Songoftheday 3/13/16 - Midnight gettin' uptight where are you you said you'd meet me now it's quarter to two, I know I'm hangin' but I'm still wantin' you...

"I Hate Myself For Loving You" - Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
from the album Up Your Alley (1988)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #8 (two weeks)
Weeks in the Top-40: 12

Today's song of the day comes from the artist who provided my very first "song of the day", Joan Jett, whose inaugural (to my bloggie) single "I Love Rock & Roll" topped the American pop chart for seven weeks back in 1982. Along with her band the Blackhearts (and sometimes without), she continued to have moderate success through the decade, and even sidetracked into acting with her role in the Michael J. Fox movie Light Of Day. The title track from the album, which was written by Bruce Springsteen and performed by Joan with the Blackhearts under the film moniker the Barbusters, became her sixth top-40 pop hit in 1987. However, her last studio album (released before Light Of Day), Good Music, even though sporting a all-star set of cameos and a more "radio-friendly" rock sound, relative stiffed, not reaching the top 100 on the albums chart and the title track/lead single stalling at #83. Two of the "Blackhearts", Gary Ryan and Lee Crystal, left, with Jett and guitarist Eric Ambel recruiting two new members for their sixth studio album Up Your Alley. The first single was a blues-rock throwdown written by Joan along with "song doctor" Desmond Child (Bon Jovi's go-to). "I Hate Myself For Loving You" had the simple 4 to the floor guitar crunch (along with a solo from former Rolling Stone Mick Taylor) that brought back the excitement that "I Love Rock & Roll" had for pop radio...

"I Hate Myself For Loving You" became Joan Jett and the Blackhearts' third (and so-far latest) top-10 pop hit in October of 1988. The song also went to #20 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock radio chart. Internationally, the single climbed to #8 in New Zealand, went to #12 in Sweden, stopped at #21 in Canada and #28 in the Netherlands. Surprisingly, in the UK where the band got early favor with "I Love Rock & Roll", the single peaked under the top-40 at #46. The single was nominated for a Grammy Award for Rock Duo/Group performance, losing to U2's "Desire".

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Here's Joan performing the song live in 2008...

...and again on the Queen Latifah show in 2014...

...and finally, a concert gig featuring guests (a probably drunk) Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top and Taylor Momsen from Pretty Reckless (mind you, she's 55 years old in this and still looking amazing)...

Up tomorrow: An acappella mantra hits the top of the charts. Grab a drink, you'll need one.