Joan Jett’s status as a rock icon is due in part to her 1981 recording of ‘I Love Rock ‘n Roll,’ which spent seven weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remains her biggest hit. However, though the song will always be associated with the groundbreaking rocker, it did not originate with her.
Jett first heard the song five years earlier, while touring the United Kingdom with the Runaways. It appeared in a show called Arrows, a weekly series aimed at teens which featured music by a band called The Arrows as well as guest musicians.
The Arrows had released a trio of hits that charted in the UK prior to the release of ‘I Love Rock ‘n Roll.’ This song was initially the B-side of a track called ‘Broken Down Heart,’ but the songs switched places, making ‘I Love Rock ‘n Roll’ the A-side. It didn’t make much difference, as neither song charted.
That would change five years later, of course, when Jett’s recording became one of the most enduring hits of the 80s.
I knew she must have been about seventeen
The beat was going strong
Playing my favourite song
And I could tell it wouldn’t be long ’til she was with me, yeah me
And I could tell it wouldn’t be long ’til she was with me, yeah me
Singing, I love rock and roll
So put another dime in the jukebox, baby
I love rock and roll
So come and take your time and dance with me
She smiled, so I got up and asked for her name
“But that don’t matter,” she said, “’cause it’s all the same”
I said, “Can I take you home
Where we can be alone?”
And next we were moving on, and she was with me, yeah me
Next we were moving on, and she was with me, yeah me
Singing, I love rock and roll
So put another dime in the jukebox, baby
I love rock and roll
So come and take your time and dance with me
I said, “Can I take you home
Where we can be alone?”
Next we were moving on, and she was with me, yeah me
And we were moving on and singing that same old song, yeah with me
Singing I love rock and roll
So put another dime in the jukebox, baby
I love rock and roll
So come and take your time and dance with me
I love rock and roll
So put another dime in the jukebox, baby
I love rock and roll
So come and take your time and dance with
I love rock and roll
So put another dime in the jukebox, baby
I love rock and roll
So come and take your time and dance with
I love rock and roll
So put another dime in the jukebox, baby
I love rock and roll
So come and take your time and dance with me
Meet Me In Montauk 
I knew, of course, that Jett’s second biggest hit, “Crimson and Clover” was a cover, but always assumed this one was original.