# Why did nobody tell me the band Jem rocks so much? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 19, 2005, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-nobody-tell-me-the-band-jem-rocks-so-much/304524 "2005-05-19T02:56:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f19dbf/32.png) [@Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Only_Mostly_Dead)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-nobody-tell-me-the-band-jem-rocks-so-much/304524/1 "2005-05-19T02:56:12Z")
Yeah, I noticed Jem a little when “they” was used in half a dozen commercials and television spots (“I’m sorry so sorry, I’m sorry it’s like this. I’m sorry so sorry, I’m sorry we do this”). Heck, I might have even researched who was performing this little earworm. Noticed a little when “come on closer” was used in the advertising for the movie _Closer_. Caught “just a ride” a few times on the radio, but not too remarkably. But in the past few days, I’ve heard “24” on an alternative radio station a few times, and have been utterly enthralled. This delicate, ephemeral voice breaking over distorted guitars. Effin’ genius, and I had to buy the album for this track alone. It was then I was reacquainted with the three other songs above, as well as all the rest of this masterful album. Anybody else on the boards with Jem _Finally Woken_ in their playlists? ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-nobody-tell-me-the-band-jem-rocks-so-much/304524/2 "2005-05-19T03:14:05Z")
God, I loved Jem. They were Truly Outrageous! Wait, you mean a modern band, not a cartoon one from the 80s? Damn. I now nothing about them, then. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-nobody-tell-me-the-band-jem-rocks-so-much/304524/3 "2005-05-19T04:07:46Z")
> [@Scott Plaid](#): > > God, I loved Jem. They were Truly Outrageous! > > Wait, you mean a modern band, not a cartoon one from the 80s? Damn. I now nothing about them, then. 😃 The name is even spelled the right way. I was trying to think of any circumstances under which Jem might be considered to “rock”. And now I have the song in my head. The music is contagious. Outrageous! ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-nobody-tell-me-the-band-jem-rocks-so-much/304524/4 "2005-05-19T04:16:18Z")
[Jem](http://www.jem-music.net/) isn’t a “they”, Jem is a “she”. Caught her at Coachella. Really liked her. ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-nobody-tell-me-the-band-jem-rocks-so-much/304524/5 "2005-05-19T04:29:31Z")
The OP is referring to one of Jem’s songs, titled _They_. I like it, too. I’ve never heard it in any commercials, though. I guess I missed them all. _They_ is the only song of Jem’s I’ve heard, at least that I know of. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-nobody-tell-me-the-band-jem-rocks-so-much/304524/6 "2005-05-19T08:03:39Z")
We are the Misfits, our songs are better! We are the Misfits, Misfits, and we’ve gonna get her! Funny, it just struck me that although the real life Jem appeared twenty years after the cartoon Jem, the real life Misfits actually existed side by side with (and pre-dated) the cartoon Misfits. Well, good guys they were not to make a fuss about it. (_Did_ they make a fuss about it???) ---
**Author:** ![Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f19dbf/32.png) [@Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Only_Mostly_Dead)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-nobody-tell-me-the-band-jem-rocks-so-much/304524/7 "2005-05-19T14:27:51Z")
> [@Yookeroo](#): > > [Jem](http://www.jem-music.net/) isn’t a “they”, Jem is a “she”. > > Caught her at Coachella. Really liked her. > [@urbanchic](#): > > The OP is referring to one of Jem’s songs, titled They. I like it, too. I’ve never heard it in any commercials, though. I guess I missed them all. They is the only song of Jem’s I’ve heard, at least that I know of. Indeed. I shudder at the thought that I might have written “‘they’ was” otherwise. I’d venture that you might have heard “Just a Ride” too. The most noticeable word in the song, and as such the working title for the casual radio listener, might be “breakdown.” ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-nobody-tell-me-the-band-jem-rocks-so-much/304524/8 "2005-05-19T15:02:51Z")
Hi. I’m anal retentive. Here is an example of why: **Why did nobody tell me the band Jem rocks so much?** The correct way to extoll the wonderfulness of Jem in this gripping thread opener is: **Why _didn’t anybody_ tell me the band Jem rocks so much?** _However_, this is still not grammatically correct as we end with a dangling participle of ‘so much’. How much does Jem Rock? A suggestion could be: **Why didn’t anybody tell me that the band Jem rocks like the Kasbah** There we have correct terminology that identifies the Band ( jem) and yet remains hip by referring to the Clashes hit " Rock the Kashbah!" No dangling participles. See, much better. No awkwardness. Carry on. /never heard of Jem. Carry on. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-nobody-tell-me-the-band-jem-rocks-so-much/304524/9 "2005-05-19T15:06:10Z")
That Rico was the bees knees! ---
**Author:** ![Velma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/85e7bf/32.png) [@Velma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velma)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-nobody-tell-me-the-band-jem-rocks-so-much/304524/10 "2005-05-19T15:09:56Z")
Jem was just the name of the lead singer of the cartoon band. The rest were the Holograms. Jem, and the Holograms - truly outrageous! Truly, truly, truly outrageous! Their real competition was not the Misfits so much as Barbie and the Rockers. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-nobody-tell-me-the-band-jem-rocks-so-much/304524/11 "2005-05-19T17:04:43Z")
I’ll try again. I’m not talking about the song. Jem isn’t a band. Jem is a solo artist. From her website (bolding mine): > [@](#): > > Jem was born in Wales, a Celtic haven bordering England known as ‘the land of song’. Wales is renowned for its magnificent coastline, for its patriotic rugby, and for bringing the world such talented performers as Anthony Hopkins, Richard Burton, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Tom Jones, Shirley Bassey, and Jem, of course! From the age of thirteen **she** was singing and writing songs, basic recording equipment was ever-present and **she** decided that one day **she** would be a singer. Keeping **her** dreams of this future career mostly to **herself** however, after finishing school **she** headed to Sussex University. ---
**Author:** ![Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f19dbf/32.png) [@Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Only_Mostly_Dead)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-nobody-tell-me-the-band-jem-rocks-so-much/304524/12 "2005-05-19T17:08:26Z")
> [@Yookeroo](#): > > I’ll try again. I’m not talking about the song. Jem isn’t a band. Jem is a solo artist. From her website (bolding mine): You know this. I (after doing some research after submitting the erroneously titled OP) know this. Everybody else just wants to make cartoon jokes. C’est la vie. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-nobody-tell-me-the-band-jem-rocks-so-much/304524/13 "2005-05-19T17:10:55Z")
I had planned to tell you when you’re older, when I thought you’d be better able to handle it. I suppose you were ready sooner than I thought. I am so very very sorry. God, Dopers grow up so quickly don’t they… ---
**Author:** ![Susie\_Derkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47774/32.png) [@Susie\_Derkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susie_Derkins)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-nobody-tell-me-the-band-jem-rocks-so-much/304524/14 "2005-05-19T18:14:41Z")
> [@Only Mostly Dead](#): > > Everybody else just wants to make cartoon jokes. C’est la vie. It’s synergy, man… ---
**Author:** ![NoPretentiousCodename](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/82dd89/32.png) [@NoPretentiousCodename](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoPretentiousCodename)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-nobody-tell-me-the-band-jem-rocks-so-much/304524/15 "2005-05-19T18:21:34Z")
Jem rocks… so… MUCH! If you like Jem, then have a listen to Bettie Serveert. ---
**Author:** ![NoPretentiousCodename](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/82dd89/32.png) [@NoPretentiousCodename](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoPretentiousCodename)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-nobody-tell-me-the-band-jem-rocks-so-much/304524/16 "2005-05-19T18:24:10Z")
And no cartoon jokes from me! Jem’s on my current play list for sure! ---
**Author:** ![susan\_foster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@susan\_foster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan_foster)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-nobody-tell-me-the-band-jem-rocks-so-much/304524/17 "2005-05-19T20:45:46Z")
> [@watsonwil](#): > > That Rico was the bees knees! Hah! Wimp! Riot - now there’s a real man. And as to the OP - I have the CD, and I love it. I bought it for They, and just kept listening. I think my favorite song on it is Come on Closer (2nd song on CD). Just something about the beat. Susan ---
**Author:** ![arseNal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@arseNal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/arseNal)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-nobody-tell-me-the-band-jem-rocks-so-much/304524/18 "2005-05-19T22:45:28Z")
Yeah, I also just heard her album for the first time and I knew that I had heard some of those songs somewhere before. So which commercials/tv spots was “They” used in? “Wish I” must be used in a commercial somewhere too. ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-nobody-tell-me-the-band-jem-rocks-so-much/304524/19 "2005-05-19T23:39:01Z")
I saw Jem with Joss Stone in San Francisco in December. Jem was pretty cool, but I missed part of her act because I had to park waaaay downhill. There was some other band that was OK, then Stone came onstage. I like some of her songs, but she hams it up far too much live and my wife and I couldn’t take it any more, so we left. ---
**Author:** ![Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bambi_Hassenpfeffer)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-nobody-tell-me-the-band-jem-rocks-so-much/304524/20 "2005-05-19T23:58:09Z")
> [@sturmhauke](#): > > I saw Jem with Joss Stone in San Francisco in December. Was she wearing a large, pink earring? Did she seem to tug on it and then undergo a costume change? Anyway, if I were a recording artist named Jem, I would find it utterly impossible not to arrange a group to go with me and call them the Holograms. As to the boring, non-holographic Welsh Jem – I think she’s actually pretty amazing. I’ve recently gotten her album and it’s been on non-stop in the car. Good stuff. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-nobody-tell-me-the-band-jem-rocks-so-much/304524.md?page=2)