A new documentary about Joan Jett’s life and career will be opening on September 28th after premiering in January at the Sundance Film Festival. Directed by Kevin Kerslake and written by Joel Marcus, the film is ‘a look at the life of Joan Jett, from her early years as the founder of THE RUNAWAYS and first meeting with [manager/producer] Kenny Laguna in 1980 to her enduring presence in pop culture as a rock ‘n’ roll pioneer.’ The movie is also featuring many interviews with rock and pop icons such as Iggy Pop, Deborah Harry, Miley Cyrus, Pete Townshend, and Billie Joe Armstrong.
To celebrate the event, Joan Jett just released a song called ‘Fresh Start’, a brand new pop-rock anthem, sang with the same raucous youthful voice she is famous for. The new tune is a foot tapping number, with an infectious beat that drives the song like an old school punk classic, and let’s not forget about this hooky chorus. The song sounds absolutely fresh despite being very much in the vein of her famous ‘80s material, and it was also quite an unexpected gift to her fans: ’Fresh Start’ is her first new material in 5 years, as her last album ‘Unvarnished’ was released in 2013.
‘I need a fresh start, let’s go back to the top, rewind the tape and reset the clock, this time there’s no turning back’, she sings with her legendary charging tone and determination.
‘Sometimes you need to say to yourself, ‘Am I still enjoying what I’m doing? I need to find the fire again,’ she declared to Entertainment Weekly, ‘Part of it was just thinking about rock in general. It’s always been a young person’s game, writing about sex, love and partying. As rock and rollers get older, what do they write about? I’m not sure there’s an answer, but we’re looking for it.’
Rock ‘n’ roll has effectively always been a young person’s game, but those who continue to play rock ‘n’ roll don’t seem to age! The soundtrack of the movie, which features hits from Jett’s career – as well as music she recorded with Bikini Kill, Miley Cyrus and Laura Jane Grace – is due out on the same day the film opens, September 28th.
Listen to the new song, which will be included in the soundtrack of ‘Bad Reputation’.