My Sharona
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| "My Sharona" | |||||
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| Single by The Knack | |||||
| from the album Get the Knack | |||||
| B-side | "Let Me Out" | ||||
| Released | June 1979 | ||||
| Format | 7" | ||||
| Recorded | April 1979 | ||||
| Genre | New wave, power pop | ||||
| Length | 3:58 (single edit)
4:52 (album version) |
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| Label | Capitol | ||||
| Writer(s) | Doug Fieger, Berton Averre | ||||
| Producer | Mike Chapman | ||||
| The Knack singles chronology | |||||
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| Audio sample | |||||
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"My Sharona" is the debut single by The Knack, released in 1979 from their album Get the Knack. It reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart where it remained for six weeks and was #1 on Billboard's Top Pop Singles of 1979 year-end chart. It was certified gold (one million units sold) by the Recording Industry Association of America.
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[edit] Inspiration and legacy
According to lead singer/guitarist Doug Fieger, he met Sharona Alperin (who was 16 at the time) and she inspired a two-month-long run of songwriting. "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." Whenever he thought about her, he would think of Averre's riff. The two worked out the structure and melody from there. Sharona appears on the picture sleeve for the single, and became a major booster of the band bringing many girls to their early shows.[1] Sharona Alperin is now a real estate agent in Los Angeles, California. [1]
The easily recognizable riff of "My Sharona" was written by the band's guitarist, Berton Averre, long before he ever joined The Knack.
The song's bright, driving bassline, played mainly in G octaves, appears in the playlist of many aspiring bass players, often cited as a superb technical example of its genre.
In 1994, "My Sharona" re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart (peaking at #91) when it was released as a single from the Reality Bites soundtrack album.
Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters has stated on more than one occasion that "My Sharona" is his favorite song. His earlier band Nirvana even did a live cover of it. The original song gained some attention in 2005 when it appeared on the playlist of U.S. President George W. Bush's iPod.[2]
The song was ranked at #75 on the Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs in 2008. [2]
A cover version song is also featured as downloadable content the music video game series Rock Band.
[edit] Chart performance
| Chart (1979) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| U.S. Cash Box Top 100 Singles | 1 |
| Australian Kent Music Report | 1 |
| UK Singles Chart | 6 |
[edit] Parodies, samples and covers
With both the notoriety gained from being an international hit, and its distinctive rock guitar riff, "My Sharona" has been the subject of numerous parodies, tributes, and sampling, including:
[edit] Parodies
- The song was parodied by "Weird Al" Yankovic as "My Bologna". The Knack approved of the parody and even had the younger singer inked to a one-off deal with their label, Capitol Records. A re-recorded version appeared on his debut album "Weird Al" Yankovic.
- The Chicago radio personality Steve Dahl parodied the song as "Ayatollah" (following the Iranian Revolution of 1979).
- In their sarcastic, anticapitalist song "Pull My Strings", The Dead Kennedys parodied "My Sharona" as "My Payola".
- The bass line Frank Zappa's "Valley Girl" includes occasional quotes from the bass line to "My Sharona".
[edit] Audio samples
- Run DMC 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.[3]
- Rogue Traders used re-recorded elements of the signature riff in their 2006 hit "Watching You".
- Madonna mixes instrumental elements of the song on her Sticky & Sweet Tour with her own song "Dress You Up".
[edit] Cover versions
- The Chipmunks – Chipmunk Punk (1980)
- Alan Tam - My Sharona (In Chinese: 愛到你發狂) (Cantonese edition) (1980)
- Destruction – Cracked Brain (1990)
- Veruca Salt – B-side to "Victrola" (1995)
- Eldritch - Reverse (2001)
- Cactus Jack – DisCover (2002)
- Polysics – For Young Electric Pop (2002)
- Los Prisioneros – Los Prisioneros En Las Raras Tocatas Nuevas De La Rock & Pop (2003)
- David Hallyday – Satellite (2004)
- Pink Cream 69 – Thunderdome (2004)
- The Number Twelve Looks Like You – An Inch of Gold for an Inch of Time (2005)
- Towa Tei featuring Tycoon Tosh & Buffalo Daughter – Flash (2005)
- Krusty – Hello Krusty (2005)
- The Hormonauts – Hormonized (2006)
- Pearl Jam – Arena di Verona (2006)
- HammerFall – No Sacrifice, No Victory (2009)
| Preceded by "Up There Cazaly" by Two-Man Band |
Australian Kent Music Report number one single September 3, 1979 - October 1, 1979 |
Succeeded by "Born to Be Alive" by Patrick Hernandez |
| Preceded by "Good Times" by Chic |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single August 25, 1979 - September 29, 1979 |
Succeeded by "Sad Eyes" by Robert John |
| Preceded by "Shadow Dancing" by Andy Gibb |
Billboard Hot 100 Number one single of the year 1979 |
Succeeded by "Call Me" by Blondie |
[edit] References
- ^ Liner notes, 2002 "Get the Knack" digitally remastered re-issue
- ^ Wilkinson, Peter (2005-04-13). "Bush bares soul with 'iPod One'". CNN. Archived from the original on 2008-12-21. http://www.webcitation.org/5dElz9fVj. Retrieved on 2008-12-21.
- ^ http://googlewatch.eweek.com/content/archive/my_sharona_creators_sue_yahoo_apple_amazon_and_run_dmc_for_copyright_infringement.html
