Song:My Sharona
Album:The Best Of The Knack
Sometimes when a debut single like My Sharona becomes a massive hit, it can be a blessing or a curse. It was a curse for The Knack as they were never able to live up to that auspicious start. And though there was a negative backlash and criticism, they were a decent power pop band. Lead singer Doug Fieger was from the Detroit suburb of Oak Park, MI. His band Sky recorded two albums for RCA in the early 70s that went nowhere. Fieger moved to Los Angeles and met guitarist Berton Averre and The Knack was formed with bassist Prescott Niles and drummer Bruce Gary who was a successful session musician. Fieger wrote My Sharona about his real girlfriend. It was built around an Averre guitar riff and though Gary hated the song, his stuttering drum riff was a big part of the song's success. My Sharona was clearly based on 60s power pop like The Who's My Generation. The Knack signed with Capitol Records and the 1979 debut album Get The Knack was produced by Mike Chapman who had just finished producing the Blondie album Parallel Lines but he also produced Suzi Quatro and Sweet. So The Knack was right in his wheelhouse. My Sharona was a worldwide hit to the point where people got tired of it. And the album was certified 2XPlatinum. But then the backlash started and The Knack were accused of ripping off The Beatles. Once the second single Good Girls Don't reached #11 on the Billboard Hot 100, The Knack recorded their second album ...But The Little Girls Understand. Though it was certified Gold, it was a disappointment compared to the first album and there was no real hit single. They took a break after touring and then recorded their third album Round Trip. But by Dec. 1981, The Knack weren't getting along and Fieger left the band. The Knack split up in 1982. This budget comp covers their Capitol albums. Bruce Gary returned to session work so he was not part of the 1990 reunion. They recorded the album Serious Fun for Charisma Records in 1991. They also recorded the 1998 album Zoom for Rhino Records with Terry Bozzio of Missing Persons on drums. The Knack continued to tour and record until Fieger got sick and eventually died in 2010. Bruce Gary died in 2006. Here's the video for My Sharona by The Knack.
I loved that song, it was a true guilty pleasure of mine, even more so because my mom hated it at the time and would not play it when we where in the car!! She thought it was to explicit and dirty.
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