The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has a dreadful track record when it comes to inducting women. TO date, less than 10 percent of the 348 artists included in the Hall have been women.
The 2015 class beats that ratio, barely, by including Joan Jett among its eight inductees. Of course, her band The Blackhearts — made up of three men — was invited along with her.
Jett first became eligible in 2006 and was nominated in 2012 and 2013 before finally getting in in 2015. That’s a longer path than you’d expect for a woman dubbed The Queen of Rock ‘n Roll.
Jett’s biggest hits include ‘I Love Rock ‘n Roll’ and ‘Crimson and Clover’ (both covers) as well as her own compositions ‘Bad Reputation’ and ‘I Have Myself For Loving You.’ Prior to forming the Blackhearts, Jett founded The Runaways and co-wrote their hit ‘Cherry Bomb.’
Her influence reached far beyond the hits, of course, as she was one of the first hard rocking female artists, and an inspiration to a generation of young women.
Jett and the current lineup of The Blackhearts continue to tour, though they haven’t released new material since 2013.
[Note: Happy Birthday to my father!]
I don’t give a damn ’bout my reputation
You’re living in the past, it’s a new generation
A girl can do what she wants to do
And that’s what I’m gonna do
[Chorus]
And I don’t give a damn ’bout my bad reputation
Oh no (No no no no no no)
Not me (Me me me me me me)
[Verse 2]
And I don’t give a damn ’bout my reputation
Never said I wanted to improve my station
And I’m only doin’ good when I’m havin’ fun
And I don’t have to please no one
[Chorus]
And I don’t give a damn ’bout my bad reputation
Oh no (No no no no no no)
Not me (Me me me me me me)
Oh no (No no no no no no)
Not me (Me me me me me me)
[Verse 3]
I don’t give a damn ’bout my reputation
Never been afraid of any deviation
And I don’t really care if you think I’m strange
I ain’t gonna change
[Chorus]
And I’m never gonna care ’bout my bad reputation
Oh no (No no no no no no)
Not me (Me me me me me me)
Oh no (No no no no no no)
Not me (Me me me me me me)
Pedal, boys!
[Verse 4]
And I don’t give a damn ’bout my reputation
The world’s in trouble, there’s no communication
And everyone can say what they wanna to say
It never gets better, anyway
[Chorus]
So why should I care about a bad reputation anyway?
Oh no (No no no no no no)
Not me (Me me me me me me)
Oh no (No no no no no no)
Not me (Me me me me me me)
[Verse 5]
I don’t give a damn ’bout my bad reputation
You’re living in the past, it’s a new generation
And I only feel good when I got no pain
And that’s how I’m gonna stay
[Chorus]
And I don’t give a damn ’bout my bad reputation
Oh no (No no no no no no)
Not me (Me me me me me me)
Oh no (No no no no no no)
Not me (Me me me me me me)
Not me (No no no no no no)
Not me
Meet Me In Montauk 
I am certainly all for diversity and inclusion for the Rock Hall, but I can’t help but wonder if a male artist with a similar level of short term success, followed by decades of obscurity, would have been inducted. About 15 or more years ago, we saw Joan Jett playing a free concert together with a few others who had some hits in the 80s, and I remember thinking at the time how far all of these artists had fallen from their 15 minutes of fame.
I don’t think the “what if she were a man” question matters, though, because the reason Joan Jett was influential (and thus a candidate for the Rock Hall) is because she did what she did as a woman.
If a generation of women rockers can point back to her work as one of the reasons they decided to strap on a guitar, she absolutely deserves a spot in the Hall of Fame.
Perhaps, but I don’t think she was really all that influential as someone like Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchel or Pat Benatar. I just haven’t heard all that many female artists citing her as an influence, but I certainly could have missed it.
I would argue that all four of those women easily belong in the Rock Hall. As it is, all but Benatar are there (she was nominated last year but didn’t make the cut).
Well, I think Benatar deserves it more than Jett.
I agree. That’s a pretty big oversight that underscores the Hall’s issue with women artists.