Joan Jett & The Blackhearts

I watch my generation die
I watch the heads of nations lie
I watch the homeless on the streets
I stand here helpless just
Lookin' at my feet
I watch the children run away
The bullets fly where they should play
I watch a junkie fade away
I ain't got an answer
But I sure got things to say
Hey, I gotta find a way
Cause the road is dark
Gotta light my way
Gotta fight the fear
In my heart
Oh, I pray
I live to see
A brighter day, hey hey

I watch the old folks sit alone
They talk to ghosts they used to know
Where are the wise men of the tribe
Where are the midwives and the newborn's cry, yeah

Now if I could I'd turn back time
Way back before there was corporate crime
We'd fight the wind to plant our seed
When the earth was stronger than human greed
Hey, hey, I gotta find a way
Cause night is dark
Gotta light my way
Gotta fight the fear
In my heart
Oh I pray
I live to see
A brighter day...hey, hey

I'm not tryin' to tell ya
What's right or wrong
I'm not trying to be clever
You gotta hope things get better
Even when they never...hey, hey, hey

Hey hey, I gotta find a way
Cause road is dark
Gotta light my way
Gotta fight the fear
In my heart
Oh, I pray
I live to see
A brighter day...hey, hey

After splitting with The Runaways, and releasing her first solo album, Joan Jett placed an ad in LA Weekly looking for bandmates. Gary Ryan, Eric Ambel, and Danny “Furious” O'Brien joined her, creating the orginial Blackhearts lineup.

After their initial tour though, O'Brien was replaced with Lee Crystal.

Early on, keeping the band afloat was not easy. Joan and producer Kenny Laguna struggled, sometimes selling copies of albums from the trunk of his car. Eventually unable to keep up with the demand for Joan Jett’s album, they signed with Boardwalk Records.

more tracks from the album

Pure and Simple

From the album

Pure and Simple (1994)

Joan Jett & The Blackhearts popular songs

Brighter DayJoan Jett & The Blackhearts

Joan Jett & The Blackhearts

Pure and Simple