When
Doug Fieger was 25 years old, he met 17-year-old Sharona Alperin,[9] who inspired a two-month-long run of songwriting, as well as eventually becoming his girlfriend for the next four years. Fieger recounted that "It was like getting hit in the head with a baseball bat; I fell in love with her instantly. And when that happened, it sparked something and I started writing a lot of songs feverishly in a short amount of time." Fieger and Averre worked out the structure and melody of the song. Averre was originally averse to using Alperin's name in the song, but Fieger wanted it to be a direct expression of his feelings; Averre ultimately relented.[10] Fieger claimed that "My Sharona" was written in 15 minutes;[11] moreover, it was purportedly mixed in an additional 15 minutes after the recording of the song was made in a single take (not including background vocals).[12]
Fieger and Alperin were engaged at one point but never married.[9] In a 2005 interview, Fieger said that they remained "great friends";[9] additionally, she would visit him frequently as Fieger was dying of cancer. Alperin went on to have a successful career as a realtor in Los Angeles.[13][14]
Music and lyrics
The music of the song echoes many elements of songs from the 1960s. According to a Trouser Press reviewer, the song's main melodic hook is "an inversion of the signature riff" from "
Gimme Some Lovin'", a 1966 song by
the Spencer Davis Group.[15] Fieger acknowledged that the song's
tom-tom drum rhythm is "just a rewrite" of "
Going to a Go-Go", a song from
Smokey Robinson and the Miracles from 1965.[15] Drummer
Bruce Gary has stated that although he did not particularly like the song when Fieger introduced it to the band, he came up with the stuttering beat for the song similar to a
surf stomp, with just tom-tom and
snare.[16] He also decided to incorporate a
flam, in which two drum strokes are staggered, creating a fuller sound, which Gary considered to be crucial to the song's success.[16]
In an interview with The Washington Post, Fieger claimed that the song was written from the perspective of a 14-year-old boy.[9]
The song's stuttering vocal effect of the repeated "muh muh muh my Sharona" phrase is reminiscent of
Roger Daltrey's vocals in the 1965 song "
My Generation" by
the Who.[15]
Music video
The
music video features the band performing the song in a white room.[17] Another music video features clips from the film Reality Bites, concert footage and Another Lousy Day in Paradise music video.
Artwork
In addition to being the inspiration for the song, Sharona Alperin posed for the single's picture sleeve holding a copy of the Knack's debut studio album Get the Knack.[13]
Reception
Produced by
Mike Chapman, the song's clean sound was reminiscent of the sound of the 1960s
British Invasion.[15]Billboard Magazine described "My Sharona" as "an energetic raker with a subtle melody."[18] Dick Nusser of Billboard remarked on the song's "catchy, deliberately awkward, stop-go drum and guitar breaks", its "quirky lyrics" and "suggestive tone", and that the song will "make you ready, willing and able to hum the refrain at the right moment."[19]Cash Box said it begins with "slamming drums and rock steady, building guitar work."[20] In the
Pazz & Jop 1979 Critic's Poll, "My Sharona" and
Fleetwood Mac's
"Tusk" were tied for sixth place in the list of top singles of the year.[21]
Chris Woodstra of
AllMusic has subsequently referred to the song as an "unforgettable hit."[22]The New Rolling Stone Album Guide claimed that the song "was a hit for a good reason. The beat is urgent, the chorus calls out for drunken shouting along and the guitar solo is a firecracker flash."[23]
Legacy
The New York Times called the song "an emblem of the new wave era in rock and a prime example of the brevity of pop fame."[11]
In 2008, "My Sharona" was ranked in two Billboard 50th anniversary charts. It ranked 75 on the Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs[25] and 16 on the Top Billboard Hot 100 Rock Songs.[26][27]
In 1994, "My Sharona" re-entered the
Billboard Hot 100 chart and peaked at number 91,[28] when it was released as part of the Reality Bites soundtrack album.[29][30] In the film itself, the characters dance to the song at a convenience store.[31] This version was remixed by Dave Jerden and features, among other changes, a much more prominent drum sound.[32]
In 2005, the song gained some attention when it appeared on the playlist of U.S. President
George W. Bush's
iPod.[33]
"Ayatollah" by Chicago radio personality
Steve Dahl – The song covered current events related to the
Iranian Revolution of 1979.[63] It reached No. 12 on the weekly Musicradio survey of Chicago superstation
WLS on February 9, 1980.[64]
"Nine
Coronas" by John Mammoser – Originally recorded in 1987 with release in 1995, and with two follow-up versions ("10 Coronas" in 1996, and "9 Coronas ('99 version')" in 1999) that were showcased on the
Dr. Demento radio programs.[65]
The Knack band members Berton Averre and Prescott Niles released a video of their own parody, titled "Bye, Corona!"[71]
Audio samples
Run–D.M.C. used an unauthorized
audio sample from the song in their 1986 hit "
It's Tricky". In 2006, Berton Averre and Doug Fieger filed suit against
Apple, Run DMC and others for electronically redistributing the work. The case was settled in 2009.[72]
The B-side of the "My Sharona" single was "Let Me Out". It was written by Fieger and Averre to fill the band's need for a strong opening track for concerts and later for their Get the Knack album.[74] Averre has stated that the song is "absurdly fast."[74] Drummer Bruce Gary felt that the words of "Let Me Out" helped make the song a perfect opener since the band wanted to "let out", and bassist Prescott Niles noted that, with the song, the band was all of a sudden "out of the box."[74] Gary has also claimed that the song was "me trying to be
Buddy Rich in a rock 'n' roll band. It was just full on."[74]
Billboard described "Let Me Out" as "a teen anthem delivered at full throttle" and praised the song's "delightful" harmonies, "slapping" guitars and "perfectly tuned" drumming.[19]Superchunk and
The Mountain Goats drummer
Jon Wurster commented on the "full force" of Gary's drumming on "Let Me Out."[75] Ira Robbins and Michael Sandlin of Trouser Press described the song as "tight guitar pop."[76] Author John Borack described the song as "a damn fine pop tune."[77]Audio magazine called it a "basher" with "plenty of style."[78]AllMusic critic Mark Deming stated that the live version of "Let Me Out" has "a joyous force nearly any act would envy."[79] Dave Swanson of Ultimate Classic Rock called it "one of the most powerful album openers ever."[80]Classic Rock History critic Skip Anderson called it a "smoking track" and rated it as the Knack's 10th best song.[81]
A 1979 live performance of "Let Me Out" from
Carnegie Hall was included on the
laser disc of Live at Carnegie Hall.[82] The song was included on their compilation album, Premium Gold Collection.[83] A 2012
vinylEP for
Record Store Day includes 1978 live performances of "Let Me Out" and "My Sharona" from Los Angeles and two other songs. The two performances are also included on the live CD of the entire 1978 Los Angeles concert Havin' a Rave-Up.[79][84]
Bonomo, Joe (2007). Sweat: The Story of the Fleshtones, America's Garage Band.
Continuum. p. 153.
ISBN978-0-8264-2846-2. Wexler's goal seemed to be replicating the Knack's "My Sharona," the cleanly recorded power-pop classic
^Nytimes.com "'My Sharona' has become an emblem of the new wave era in rock"
^Breihan, Tom (February 26, 2020).
"The Number Ones: M's "Pop Muzik"". Stereogum. Retrieved July 13, 2023. ...and "My Sharona" is retro-minded garage rock, British Invasion pastiche.
^
abcdCateforis, Theodore (2011). Are We Not New Wave? : Modern Pop at the Turn of the 1980s. University of Michigan Press. pp. 123–127.
ISBN978-0-472-03470-3.
^Wilkinson, Peter (April 13, 2005).
"Bush bares soul with 'iPod One'". CNN.com. Cable News Network LP, LLLP. Archived from
the original on December 17, 2008. Retrieved December 21, 2008.
^"InfoDisc : Tous les Titres par Artiste". Dominic DURAND / InfoDisc (in French). InfoDisc.fr. Archived from
the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved July 27, 2013. – Use the index at the top of the page and search "Knack"