"I Love Rock 'n' Roll" is a

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

song written by

Alan Merrill Alan Merrill (born Allan Preston Sachs; February 19, 1951 – March 29, 2020) was an American vocalist, guitarist and songwriter. In the early 1970s, he was one of the few resident foreigners to achieve pop star status in Japan. He was the write ...

and Jake Hooker and first recorded by the Arrows, a British rock band, in 1975. A 1981 cover version by

Joan Jett & the Blackhearts Joan Jett (born Joan Marie Larkin, September 22, 1958) is an American singer, guitarist, record producer, and actress. Jett is best known for her work as the frontwoman of her band Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, and for earlier founding and per ...

, released as the first single from her album of the same name, became Jett's highest-charting hit, reaching number one on the ''Billboard''

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

and becoming the No. 3 song for 1982. The single was certified platinum by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

, representing two million units shipped to stores. Jett's version was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2016.

Arrows original version

The song was originally recorded and released by Arrows in 1975 on Rak Records, with Merrill on lead vocals and guitar and

Mickie Most Michael Peter Hayes (20 June 1938 – 30 May 2003), known as Mickie Most, was an English record producer behind scores of hit singles for acts such as the Animals, Herman's Hermits, the Nashville Teens, Donovan, Lulu, Suzi Quatro, Hot Chocolate ...

producing. Merrill wrote both the music and lyrics, whilst living in London at

Nell Gwynn House Nell Gwynn House is a ten-storey residential building in Sloane Avenue, Chelsea, London, designed in the Art Deco style by G. Kay Green. Completed in 1937, it stands next to the same architect's Sloane Avenue Mansions, built a few years earlier. ...

in Chelsea. He gave a co-writer credit to Hooker as part of settling a debt. In an interview with Songfacts, Merrill said he wrote the song as "a knee-jerk response to

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

' ' It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)'." This version was first released as a

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

, but was soon re-recorded and flipped to A-side status on a subsequent pressing of the record. Arrows performed the song in 1975 on the

Muriel Young Muriel Young (19 June 1923 – 24 March 2001) was an English television continuity announcer, presenter and producer. Early life Young was born in 1923 in Bishop Middleham near Sedgefield, County Durham. As a child, she lived with her family i ...

-produced show ''45'', after which Young offered Arrows a weekly UK television series, '' Arrows'', which was broadcast on

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

starting in March 1976."Ten hits you may not know were cover versions"
BBC News. Retrieved 14 October 2014

Joan Jett version

Joan Jett saw the Arrows perform "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" on their weekly UK television series '' Arrows'' while she was touring England with

the Runaways The Runaways were an all-female American rock band who recorded and performed from 1975 to 1979. The band released four studio albums and one live album during its run. Among their best-known songs are "Cherry Bomb", " Hollywood", "Queens of N ...

in 1976. She first recorded the song in 1979 with two of the

Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they were one of the most groundbreaking acts in the history of popular music. They were responsible for ...

Steve Jones Steve or Steven Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Steve Jones (English presenter) (born 1945), English musician, disk jockey, television presenter, and voice-over artist *Steve Jones (musician) (born 1955), English rock and roll guita ...

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 "You Don't Own Me" is a popular song written by Philadelphia songwriters John Medora, John Madara and David White (musician), David White and recorded by Lesley Gore in 1963, when Gore was 17 years old. The song was Gore's second most succe ...

". In 1981, Jett re-recorded the song, this time with her band,

the Blackhearts Joan Jett (born Joan Marie Larkin, September 22, 1958) is an American singer, guitarist, record producer, and actress. Jett is best known for her work as the frontwoman of her band Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, and for earlier founding and per ...

. This recording became a US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number-one single for seven weeks, being the only one for the band.

Music video

The

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for "I Love Rock 'n Roll" received heavy play by the fledgling

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

network. It featured Jett and the Blackhearts traveling to a small, dingy bar and then exciting the drunken crowd by performing the song and yelling out its

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

. 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 hated 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. The video consisted of scenes from the movie, with Mike Myers and Dana Carvey, mixed with footage of Jett and her band in a faux concert filmed at

Irving Plaza Irving Plaza (known through sponsorship as Irving Plaza, powered by Klipsch and formerly known as the Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza) is a ballroom-style music venue located within the Union Square neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. ...

in NYC. At one point during the filming, one person was introduced to the crowd as having been in the original video as he set up to

stage dive Stage diving is the act of leaping from a concert stage onto the crowd below, which occasionally causes serious injuries. It is often the precursor to crowd surfing. Long before the word was invented, public stagediving took place during the fir ...

for that take. The song was again released as a single by Warner/Reprise with "Activity Grrrl" as the B-side.

Popularity

Jett's version has received many rankings, including: * No. 85 in ''Q'' magazine's March 2005 "100 Greatest Guitar Tracks Ever!" list. * No. 491 in ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

s "

500 Greatest Songs of All Time "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" is a recurring survey compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and industry figures. The first list was published in December 2004 in ...

" (2010) and No. 484 (2004). * No. 56 in ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

''s "Greatest Songs of All Time".

Personnel

* Joan Jett – lead vocals, rhythm guitar *

Ricky Byrd Ricky Byrd (born Richard Scott Bird; October 20, 1956) is a rock and roll guitar player, singer, songwriter and producer. He spent over a decade as a member of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, where he contributed music and background vocals to tw ...

– lead guitar, backing vocals * Gary Ryan – bass, backing vocals * Lee Crystal – drums, backing vocals

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

All-time charts

Certifications

Britney Spears version

Background, release and composition

"I Love Rock 'n' Roll" is the fourth European single from American

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...

singer

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...

' third studio album, '' Britney'' (2001), released on 27 May 2002. The song was used in her 2002 film ''

Crossroads Crossroads, crossroad, cross road or similar may refer to: * Crossroads (junction), where four roads meet Film and television Films * ''Crossroads'' (1928 film), a 1928 Japanese film by Teinosuke Kinugasa * ''Cross Roads'' (film), a 1930 Brit ...

'', in which Spears' 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." Spears has publicly stated that the original song is one of her favorites. She 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 version were performed by Corey Chase at The Hit Factory Criteria studios in Miami. When promoting the single's release, Spears mistakenly attributed the hit version of the song to

Pat Benatar Patricia Mae Giraldo (''née'' Andrzejewski, formerly Benatar; born January 10, 1953), known professionally as Pat Benatar, is an American rock singer and songwriter. In the United States, she has had two multi-platinum albums, five platinum alb ...

instead of Joan Jett.

Critical reception

Spears' cover was met with mostly favorable reviews. ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

''s Ted Kessler wrote that she "still works best when making a good pop cheese and dance sandwich: there's the ace

Rodney Jerkins Rodney Roy Jerkins (born July 29, 1977), also known by his stage name Darkchild, is an American record producer, rapper, and songwriter. He has collaborated with a broad range of popular artists. Jerkins has won multiple Grammy Awards. Among hi ...

-produced version of Joan Jett's 'I Love Rock 'n' Roll', which does exactly what it says on the tin." ''

''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 Limp Bizkit is an American rap rock band from Jacksonville, Florida. Its lineup consists of lead vocalist Fred Durst, drummer John Otto, guitarist Wes Borland, turntablist DJ Lethal and bassist Sam Rivers. The band's music is marked by D ...

remix in its future?), but it certainly beats what her earlier studio architects did to those Sonny and Cher ("

The Beat Goes On The Beat Goes On, or variants, may refer to: Music Albums * ''The Beat Goes On'' (Herbie Mann album), 1967 * ''The Beat Goes On!'' (Sonny Criss album), 1968 * ''The Beat Goes On'' (Vanilla Fudge album), 1968 * '' The Beat Goes On: The Best of ...

" on '' ...Baby One More Time'') and

Stones In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks form the Earth's o ...

(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" is a song recorded by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. A product of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards' songwriting partnership, it features a guitar riff by Richards that opens and drives the song. The riff ...

" on '' Oops!... I Did It Again'') songs." Another positive reception came from

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

'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." In contrast, David Browne wrote for ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' that "her remake is neither imaginative (it simply xeroxes Joan Jett's arrangement) nor all that believable."

Chart performance

"I Love Rock 'n' Roll" charted moderately upon release, reaching the top 20 in most regions. The song was moderately successful in the UK, where it peaked at number 13 (which, at the time, was Spears' lowest peak for a single released there, until "

Radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...

" only managed to reach number 46 in 2009, and then " I Wanna Go", which peaked at number 111 in 2011). It was certified gold in Australia.

Promotion

Directed by

Chris Applebaum Chris Applebaum is a music video director from Los Angeles, California. His videos including Miley Cyrus' '' Party in the U.S.A.'', Usher's ''Dive'', and Demi Lovato's ''Heart Attack''. 30 of his videos have reached #1 on the MTV charts. Apple ...

, the music video for "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" shows Spears with her own band, a stack of speakers and flashing lights. The video begins in

black and white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

and switches to and from color throughout. It was shot at The Inn, a bar in Long Beach, New York. The video was ranked at number two on the 100 Best Videos of 2002 list during

MTV Latin America MTV is a Latin American pay television network that was launched on 1 October 1993 as the Hispanic American version of MTV. It is owned by Paramount Networks Americas, a subsidiary of Paramount Global. The channel broadcasts music videos as well ...

's countdown. A director's cut version of the video was later leaked, containing previously unseen scenes. The song was performed live during Spears' Dream Within a Dream Tour (2001–02). In 2016, it was added to the revamped set list of her

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

residency show, Britney: Piece of Me (2016–17), marking the first time Spears performed the song in 14 years. During the performance, Spears rode a mechanical electric guitar, which simulated a mechanical bull, as it rotated on stage. The same prop electric guitar had been used during her Femme Fatale Tour (2011) for a segment in which she covered the song " Burning Up" by

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

. At the 2016 ''Billboard'' Music Awards, the song was performed as part of a medley.

Track listings

*European 2-track CD single # "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (Album Version) – 3:06 # "

Overprotected "Overprotected" is a song by American singer Britney Spears from her third studio album, '' Britney'' (2001). It was written and produced by Max Martin and Rami. The song was released on December 10, 2001, by Jive Records as the second inter ...

" (

Darkchild Rodney Roy Jerkins (born July 29, 1977), also known by his stage name Darkchild, is an American record producer, rapper, and songwriter. He has collaborated with a broad range of popular artists. Jerkins has won multiple Grammy Awards. Among hi ...

Remix) – 3:18 *European/Australian CD single # "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (Album Version) – 3:08 # "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (Karaoke Version) – 3:06 # "Overprotected" (Darkchild Remix) – 3:20 # " I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman" (Metro Remix) – 5:26 *German 2 tracks CD single # "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (Album Version) – 3:07 # "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (Karaoke Version) – 3:05 *German CD single # "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (Album Version) – 3:07 # "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (Karaoke Version) – 3:05 # "Overprotected" (Riprock 'N Alex G Remix) – 3:25 # "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman" (Metro Remix) – 5:24 *Japanese CD maxi single # "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (Album Version) – 3:06 # "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (Karaoke Version) – 3:04 # "Overprotected" (Darkchild Remix) – 3:20 # "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman" (Metro Remix) – 5:25 # " I'm a Slave 4 U" (

Thunderpuss Thunderpuss is the (mainly dance) remix/production team of Los Angeles-based music producers Barry Harris and Chris Cox. Harris had previously worked as part of several music groups including Kon Kan, Top Kat, Killer Bunnies and Outta Control ...

Radio Mix) – 3:18 # "I'm a Slave 4 U" (

Miguel Migs Miguel Steward, better known as Miguel Migs, is an American deep house DJ and producer and founder of Salted Music, an independent electronic dance music record label based in San Francisco, California. Biography Migs began his music career a ...

Petalpusher Vocal) – 5:30 # "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman" (Spanish Fly Dub Mix) – 5:55 *UK CD maxi single # "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (Album Version) – 3:06 # "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (Karaoke Version) – 3:04 # "Overprotected (Darkchild Remix Radio Edit)" – 3:06 # "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (Video) – 3:06 *Cassette single # "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (Album Version) – 3:06 # "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (Karaoke Version) – 3:04 # "Overprotected" (Darkchild Remix Edit) – 3:06 *Digital download (Digital 45) # "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" – 3:07 # "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman" (Metro Remix Radio Edit) – 3:29

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Alex Gaudino and Jason Rooney version

A cover version by Alex Gaudino and Jason Rooney was released in 2008.

Track listing

;Credits and personnel * Lead

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

– Alex Gaudino * Music – Alan Merrill, Jake Hooker *

Lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer, a ...

– Alan Merrill, Jake Hooker * Scratches – Corey Chase * Label: 541/NEWS

Chart performance

Release history

LadBaby version

In December 2019, English blogger LadBaby released a comedy version of the song with a sausage roll theme as a charity single whose profits went to The Trussell Trust. The single's cover is based on '' Abbey Roads cover. The song peaked at number one on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

and in Scotland.

Background

In December 2019, LadBaby announced his bid for the Official Christmas Number one. As with their last release " We Built This City", all proceeds from the single went to The Trussell Trust. He said, "We were blown away by the support we received on our Christmas Number 1 single last year and how far that money has gone into changing the lives of families living in poverty across the UK. We're continually looking for ways we can support food bank charity the Trussell Trust further as the size of the problem still facing so many adults (and children) is huge and we ALL need to do whatever we can to say goodbye to poverty once and for all in the UK! If we can use our social media presence for good by singing about sausage rolls, giving people something to smile about and helping families eat this year, then why wouldn’t we. Officially, the most unanticipated single of the decade...AGAIN!"

Charts

On 20 December 2019, the song entered the

at number one, claiming the Christmas number one with 93,000 chart sales and with 85,000 of that total coming via downloads. It was also the fastest-selling download since Artists for Grenfell version of " Bridge over Troubled Water" in June 2017. LadBaby became the third act to have two consecutive Christmas number one singles and the first to have two successive novelty Christmas number ones in the UK. After reaching number one, LadBaby said, "How have we done this again? It’s the best feeling in the world - it's a Christmas miracle yet again! Thank you everybody for supporting us once again, and all for an amazing cause. It's going to the Trussell Trust – to the 14 million people living in poverty in the UK. Who doesn’t love a sausage roll at Christmas?"

Other notable cover versions

"Weird Al" Yankovic Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American singer, musician, songwriter, record producer, actor and author. He is best known for creating comedy songs that make light of pop culture and often parody specifi ...

parodied the song as "

I Love Rocky Road "I Love Rocky Road" is a song by "Weird Al" Yankovic about a man's obsession with rocky road ice cream. It is a parody of the 1981 Joan Jett and the Blackhearts' cover version of the British band Arrows' 1975 song, "I Love Rock 'n' Roll", origin ...

". * Apologetix parodied the song in 2000 as "

I Love Apostle Paul I, or i, is the ninth letter and the third vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''i'' (pronounced ), plural ...

". * Forever Young reached #27 in France in 2003 with their cover version.

References

External links

History of the songBill Harry's Merseybeat article
{{DEFAULTSORT:I Love Rock N Roll 1975 songs 1975 singles 1982 singles 2002 singles 2008 singles Arrows (British band) songs Jive Records singles RAK Records singles Joan Jett songs Britney Spears songs Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles Dutch Top 40 number-one singles RPM Top Singles number-one singles Number-one singles in South Africa Number-one singles in Sweden Music videos directed by Chris Applebaum Song recordings produced by Mickie Most Song recordings produced by Rodney Jerkins Songs about rock music Number-one singles in Australia Number-one singles in New Zealand Black-and-white music videos

Arrows original version

Joan Jett version

Music video

Popularity

Personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

All-time charts

Certifications

Britney Spears version

Background, release and composition

Critical reception

Chart performance

Promotion

Track listings

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Alex Gaudino and Jason Rooney version

Track listing

Chart performance

Release history

LadBaby version

Background

Charts

Other notable cover versions

See also

References

External links