Perhaps the Runaways is the first group that comes to mind when one mentions an all-female rock band. They had a career that lasted only for four years but managed to carve their names into rock history with all-time classic hits. Whenever their fans think of the band, they instantly remember songs like ‘Cherry Bomb,’ ‘Queens of Noise,’ and last but not least, their cover version of ‘Rock & Roll.’
Though the band had a fruitful career during its time, its members decided to part ways. Much like many other groups, the Runaways had disagreements among band members over their musical style, with Joan Jett wanting to lean towards punk and glam rock. In contrast, Lita Ford and Sandy West wanted to keep making hard rock and heavy metal.
After a period of changing producers and a band member, the Runaways played their last concert on New Year’s Eve 1978 at the Cow Palace and officially broke up in April 1979. Over the years, fans wanted to see a reunion from their favorite band, but the remaining band members didn’t consider such an option.
Lita Ford has been vocal about the Runaways’ decision not to reunite. In 2015, she said in an interview with WHMH-FM that the band didn’t want to reunite in the early 1990s due to another group, Nirvana. The musician said they were rising to the top, and a reunion wouldn’t work out for them.
However, Ford has other reasons regarding their time apart. The guitarist once spoke to DailyMailTV and said that a Runaways reunion is impossible due to Joan Jett and her manager Kenny Laguna. As for a reason behind her statements, Ford said, “Joan Jett is very much in ‘Joan Jett land,’ I guess you could say. Will she ever come out of Joan Jett land? I don’t think so.”
Also, Ford claimed that Jett’s manager was behind her actions and continued, “I think her manager controls that, and it’s really up to him and her. It seems to me like Joan Jett’s manager just runs her life in every way, shape, or form. He’s very controlling, and he has a real problem with me. He has a real issue with me.”
“He sees me as a threat, which is ridiculous,” claimed Ford, before adding that she considered Joan Jett as her sister by saying, “because she’s like my sister, and I love Joan. It’s ridiculous, it’s uncalled for, and it’s caused a little bit of rivalry between her and me, which is totally uncalled for. It’s his fault.”
To detail the situation further, the guitarist said, “The hard part is just trying to communicate with Joan without her manager involved. We had dinner a couple of years ago, what was supposed to be a girl’s night out, and she brought her manager with her. So it’s like, dude, answer the question. I’m trying to ask you a question. Are you interested in putting the Runaways back together? She never answered the question.”
While a Runaways reunion never happened, Lita Ford and Joan Jett continued their music careers. Ford embarked on a successful glam metal solo career which was what she had wanted for the band. After peaking as a solo musician, she released her most successful single, ‘Close My Eyes Forever’ in 1989. The song was a duet with Ozzy Osbourne, and it reached number 8 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ua-3H7-QRtM
As for Joan Jett, she continued working on her solo career and her tenure with the Blackhearts. Thanks to the latter, she gained recognition by releasing ‘I Love Rock’ n Roll,’ which remained number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks in 1982. As a result of her career with the Runaways, the Blackhearts, and as a solo artist, Jett earned the unofficial title of ‘The Queen of Rock’ n’ Roll.’
