I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll — The Arrows Originally, then Joan Jett

Rock and roll songs of the time sang about the rock star seducing the young girls.  Duh.  You already know that or you wouldn’t be reading this post on a site dedicated to jailbait music, and underage love songs!  Well, they weren’t really love songs — they were songs about sex with girls (usually, but sometimes boys) who weren’t of legal age to consent to sexual activity.

The original performance of this song was by the Arrows.  Their version was about a girl in the bar who was almost 17.

I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll by the Arrows

I saw her dancing there by the record machine
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 n’ roll
So put another dime in the jukebox, baby
I love rock n’ roll
So come on take your time and dance with me

She smiled, so I got up and asked for her name
“That don’t matter,” she said, “’cause it’s all the same”
I said, “Can I take you home where we can be alone?”
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 n’ roll
So put another dime in the jukebox, baby
I love rock n’ roll
So come on 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 n’ roll
So put another dime in the jukebox, baby
I love rock n’ roll
So come on take your time and dance with me

Joan Jett liked the song and wanted to record it with her then-current band, The Runaways, who did not like the song and did not want to record it.  So Joan recorded it in 1979 with a friends, then again in 1981 with her band, the BlackHearts.  That version went to number 3 on the Billboard charts, and became an entry in the all-time greatest Rock ‘N’ Roll songs.
However Joan was rebelling at the time and trying to turn the tables on the music industry, where men had the power and women were sub-servient.  So in Jett’s version, she is the one who sees the BOY (changed from the girl in the Arrows version), and decides to take him home and have sex.  This “aggressive pursuit of the boy”.  The song became an empowerment song for women, and solidified Jett’s standing as a tough rock-star who wasn’t going to take shit from anyone.
This was also a time of other sexually-charged songs like Olivia Newton-John’s “Physical” and Pat Benatar’s “Hit me with Your Best Shot” (neither of which belong on this site!).
The words to Joan Jett’s version:
“I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll”

I saw him dancing there by the record machine
I knew he must have been about seventeen
The beat was going strong
Playing my favorite song
And I could tell it wouldn’t be long till he was with me, yeah me
And I could tell it wouldn’t be long till he 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
Ow!

He smiled, so I got up and asked for his name
But that don’t matter, he said, ’cause it’s all the same
He said, “Can I take you home
Where we can be alone?”
And next we were moving on, he was with me, yeah me
Next we were moving on, he 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
Ow!

He said, “Can I take you home
Where we can be alone?”
Next we’re moving on, he was with me, yeah me
And we’ll be 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

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


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