Joan Jett was 23 when "I Love Rock and Roll" was a hit in 1981. She sings of picking up a 17-year-old guy. There is a significant gap in emotional maturity between the ages of 17 and 23. This song has a certain amount of "cougar" appeal. At the time, the women's liberation movement was still in full swing, so the idea of a 20-something woman picking up a teenage guy implies that the woman would be more experienced and possibly have more control in the relationship.
Joan Jett was 23 when "I Love Rock and Roll" was a hit in 1981. She sings of picking up a 17-year-old guy. There is a significant gap in emotional maturity between the ages of 17 and 23. This song has a certain amount of "cougar" appeal. At the time, the women's liberation movement was still in full swing, so the idea of a 20-something woman picking up a teenage guy implies that the woman would be more experienced and possibly have more control in the relationship.