'n Roll" with another cover—her version of Tommy James and the Shondells' "Crimson and Clover," which was a top-ten U.S. hit. The video was originally in color, but it was converted to black and white because Jett was ultimately displeased with the look of her red leather jumpsuit in color.
In 1993 Joan Jett & The Blackhearts made another music video for the song as part of the Wayne's World 2 soundtrack. In the video appear several scenes from the movie with Mike Myers and Dana Carvey mixed with footage of Joan and her band in concert. It was again released as a single by Warner/Reprise with "Activity Grrrl" as the B-side.
Critical reception[edit]
Jett's version has received many accolades, including:
- Ranking #85 on Q magazine March 2005 list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks
- Ranking #484 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of "the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time"
- Ranking #56 in Billboard's Greatest Songs of all time.[5]
Parodies and other cover versions[edit]
In 1983, "Weird Al" Yankovic released a parody of Jett's version, titled "I Love Rocky Road," which appeared on his self-titled debut album. Set to accordion music, a promotional video was also released modeled after Jett's video.
Christian parody band ApologetiX spoofed Joan Jett's cover with "I Love Apostle Paul" in 2000, on their Spoofernatural album. It has become one of their most popular parodies.
Also, cover versions of Jett's version have appeared in two music video games: Guitar Hero and Karaoke Revolution Party. The original version made an appearance in Guitar Hero: Smash Hits, as well as in Rock Band 3. It is also featured in the 2000 movie Coyote Ugly.
Chart performance[edit]
| Chart (1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia Kent Music Report[6] | 1 |
| Austrian Singles Chart[7] | 4 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50)[8] | 2 |
| Canadian Singles Chart[9] | 1 |
| Dutch Singles Chart[10] | 1 |
| France (SNEP)[11] | 4 |
| German Singles Chart[12] | 6 |
| Irish Singles Chart[13] | 2 |
| Italian Singles Chart[14] | 42 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart[15] | 1 |
| South African Chart[16] | 1 |
| Swedish Singles Chart[17] | 1 |
| Swiss Singles Chart[18] | 3 |
| UK Singles Chart[19] | 4 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[20] | 1 |
| US Billboard Top Tracks[20] | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs[20] | 31 |
Chart successions[edit]
| Preceded by "Centerfold" by The J. Geils Band |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single (Joan Jett version) March 20, 1982 - May 1, 1982 |
Succeeded by "Chariots of Fire" by Vangelis |
| Preceded by "Tainted Love" by Soft Cell |
Canadian "RPM" Singles Chart number-one single (Joan Jett version) March 20, 1982 - May 8, 1982 |
Succeeded by "Don't You Want Me" by The Human League |
| Preceded by "What About Me" by Moving Pictures |
Australian Kent Music Report number-one single (Joan Jett version) May 3, 1982 - May 31, 1982 |
Succeeded by "Mickey" by Toni Basil |
Britney Spears version[edit]
| "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Britney Spears | ||||
| from the album Britney | ||||
| Released | May 28, 2002 | |||
| Format | CD single | |||
| Recorded | March 2001 | |||
| Genre | Pop rock, dance-pop | |||
| Length | 3:05 | |||
| Label | Jive | |||
| Producer | Rodney Jerkins | |||
| Britney Spears singles chronology | ||||
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Background, release and composition[edit]
"I Love Rock 'n' Roll" is the fourth European single released by pop singer Britney Spears from the album Britney during the second quarter of 2002. The song was used in her 2002 movie Crossroads. Spears's character, Lucy, performs it in a karaoke bar. Spears said of the song, "They asked me to sing karaoke in the movie Crossroads and I've actually sung I Love Rock 'n' Roll in a lot of clubs that I've been to."[21] Spears has publicly admitted the original song to be one of her favorites. Spears listened to the original Arrows Mickie Most-produced version just before she recorded the song, according to Jive A&R representative Steve Lunt. The scratches performed on this song were performed by Corey Chase, at Hit Factory Miami. When promoting the single's release she mistakenly attributed the hit version of the song to Pat Benatar instead of Jett.[22] The song is a pop rock and dance-pop song.[23]
Reception[edit]
Critical[edit]
The song was later met with criticism by Matthew Wilkening of AOL Radio, who ranked it at #37 on the list of the 100 Worst Songs Ever in 2010 and said that Spears was "[d]oing her best to single-handedly set the women-in-rock movement back 20 years."[24] David Browne wrote for Entertainment Weekly that "her remake is neither imaginative (it simply xeroxes Joan Jett's arrangement) nor all that believable."[25]
However, the song received favorable reviews. NME's Ted Kessler wrote that Britney "still works best when making a good pop cheese and dance sandwich: there's the ace Rodney Jerkins-produced version of Joan Jett's 'I Love Rock'n'Roll', which does exactly what is says on the tin."[26] Rolling Stone's Barry Walters wrote that "producer Rodney Jerkins' hip-hop blaspheming of Joan Jett's "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" doesn't go as far as it should (is a Limp Bizkit remix in its future?), but it certainly beats what her earlier studio architects did to those Sonny and Cher (The Beat Goes On on ...Baby One More Time) and Stones ((I Can't Get No) Satisfaction on Oops!... I Did It Again) songs."[27] Another positive reception came from PopMatters's editor Nikki Tranter,who enjoyed that the song is "different from the average run-of-the-mill pop offering, and praised that "she does strange justice to the tune vamping up her vocals and turning out something, that while silly and camp, is actually a fun listen."[28]
Commercial[edit]
"I Love Rock 'n' Roll" failed to make the top ten in most countries. However, the track was not a complete commercial failure as it made the top forty placement in most regions. The song was moderately successful in the UK, where it peaked at number thirteen (which, at the time, was her lowest peak for a single released there, until "Radar" only managed to reach number forty-six in 2009). The single sold a total of 65,000 copies.[29] The single also attained Gold certification in Australia despite missing the top ten.
Music video[edit]
Directed by Chris Applebaum, the music video for "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" features Spears in a tight-fitting leather getup. Straightforward, it features Spears jamming in a large red room, complete with her own band, a stack of speakers, and flashing lights. She crawls along on the floor, and plays air guitar before smashing the speakers with a real guitar. Spears also dances on a rotating motorcycle and gets covered with confetti. The video made its way to the No. 2 spot at the 100 Best Videos of 2002 at MTV Latin America's countdown, only behind Avril Lavigne's "Complicated". The Director's Cut version of the video was later leaked; it included previously unseen scenes from the video. The Bar where it was shot is called The Inn, in Long Beach, New York.
Track listings[edit]
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Chart performance[edit]
| Chart (2002) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia Singles Chart[30] | 13 |
| Ö3 Austria Top 75[30] | 9 |
| Belgium Singles Chart (Flanders)[30] | 15 |
| Belgium Singles Chart (Wallonia)[30] | 27 |
| Finland Singles Chart[30] | 19 |
| German Singles Chart[30] | 7 |
| Hungarian Singles Chart[31] | 6 |
| Irish Singles Chart[30] | 8 |
| Italian Singles Chart[30] | 20 |
| Oricon[30] | 26 |
| Netherlands Singles Chart[30] | 18 |
| Swedish Singles Chart[30] | 15 |
| Swiss Singles Chart[30] | 15 |
| UK Singles Chart | 13 |
Certifications[edit]
| Country | Certification | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia[32] | Gold | 35,000 |
Alex Gaudino and Jason Rooney version[edit]
| "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Alex Gaudino & Jason Rooney | ||||
| Released | 3 December 2008 | |||
| Recorded | 2008 | |||
| Genre | Dance | |||
| Length | 3:37 | |||
| Label | 541/NEWS | |||
| Writer(s) | Alan Merrill, Jake Hooker | |||
| Alex Gaudino chronology | ||||
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The Alex Gaudino & Jason Rooney cover version was released in 2008.
Track listing[edit]
| UK Digital download | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length | ||||||||
| 1. | "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (Radio Edit) | 3:37 | ||||||||
| 2. | "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (Extended Mix) | 7:43 | ||||||||
| 3. | "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (Dabruck, Klein Remix) | 6:01 | ||||||||
| 4. | "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (Nari & Milani Remix) | 5:35 | ||||||||
| 5. | "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (Disko Kriminals Remix) | 7:05 | ||||||||
- Credits and personnel
- Lead vocals – Alex Gaudino
- Music – Alan Merrill, Jake Hooker
- Lyrics – Alan Merrill, Jake Hooker
- Scratches – Corey Chase
- Label: 541/NEWS
Chart performance[edit]
| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratip Wallonia)[33] | 10 |
Release history[edit]
| Region | Date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 3 December 2008 | Digital download[34] |
Other cover versions[edit]
"I Love Rock 'n Roll" is an often-covered song, and has been notably recorded by such artists as:
- Joe Piscopo in a parody of Frank Sinatra as part of a swing medley.
- Hayseed Dixie
- In 1982, Adrian Erlandsson played the song in full with his band as his first song he learned.
- Five (sampled for "Everybody Get Up")
- Reverend Run sampled the song for his song "Mind on the Road" on his solo project Distortion.
- Ghoti Hook
- Dragon Ash (as "I Love Hip Hop")
- "Weird Al" Yankovic (parody, as "I Love Rocky Road")
- Griva (as "I law Myroslaw")
- The Dresden Dolls
- 1995 - Guildo Horn und Die Orthopädischen Strümpfe - Ich find Schlager toll (German Version)
- Former Premier of Victoria Joan Kirner covered "I Love Rock 'n Roll", accompanied on guitar by her former health minister David White who actually did play the guitar, for a spoof segment on The Late Show.
- Slovenian band The Drinkers released a parody version called "I Love Alcohol" in the early 2000s, with lyrics sung with a male quasi-Russian accent.[35]
- Lee Da Hae Korean actress performed the song at the Korean Music Awards 2007.
- Sung by Vietnamese singers Siu Black and Phuong Vy as part of Vietnam's entry to Asian Idol in 2007.
- Miley Cyrus sang this song in 2005 for an audition tape for her TV show Hannah Montana. She performed it on her 2009 Wonder World Tour and 2011 Gypsy Heart Tour. The song is included on her 2010 double album Can't Be Tamed.
- Allison Mack and Erica Durance sang this song in an episode of Smallville.
- Italian dance music producer, Alex Gaudino, produced a dance version of "I Love Rock 'n Roll" with Jason Rooney providing the vocals.
- Alvin and the Chipmunks also covered this song for one of their episodes.
- 3OH!3 used the same chorus and music as the original version in their song "Dance With Me" on their debut album, but changed the lyrics in the verses.
- New Found Glory covered the song.
- L.A. Guns did a cover of the song on the 2010 album "Covered in Guns".
- The music is sampled in Tila Tequila's 2010 song "Pop Rox".
- Japanese rock band L'Arc-en-Ciel covered the song for the commercial of Pepsi Nex in 2010.
- Miranda Lambert covered the song during her 2010 tour.
- Lea Michele covered the song at Broadway loves the 80s.
- Primetime Covered the song in 2012.
- Jennel Garcia performed the song on X Factor USA on week 2 of the live shows.
- Trójca Święta also covered this song on their album "Gwałt" in 1905
Notes[edit]
- ^ a b c "Outsight Radio Hours interview, 12 February 2012". Retrieved 18 March 2012.
- ^ "I Love Rock and Roll". Songfacts.com. Retrieved 2009-09-20.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications), page 322.
- ^ Rolling Stone - The 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time. Retrieved 2011-01-24. "With the first primal power chord, Jett obliterated her image as a teenage girl-group novelty in The Runaways. The squealing riffs matched her new leather-clad tough-girl image and made her case as one of the fiercest female guitarists of all time."
- ^ http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/specials/hot100/charts/top100-titles-60.shtml billboard.com
- ^ "Australia n°1 Hits - 80's". Worldcharts.co.uk. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
- ^ Hung Medien. "I love rock'n'roll in Austrian Chart". Retrieved 12 June 2013.
- ^ "I love rock'n'roll in Belgian Chart". Ultratop and Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
- ^ Lwin, Nanda. Top 40 Hits: the essential chart guide (2000).
- ^ "De Nederlandse Top 40, week 18, 1982". Retrieved 2008-02-18.
- ^ Hung Medien. "I love rock'n'roll in French Chart". Retrieved 12 June 2013. You have to use the index at the top of the page and search "Joan Jett & the Blackhearts"
- ^ "I love rock'n'roll in German Chart". Media control. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
- ^ "I love rock'n'roll in Irish Chart". IRMA. Retrieved 12 June 2013. Only one result when searching "I love rock 'n' roll (re-issue)"
- ^ "Indice per Interprete: J". HitParadeItalia (it). Retrieved 12 June 2013.
- ^ Hung Medien. "I love rock'n'roll in New Zealand Chart". Retrieved 12 June 2013.
- ^ John Samson. "I love rock'n'roll in South African Chart". Retrieved 12 June 2013.
- ^ Hung Medien. "I love rock'n'roll in Swedish Chart". Retrieved 12 June 2013.
- ^ Hung Medien. "I love rock'n'roll in Swiss Chart". Retrieved 12 June 2013.
- ^ "Joan Jett & the Blackhearts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
- ^ a b c "I Love Rock'n'Roll awards on Allmusic". Allmusic. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
- ^ Dingwall, John (November 5, 2001). "OTR..Off the Record: Your Time Is Up, Jacko; Britney Wants Album Top Slot". Daily Record (Scotland). p. 19.
- ^ Jim DeRogatis (Novermber 4, 2001). "What Britney said, or should have". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on November 16, 2001. Retrieved February 26, 2012.
- ^ "I Love Rock 'n' Roll - Britney Spears - AllMusic".
- ^ Wilkening, Matthew (September 11, 2010). "100 Worst Songs Ever -- Part Four of Five". AOL Radio. Retrieved December 24, 2010.
- ^ Britney | Music. EW.com (November 12, 2001). Retrieved on January 02, 2012.
- ^ Kessler, Ted (October 30, 2001). "NME Albums Reviews - Britney Spears : 'Britney Pop's Number One act? She did it again...'". NME. Retrieved January 2, 2011.
- ^ Barry Walters (November 22, 2001). "Britney review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 12, 2007. Retrieved January 2, 2012.
- ^ Tranter, Nikki (November 5, 2001). "Britney Spears: Britney <PopMatters>". PopMatters. Retrieved January 2, 2012.
- ^ Britney Spears — I Love Rock 'n' Roll (UK) UKBritney.tv Retrieved on May 22, 2007
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Steffen Hung. "Britney Spears - I Love Rock 'n' Roll". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 2012-11-08.
- ^ "Archívum - Slágerlisták - MAHASZ - Magyar Hangfelvétel-kiadók Szövetsége". Mahasz.hu. Retrieved 2012-11-08.
- ^ Australia Certification
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Alex Gaudino & Jason Rooney – I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (in French). Ultratip. ULTRATOP & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch.
- ^ "I Love Rock N' Roll: Alex Gaudino & Jason Rooney: Amazon.co.uk: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.com. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
- ^ "The drinkers - I love alkohol". Retrieved 31 May 2013.
External links[edit]
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- 1975 singles
- 1982 singles
- 2002 singles
- Arrows songs
- Jive Records singles
- Joan Jett songs
- Britney Spears songs
- Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
- Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks number-one singles
- Dutch Top 40 number-one singles
- RPM Top Singles number-one singles
- Number-one singles in Sweden
- Music videos directed by Chris Applebaum
- Song recordings produced by Mickie Most
- Song recordings produced by Rodney Jerkins
- Songs from films
- Songs about music
