Song of the Day 4/1: The Arrows, “I Love Rock and Roll”

If it weren’t for Joan Jett, Alan Merrill and the Arrows would be unknown in America instead of just obscure. But they were so big in Britain in the mid-’70s they hosted their own TV show, which is where this clip comes from. The song wasn’t a hit for them — it was only released on the B-side of a single — but Joan Jett made it famous in 1982.

Merrill was born in the Bronx, but his career took off in the early ’70s in Japan, where he fronted a band called Vodka Collins, becoming the first Westerner to become big in Japan. He spoke Japanese well enough that he landed a role in a popular Japanese soap opera.

He moved to London and started the Arrows in 1974, and producer Mickey Most got them onto the charts with their biggest hit, “Touch Too Much,” which reached No. 8 in the UK.

Merrill later played with Rick Derringer and released solo albums until a few years ago. He died Sunday in New York from complications of the COVID-19 coronavirus.