I Love Rock N' Roll Lyrics

I saw him dancin' there by the record machine
I knew he musta been about 17

The original song by the Arrows talks about seeing a 17-year-old girl by the record machine. 

Is objectifying—and ultimately taking home—a 17-year-old creepier coming from a group of guys than from Joan Jett? Equally creepy? Or is it not creepy at all?

Shmoop decided to take the legal route to answer this one, and found that the age of consent in Britain was 16 at the time of "I Love Rock N' Roll"'s release (and still is). Legally speaking, Joan Jett is pretty safe. 

But legality aside, this less-than-innocent little line still raises a few interesting issues. The difference between law and ethics is one key question. Ethics often drive laws, but laws in turn can define ethics—after all, the English age of consent when English colonists came to the Americas was 12, but that doesn't make it right. 

Traditional gender roles is another interesting issue: Is it right for women to be the ones to initiate a relationship, or is that only a job for the men?