Joan Jett’s favourite David Bowie song
Nobody represents punk rock music better than Joan Jett. She is the embodiment of rebellion and doing what you love regardless of what others say or what is deemed the societal ‘norm’ at the time. She is one of the most revered artists in the guitar world, with an attitude just as rock and roll as the music she plays.
Rock music has always been a male-dominated genre, and as such, when a woman like Joan Jett step on stage, guitar in hand and a ‘fuck you’ attitude, there was always going to be pushback. However, in standing by what she believes in and creating some great music in the process, Jett has not only cemented an excellent career for herself but has also assisted in paving the way for other female musicians.
Jett has previously spoken on the pushback she received and passed on advice to aspiring female musicians. “For guitar-playing girls – this is important – don’t listen to what people tell you. You may run into people asking you what you’re doing, saying that girls don’t play guitar,” she said. “You’d think we’d be way past that now – it’s been 30 years since I played in the Runaways – but that’s not the case… Just screw all that and keep at it.”
As people tried to create a divide between Jett and her guitar, all they did was bring the two closer together. Jett now has an indistinguishable bond with the instrument, and as such, when she listens to music, she hears the guitar first before anything else.
Her favourite David Bowie song is a reflection of this. The singer notoriously has a plethora of hits, but the one that stands out the most for Jett is the one where the guitar is most prominent: ‘Rebel Rebel’ from the album Diamond Dogs.
When asked about the track, Jett said it has “one of the best riffs in rock and roll”. She isn’t lying, either. The guitar part, which opens up the Bowie classic, is as undeniable as it is fantastic, with the chord hits piercing earphones everywhere with an intro that has been filling dance floors since it was released.
Jett even paid homage to her love for the song by covering it on her 1994 album Flashback. In the cover, there are changes made to the percussion, and Jett tries to take on a different vocal style, but that guitar part stays the same; Jett decides to celebrate the instrument she feels most strongly about with one of the songs that made her feel so strongly about it.
There is no escaping that Jett is a pioneer of rock music; she pierced the fabric of a male-heavy genre, and the guitar was her sword in doing so. That connection with the guitar trickles down into the music she likes and the music she makes, as a good riff is at the forefront of everything.
