The Retroscope: 20 March

20 March 1982: Joan Jett and The Blackhearts started an impeccable seven week surge at #1 on the US singles chart with “I love Rock ‘n Roll” as well as breaching the UK Top 5 on the other side of the Atlantic. It was one of three tracks on the LP recorded with former Sex Pistols’ Steve Jones and Paul Cook. The song had been a B-side track of The Arrows and its success was followed with remakes of Tommy James’ Crimson and Clover and Gary Glitter’s Do you wanna Touch Me. Subsequent hits in 1983 like Fake Friends and Everyday People made the US Top 50. Although chart presence faded later in the decade the Jett outfit became a sought after live attraction and enjoyed solid sales from album releases particularly the 1988 set Up Your Alley.