Get Ready To “Jump” To The Letter “J”!

It’s an iconic image from one of the most infectiously catchy rock songs of all time – Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth literally “jumping” for joy – and it leads off ten great songs that begin with the letter “J”!

I’ve got a few obscurities, a country legend, and music by Aerosmith, Paul McCartney, Eagles and of course the most famous phone number in music:

“867-5309!”

Time for the latest letter in my musical alphabet of songs from “A – Z” – here are ten great songs that begin with the letter “J”!

10 – “Jump” by Van Halen

From the opening hook to the energized performance, this is a great rock song!

It was a massive hit for the band, included on their album “1984” released in, well you know!

It was the band’s only #1 hit, and topped the charts for 5 weeks!

As you can see, Guitarist Eddie Van Halen also couldn’t be held down…here are the lyrics:

“I get up and nothin’ gets me down
You got it tough, I’ve seen the toughest around
And I know, baby, just how you feel
You got to roll with the punches to get to what’s real

Ah, can’t you see me standin’ here?
I’ve got my back against the record machine
I ain’t the worst that you’ve seen
Ah, can’t you see what I mean?

Ah, might as well jump (jump)
Might as well jump
Go ahead and jump

Jump!”

Here is the music video!

OK, time to come down to earth and check in on how Dolly’s doing – you see, she had a bit of a problem with a woman going after her man – and that woman was “Jolene”:

9 – “Jolene” by Dolly Parton

Dolly was 27 when she wrote and recorded this iconic song in 1973.

According to Parton, the song was inspired by a red-headed bank clerk who flirted with her husband, Carl Dean, at his local bank branch around the time they were newly married. 

Check out the lyrics:

“Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
I’m begging of you please don’t take my man
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
Please don’t take him just because you can

Your beauty is beyond compare
With flaming locks of auburn hair
With ivory skin and eyes of emerald green
Your smile is like a breath of spring
Your voice is soft like summer rain
And I cannot compete with you
Jolene”

Here is Dolly’s TV show from 1988 and she describes the altercation she had with a woman who tried to steal her husband, then performs the song:

Yes, Beyonce sings the song on her new album “Cowboy Carter”, and she does a very respectful version of it!

Next up, a great rock band with a provocative song!

8 – “Janie’s Got A Gun” by Aerosmith

A surprisingly powerful song from Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler, all about a young woman who kills her father after years of abuse.

Tyler said the lyrics were inspired by a Time magazine cover story about gun violence in the United States and a Newsweek article about children being abused in affluent suburbs.

It’s a tough song, with raw lyrics like these:

“What did her daddy do?
What did he put you through?
They said when Janie was arrested
They found him underneath a train
But man, he had it comin’, now that Janie’s got a gun
She ain’t never gonna be the same

Janie’s got a gun
Janie’s got a gun
Her dog day’s just begun
Now everybody is on the run”

Here is the music video:

Aerosmith their first Grammy award ever for the song in the category of Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal.

Now, have you seen this joke?

I love that! You see, it’s the most iconic phone number of the 80’s!

7 – “Jenny (867-5309)” by Tommy Tutone

An instant classic because of its great hook AND that phone number, “867-5309/Jenny” is a song written by Alex Call and Jim Keller and performed by Tommy Tutone from “Tommy Tutone 2” in 1981. It peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Rock Top Tracks chart in April 1982.

Let’s not argue whether this is a “J” song – “Jenny” would beg to differ!

Here are the infectious lyrics:

“Jenny Jenny you’re the girl for me
Oh, you don’t know me but you make me so happy
I tried to call you before but I lost my nerve
I tried my imagination but I was disturbed

Jenny I’ve got your number
I need to make you mine
Jenny don’t change your number

Eight six seven five three oh nine
Eight six seven five three oh nine
Eight six seven five three oh nine
Eight six seven five three oh nine”

Watch the video and the song will live in your head the rest of the day:

Now, let’s take a trip to a farm with Paul McCartney, for one of his great early 70’s rockers:

6 – “Junior’s Farm” by Paul McCartney and Wings

After the massive success of his “Band On The Run” album, Paul McCartney and Wings released this as a single to keep fans engaged – it was never included on any album…and it was a #3 hit in the US!

Paul and his wife Linda had a farm and recorded a lot of music there – here are some of the lyrics:

“I took my bag into a grocer’s store
The price is higher than my time before
Old man asked me why is it more?
I said, “You should have seen me with the poker man”
I had a honey and I bet a grand
Just in the nick of time I looked at his hand

Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go, let’s go
Down to Junior’s Farm where I wanna lay low
Low life, high life, oh, let’s go
Take me down to Junior’s Farm”

Here is a great performance from the 70’s by Wings:

Here’s some trivia: this was McCartney’s last release on Apple records before signing with Capitol…the last farewell from the Beatles’ label!

Like “Junior’s Farm”, McCartney released a lot of great music as “singles only” or “Bonus tracks”, here’s a look at what what he called his “Cold Cuts”:

If that song doesn’t your toes tapping, then my next one will do it for you:

5 – “Jack & Diane” by John Cougar Mellencamp

Released in 1982, this classic song became John Cougar Mellencamp’s biggest hit ever.

Here are the lyrics:

In 2014, Mellencamp revealed that the song was originally about an interracial couple, where Jack was African American and not a football star, but the record company persuaded him to change it.

Here is another instantly memorable melody – watch the video here:

Next up, an album track from The Eagles:

4 – “James Dean” by The Eagles

This was released as a single from their “On The Border” album, a comeback for the band after the soft sales for their album “Desperado”:

It’s a great song – check out the lyrics:

“One, two, one, two, three

James Dean, James Dean
I know just what you mean
James Dean
You said it all so clean
And I know my life would look all right
If I could see it on the silver screen

You were the low-down rebel if there ever was
Even if you had no cause
James Dean
You said it all so clean
And I know my life would look all right
If I could see it on the silver screen”

Here is a live performance:

The song came from the band’s third album, which included their very first #1 hit!

See more about the album and all of the terrific music on it by clicking on my story here:

Also in the 70’s, a blues singer added a mellow soul groove to his music and went to the top of the charts!

3 – “Jojo” by Boz Skaggs

Singer Boz Skaggs had a big string of hits in the 70’s including “Lowdown”, “You Make It So Hard To Say No”, “Lido Shuffle” and the mega selling song from the movie “Urban Cowboy” – “(Love) Look What You’ve Done To Me”.

This was another catchy hit from that era, all about a fun loving “bad guy”:

“Look out behind you
Jojo’s got his gun
He wouldn’t mean to do but
You know he likes his fun

Jojo dig those spinning lights
Way out games and dizzy heights below him
Jojo dig those Broadway nights
Flashy lines, you know him (you know him)”

Here is the video:

And here’s one of the catchiest of the power pop bands of the 80’s:

2 – “Just What I Needed” by The Cars

The Cars had so many great hits like “My Best Friend’s Girl”, “Drive” and this smash hit.

“Power pop” is a tight, feisty rock sound and this song had it. Check out the lyrics:

“I don’t mind you hangin’ out
And talkin’ in your sleep
It doesn’t matter where you’ve been
As long as it was deep, yeah
You always knew to wear it well and
You look so fancy I can tell
And I don’t mind you hangin’ out
And talkin’ in your sleep
I guess you’re just what I needed (just what I needed)
I needed someone to feed
I guess you’re just what I needed (just what I needed)
I needed someone to bleed”

Here is the video:

Do you know who came up with the phrase “power pop?”

Pete Townsend of The Who!

Click here for the story of this pop sound and an Artist who mastered it!

I’m closing with an eclectic Artist who wrote big hits and had the #1 song of 1971, “Without You.”

1 – “Jump Into The Fire” by Harry Nilsson

This mega hit album included the cult gem “Coconut” – you know, “put the lime in the coconut and drink it all together, put the lime in the coconut then you’ll feel better.”

This song is regularly heard on all sorts of TV ads and is instantly memorable…

“You can climb a mountain, you can swim the sea
You can jump into the fire but you’ll never be free
You can shake me up or I can break you down
Oh, oh

We can make each other happy
Oh, we can make each other happy
We can make each other happy
Oh, we can make each other happy”

Here’s a clip from the film he starred in, “Son Of Dracula” that uses the song!

Harry Nilsson had a lot of great hits, but he also “hit the town” with pal John Lennon:

Here is a look at their wild times during Lennon’s “lost weekend!”

There are ten great “song with a J” – and click here to see some with the letter “I”!

Speaking of “J”, I also shared a list of ten great “films with a J” and you can see them here!

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Categories: 70's Cinema, 70's Music, Art, Classic Rock, Music, Pop Culture, Talent/Celebrities, The Beatles

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