The Runaways, the groundbreaking 1976 debut from The Runaways, reached its 50th anniversary this week, marking half a century since the Los Angeles teenagers delivered one of the most influential hard rock records of the era.
by Paul Cashmere
Released through Mercury Records on May 17, 1976, The Runaways arrived at a time when women in hard rock were largely treated as novelties by the music industry. Managed and produced by Kim Fowley, the album introduced a teenage band featuring Cherie Currie, Joan Jett, Lita Ford, Jackie Fox and Sandy West, combining glam rock, proto-punk and heavy rock influences into a record that would later become recognised as a formative release for generations of female rock artists.
The album’s enduring reputation rests heavily on “Cherry Bomb”, the opening track that became both the band’s signature song and one of the defining hard rock singles of the 1970s. According to multiple accounts, including Currie’s memoir Neon Angel and later reissue liner notes, the song was written during Currie’s audition for the band after she arrived prepared to sing Suzi Quatro’s “Fever”, a song the group did not know. Joan Jett and Kim Fowley instead quickly assembled “Cherry Bomb”, with the title built around the pronunciation of Currie’s first name.
Over time, “Cherry Bomb” moved beyond cult status and into mainstream popular culture. VH1 ranked the track among its 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs in 2009, while the song later appeared in films including Dazed and Confused, Guardians Of The Galaxy and The Runaways. Its inclusion in the Rock Band video game franchise further introduced the track to a younger audience decades after its original release.
At the time of release, however, The Runaways was not an immediate commercial blockbuster in the United States. The album peaked modestly at No. 194 on the Billboard 200 chart. In Australia, the record performed more strongly, reaching No. 31 on the Kent Music Report chart during 1976. Critical reception in the period was mixed but attentive, with reviewers often focusing as much on the band members’ ages and image as the music itself.
Retrospective reassessment has substantially altered the album’s standing. Later reviews praised the chemistry between Currie, Jett and Ford, while recognising the record’s raw production and stripped-back hard rock approach as a precursor to punk and later riot grrrl movements. The influence of the album can also be heard across subsequent generations of female-fronted rock acts who cited The Runaways as an early blueprint for women operating in traditionally male-dominated rock spaces.
Questions around the original recording sessions have also remained part of the album’s history. Multiple sources, including former bassist Jackie Fox and the 2003 Cherry Red Records reissue notes, state that session musician Nigel Harrison performed the bass parts on the album after Fowley allegedly refused to allow Fox to play on the recording. Fox remained credited as a member of the band despite reportedly not performing on the final sessions.
Recorded at Fidelity Recorders in Studio City during March 1976 and mixed at Criterion Studios in Hollywood the following month, the album captured a direct, unpolished sound that reflected the urgency of the Los Angeles rock scene of the period. Alongside originals including “You Drive Me Wild”, “Blackmail” and “American Nights”, the band also tackled Lou Reed’s “Rock And Roll”, reinforcing the group’s connection to glam and proto-punk influences emerging from New York and Los Angeles during the decade.
The Runaways’ story later returned to mainstream attention through the 2010 feature film The Runaways, starring Dakota Fanning as Cherie Currie and Kristen Stewart as Joan Jett. The film reintroduced songs including “Cherry Bomb”, “Dead End Justice” and “You Drive Me Wild” to a new generation of audiences while renewing interest in the original recordings.
While debate continues around Kim Fowley’s management methods and the treatment of the band members during their teenage years, the music itself has retained cultural weight. The album remains a significant document of mid-1970s rock music and one of the earliest commercially released hard rock albums performed by an all-female teenage band.
Fifty years after its release, The Runaways continues to resonate well beyond its original commercial impact. The record’s influence now stretches across punk, hard rock and alternative music history, with “Cherry Bomb” alone remaining embedded in film, television, gaming and popular culture. What began as a risky label experiment in 1976 ultimately became one of rock music’s foundational records for women in heavy music.
Tracklisting
Cherry Bomb
You Drive Me Wild
Is It Day Or Night?
Thunder
Rock And Roll
Lovers
American Nights
Blackmail
Secrets
Dead End Justice
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