Happy 58th Birthday Joan Jett! Our Five Favorite Blackhearts Jams!

Longevity in rock & roll is a fickle thing. Millions of people can turn their backs on you in a heartbeat if you don't give 'em what they want or live up to their expectations. Joan Jett is perhaps more popular today than she was when I Love Rock & Roll was atop the Billboard charts after every label on the planet had passed on her except Neil Bogart's Boardwalk Records.

While trends have come and gone, Jett has rarely devaited fromthe formulat that put her on top and, today, at the age of 58, she stands as a shining example of what can be accomplished through sheer dedication and force of will.

In honor of her birthday today, we've compiled a mini-playlist of our five favorite Joan Jett & The Blackhearts tunes in no particular order!

"Flashback" with Paul Westerberg

This gem from our favorite Jett album (Notorious) teams Jett with Paul Westerberg. On paper, the bad-ass quotient of this duo is off the charts, but with Westerberg, things were pretty hit or miss during that period. Thankfully, the tune is a no-holds-barred barrel house rocker that melds Westerberg's ramshackle swagger to Jett's steamroller chug and creates a toe-tapping Frankenstein that shoulda been a hit.

"Crimson And Clover"

Has Joan ever thought about just doing Tommy James songs? Every time she does, she winds up topping James at his own game. Her take on Crimson And Clover, for example, ranks as one of her best vocal performances ever.

"I Hate Myself For Loving You"

The year was 1988. Joan's career had been left for dead by MCA Records' inability to promote any other rock act besides Tom Petty, and her first album under a new deal with CBS (Good Music) had failed to even hit the Top 100.

Jett knew she had only one more chance to get things back on track and with the first single from her new album Up Your Alley, Jett announced quite equivocally that she was ready to kick ass and take names.

Regardless of whether this is her biggest hit or not, it's a rock solid chunk of ear candy that never gets old, even after it was mangled into that dreadful NBC Sunday Night Football theme song.

"Wait For Me"

Joan covers The Runaways. But is it covering a song if you wrote it? Regardless, the tune gets a slick overhaul for her Notorious album. Unfortunately, it didn't see proper release as a single and remains one of the best kept secrets of her lengthy Blackhearts career.

"Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah)"

Love the song, adore the video and, hey, how often do you get to see Joan Jett in a bikini?