Joan Jett - Bad Reputation

Written By: Moti Kupfer

Release date - 23.01.1981

"Girls have got balls. They're just a little higher up, that's all". (Joan Jett)

Have you ever asked yourself why, when people talk about musicians who were seemingly born with a guitar in their hands, the conversation has almost always revolved around men? The very term “guitar hero” was shaped around that closed circle. Into that space stepped Joan Jett, rewriting the rules entirely. Her debut album "Bad Reputation" was released on January 23, 1981, and with it came a new definition of what a guitar hero could look like.

When speaking about uncompromising artists with the raw power to move things, to challenge norms and push boundaries, Joan Jett sits right at the top of the list. Or, as she once described herself, “I think I was born strong-willed. That's not the kind of thing you can learn.”

Joan Marie Larkin was born in September 1958 in Wynnewood, a suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, into a Protestant family. Although she attended church, her personal relationship with faith never matched the strict devotion practiced by the rest of her family.

In 1967, her family relocated to Rockville, Maryland. At the age of thirteen, young Joan received her first guitar and began taking lessons. That experience was short-lived, however, as her instructor insisted on teaching folk songs. Joan had bigger ambitions and far more electrifying dreams.

After her parents divorced and the family moved to California, Los Angeles proved to be a turning point. Joan immersed herself in the music that truly spoke to her, changed her surname from Larkin to Jett, and became a regular at Rodney Bingenheimer’s nightclub, a hub for the glam rock sound she loved so deeply.

At just sixteen years old, she co-founded the all-female glam rock band "The Runaways" alongside Sandy West. The lineup also included Lita Ford and Micki Steele (later of “The Bangles”). Over the course of four albums, Jett wrote songs, sang, and played guitar, shaping the band’s rebellious identity. “The Runaways” toured extensively, opening for acts such as "Van Halen", "Ramones", "Cheap Trick", and "Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers", before eventually disbanding in 1979.

During her time in the band, Jett adopted a visual identity that became inseparable from her presence on stage: a black leather jacket, heavy black eyeliner, and a sharply layered haircut. She later openly acknowledged that both her iconic look and her sound were deeply inspired by Suzi Quatro. Jett admitted that Suzi is the one who made her realize that girls could succeed at playing rock and roll.

In the spring of 1979, Jett traveled to England, where she recorded three songs with drummer Paul Cook and guitarist Steve Jones. One of those recordings was an early version of what would later become her biggest hit, "I Love Rock 'n' Roll", originally recorded by "Arrows". Afterward, Jett returned to Los Angeles to complete a feature film, the final obligation remaining from her contract with her previous band. It was during this period that she met producer and lyricist Kenny Laguna, who was brought in to help her write the film’s soundtrack.

Once the project was completed, the collaboration between Jett and Laguna continued naturally into the creation of her debut album. The record incorporated the three songs she had already recorded in England, alongside new material that moved freely between classic 1950s and 1960s rock and roll, punk rock, glam rock, and even touches of new wave. Roughly half of the album consisted of cover songs, reflecting both Jett’s roots and her defiant reinterpretation of rock history.

Among the musicians who participated in the sessions were drummer Clem Burke and guitarist Frank Infante from "Blondie", alongside Steve Jones and Paul Cook from "Sex Pistols". Additional contributions came from members of "Roll-Ups", who served as Jett’s backing band before the formation of the “Blackhearts”.

Initially, every major record label rejected the project. Undeterred, Laguna and Jett independently released the album under Joan Jett’s name, selling it directly through record stores and live performances. Only after the album proved successful in its original independent form did Jett secure a deal with "Boardwalk Records". The album was then officially reissued under the title “Bad Reputation”, a phrase that had already been attached to Joan Jett during her years with “The Runaways”.

For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music

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