I Love Rock 'n' Roll

"I Love Rock 'n' Roll"

2004 re-issue
Single by the Arrows
B-side "Broken Down Heart"
Released 1975
Format 7-inch single
Recorded 1975
Genre Hard rock
Length 2:48
Label RAK
Songwriter(s) Alan Merrill, Jake Hooker
Producer(s) Mickie Most
the Arrows singles chronology
"Hard Hearted"
(1975)		 "I Love Rock 'n' Roll"
(1975)		 "Once Upon a Time"
(1976)

"Hard Hearted"
(1975)		 "I Love Rock 'n Roll"
(1975)		 "Once Upon a Time"
(1976)

"I Love Rock 'n' Roll" is a rock song written in 1975 by Alan Merrill of the Arrows, who recorded the first released version.[1] The song was later made famous by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts in 1982.[2] Alan Merrill has been playing the song recently live in Europe, Japan and most often in his home town New York City.[3]

The Arrows original version

The song was originally recorded and released by the Arrows in 1975 on Rak Records, with lead vocals, guitar, music & lyrics written by Alan 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)'."[2][4] 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. The Arrows performed the song in 1975 on the Muriel Young-produced show 45, after which Young offered the Arrows a weekly UK television series, Arrows, which was broadcast on ITV starting in March 1976.[5]

Joan Jett cover version

"I Love Rock 'n Roll"
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"
Released January 19, 1982
Format 7-inch single, 12-inch single
Recorded 1981
Genre Hard rock[6][7]
Length 2:45
Label Boardwalk
Songwriter(s) Alan Merrill, Jake Hooker
Producer(s) Ritchie Cordell, Kenny Laguna
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts singles chronology
"Bad Reputation"
(1981)		 "I Love Rock 'n Roll"
(1982)		 "Crimson and Clover"
(1982)

"Bad Reputation"
(1981)		 "I Love Rock 'n Roll"
(1982)		 "Crimson and Clover"
(1982)

Joan Jett saw the Arrows perform "I Love Rock 'n Roll" on their weekly UK television series Arrows[2] when she was touring England with the Runaways in 1976.[5] 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". 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.[8] Billboard ranked it at the No. 3 song for 1982. The single was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, representing two million units shipped to stores with Jett's I Love Rock 'n Roll album reaching number two on the Billboard 200. Joan Jett's version was ranked No. 89 in the list 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of Rolling Stone[9] and has also been inducted into the Grammys Hall of Fame in 2016.[10]

Music video

"I Love Rock 'n Roll"'s 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 chorus. A snippet of Jett's 1981 hit "Bad Reputation" can be heard at the beginning of the video. 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 Jett and her band in concert. It was again released as a single by Warner/Reprise with "Activity Grrrl" as the B-side.

Critical reception

Jett's version has received many accolades, including:

Chart performance

Chart (1982) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[12] 1
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[13] 4
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[14] 2
Canadian RPM Top Singles[15] 1
France (SNEP)[16] 4
Germany (Official German Charts)[17] 6
Irish Singles Chart[18] 2
Italy (FIMI)[19] 42
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[20] 1
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[21] 1
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[22] 1
South African Chart[23] 1
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[24] 1
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[25] 3
UK (Official Charts Company)[26] 4
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[27] 1
U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks[27] 1
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[27] 31
Chart (2015) Peak
position
Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100)[28] 81

Chart successions

Preceded by
"Centerfold" by the J. Geils Band		 Billboard Hot 100 number one single (Joan Jett version)
20 March 1982 – 1 May 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)
20 March 1982 – 8 May 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)
3 May 1982 – 31 May 1982 		Succeeded by
"Mickey" by Toni Basil
Preceded by
"Don't You Want Me" by the Human League		 New Zealand RIANZ number-one single (Joan Jett version)
20 June 1982 – 11 July 1982 		Succeeded by
"E Ipo" by Prince Tui Teka

Britney Spears version

"I Love Rock 'n' Roll"
Single by Britney Spears
from the album Britney and Crossroads (Music from the Major Motion Picture)
Released 27 May 2002 (2002-05-27)[29]
Format
Recorded March 2001
Genre Pop rock
Length 3:06
Label Jive
Songwriter(s) Alan Merrill, Jake Hooker
Producer(s) Rodney Jerkins
Britney Spears singles chronology
"I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman"
(2002)		 "I Love Rock 'n' Roll"
(2002)		 "Anticipating"
(2002)

"I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman"
(2002)		 "I Love Rock 'n' Roll"
(2002)		 "Anticipating"
(2002)
Music video
"I Love Rock 'N' Roll" on YouTube

Background, release and composition

"I Love Rock 'n' Roll" is the fourth European single released by pop singer Britney Spears from the album Britney on 27 May 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."[30] 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 Joan Jett.[31]

Reception

Critical

Spears' cover was met with mostly 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."[32] 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."[33] 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."[34] In contrast, David Browne wrote for Entertainment Weekly that "her remake is neither imaginative (it simply xeroxes Joan Jett's arrangement) nor all that believable."[35]

Commercial

"I Love Rock 'n' Roll" charted moderately upon release, reaching the top twenty 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, and then "I Wanna Go, which peaked at one-hundred and eleven). The single sold a total of 65,000 copies.[36] It was also certified Gold in Australia.

Music video

Spears performing ′′Love Rock ′n′ Roll′′ at the Dream Within a Dream Tour.

Directed by Chris Applebaum, the music video for "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" shows Spears with her own band, a stack of speakers, and flashing lights. It was shot at The Inn, a bar in Long Beach, New York. The video was ranked at No. 2 on the 100 Best Videos of 2002 at MTV Latin America's countdown. The Director's Cut version of the video was later leaked; it included previously unseen scenes from the video.

Live performances

The song was performed live during Spears's Dream Within a Dream Tour (2001–02). In 2016, it was added to the revamped set list of her Las Vegas residency show, Britney: Piece of Me (2016–17), marking the first time Spears performed the song in 14 years. During the performance, Britney Spears rides a mechanical electric guitar, which simulates a mechanical bull, as it rotates on stage. The same prop electric guitar was previously used during her Femme Fatale Tour (2011) for a segment in which she covered the song "Burning Up" by Madonna. In the 2016 Billboard Music Awards, the song was performed as part of a medley, using the same guitar prop.

Track listings

Charts and certifications

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
Australia (ARIA)[57] Gold 35,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Release history

Country Date Format Label
Germany[58] 27 May 2002 Maxi single JIVE
Japan[59] 19 June 2002 Sony
United Kingdom[60] 1 July 2002 JIVE

Alex Gaudino and Jason Rooney version

"I Love Rock 'n' Roll"
Promotional single by Alex Gaudino & Jason Rooney
Released 3 December 2008
Recorded 2008
Length 3:37
Label 541/NEWS
Songwriter(s) Alan Merrill, Jake Hooker
Alex Gaudino singles chronology
"Watch Out"
(2008) Watch Out2008		 "I Love Rock 'n' Roll"
(2008) I Love Rock 'n' Roll2008		 "I'm in Love (I Wanna Do It)"
(2010) I'm in Love (I Wanna Do It)2010

The Alex Gaudino & Jason Rooney cover version was released in 2008.

Track listing

UK Digital download
No.TitleLength
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

Chart performance

Chart (2008) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratip Wallonia)[61] 10

Release history

Region Date Format
United Kingdom 3 December 2008 Digital download[62]

Other cover versions


"I Love Rock 'n' Roll" is an often-covered song, and has been notably recorded by such artists as:

See also

References

  1. ↑ Cad, Saint. "10 More Famous Songs With Unknown Originals". listverse.com. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 "Outsight Radio Hours interview, 12 February 2012". Retrieved 18 March 2012.
  3. ↑ "alan merrill setlist". Tumblr. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
  4. ↑ "I Love Rock and Roll". Songfacts.com. Archived from the original on 26 February 2017. Retrieved 2009-09-20.
  5. 1 2 "Ten hits you may not know were cover versions". BBC News. Retrieved 14 October 2014
  6. ↑ Huey, Steve. "I Love Rock N' Roll – Song Review". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  7. ↑ Talevski, Nick (2006). Rock Obituaries - Knocking On Heaven's Door. Omnibus Press. p. 100. ISBN 978-1-8460-9091-2. Cordell joined Kenny Laguna, his former session player and then manager of Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, to co-produce the group's chart-topping hard-rock anthem 'I Love Rock 'N Roll'.
  8. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications), page 322.
  9. ↑ "Rolling Stone - The 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time". Archived from the original on 30 May 2008. Retrieved 5 April 2017.. 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."
  10. ↑ "The Recording Academy Announces 2016 Grammy Hall of Fame Inductees". Recording Academy. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
  11. ↑ Archived 30 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine.
  12. ↑ "Australia n°1 Hits - 80's". Worldcharts.co.uk. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
  13. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Joan Jett & The Blackhearts – I Love Rock'n Roll" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  14. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Joan Jett & The Blackhearts – I Love Rock'n Roll" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  15. ↑ Lwin, Nanda. Top 40 Hits: the essential chart guide (2000).
  16. ↑ Hung Medien. "I love rock'n'roll in French Chart". Archived from the original on 20 September 2013. Retrieved 12 June 2013. You have to use the index at the top of the page and search "Joan Jett & the Blackhearts"
  17. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Joan Jett & The Blackhearts – I Love Rock'n Roll". GfK Entertainment Charts.
  18. 1 2 "I love rock'n'roll in Irish Chart". IRMA. Archived from the original on 3 June 2009. Retrieved 12 June 2013. Only results when searching "I Love Rock 'n Roll"
  19. ↑ "Indice per Interprete: J". HitParadeItalia (it). Retrieved 12 June 2013.
  20. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Joan Jett & The Blackhearts search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40.
  21. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Joan Jett & The Blackhearts – I Love Rock'n Roll" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  22. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Joan Jett & The Blackhearts – I Love Rock'n Roll". Top 40 Singles.
  23. ↑ John Samson. "I love rock'n'roll in South African Chart". Retrieved 12 June 2013.
  24. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Joan Jett & The Blackhearts – I Love Rock'n Roll". Singles Top 100.
  25. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Joan Jett & The Blackhearts – I Love Rock'n Roll". Swiss Singles Chart.
  26. ↑ "1982 Top 40 Official UK Singles Archive - 8th May 1982". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
  27. 1 2 3 "I Love Rock'n'Roll awards on Allmusic". Allmusic. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
  28. ↑ "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  29. ↑ "Britney Spears – I Love Rock 'N' Roll". www.discogs.com. Discogs. n.d. Retrieved 4 February 2017. Released: 27 May 2002
  30. ↑ Dingwall, John (5 November 2001). "OTR..Off the Record: Your Time Is Up, Jacko; Britney Wants Album Top Slot". Daily Record. Scotland. p. 19.
  31. ↑ Jim DeRogatis (4 November 2001). "What Britney said, or should have". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on 16 November 2001. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
  32. ↑ Kessler, Ted (30 October 2001). "NME Albums Reviews — Britney Spears : 'Britney Pop's Number One act? She did it again...'". NME. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
  33. ↑ Barry Walters (22 November 2001). "Britney review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 12 February 2007. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
  34. ↑ Tranter, Nikki (5 November 2001). "Britney Spears: Britney <PopMatters>". PopMatters. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
  35. ↑ Britney | Music. EW.com (12 November 2001). Retrieved on 2 January 2012.
  36. ↑ Britney Spears — I Love Rock 'n' Roll (UK) UKBritney.tv Retrieved on 22 May 2007
  37. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Britney Spears – I Love Rock 'n' Roll". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  38. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Britney Spears – I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  39. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Britney Spears – I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  40. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Britney Spears – I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  41. ↑ "Britney Spears: I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
  42. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Britney Spears – I Love Rock 'n' Roll". GfK Entertainment Charts.
  43. ↑ "Archívum — Slágerlisták — MAHASZ — Magyar Hangfelvétel-kiadók Szövetsége". Mahasz.hu. Retrieved 2012-11-08.
  44. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Britney Spears – I Love Rock 'n' Roll". Top Digital Download.
  45. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Britney Spears search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40.
  46. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Britney Spears – I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  47. ↑ "Top40-charts.com". Retrieved November 24, 2015.
  48. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2002-11-16". Scottish Singles Top 40. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
  49. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Britney Spears – I Love Rock 'n' Roll". Singles Top 100.
  50. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Britney Spears – I Love Rock 'n' Roll". Swiss Singles Chart.
  51. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2002-11-16" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  52. ↑ "ARIA Charts - End of Year Charts - Top 100 Singles 2002". Aria.com.au. Retrieved 2016-03-14.
  53. ↑ "Ultratop Belgian Charts". Ultratop.be. Retrieved 2016-03-14.
  54. ↑ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts - Offizielle Deutsche Charts". Offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 2016-03-14.
  55. ↑ "Årslista Singlar - År 2002". Archived from the original on 1 February 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  56. ↑ Steffen Hung. "Swiss Year-End Charts 2002". Swisscharts.com. Archived from the original on 2 April 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  57. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2002 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  58. ↑ "I Love Rock 'N' Roll [Single]". Amazon.de. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  59. ↑ "I Love Rock’n’Roll". Amazon.co.jp. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  60. ↑ "I Love Rock and Roll [Single, Maxi]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  61. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Alex Gaudino & Jason Rooney – I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (in French). Ultratip.
  62. ↑ "I Love Rock N' Roll: Alex Gaudino & Jason Rooney: Amazon.co.uk: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.com. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
  63. ↑ "I Love Rock'n'roll by Forever Young - Music Charts". Acharts.co. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
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