My Sharona

Hey there, Zoo Freaks, it’s your hippie DJs from THE ZOO spinning some righteous tunes to keep your vibes soaring! We’re rocking out to “My Sharona” by The Knack from their debut album Get The Knack. This power-pop banger, with its iconic stuttering riff, was a total game-changer in 1979, topping the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks and selling over 10 million copies worldwide. Fun fact: frontman Doug Fieger wrote it about Sharona Alperin, a 17-year-old he fell hard for at a clothing store, as he told NPR. He said it was like “getting hit with a baseball bat” — instant love! Sharona herself posed for the single’s cover, holding the album in a tank top and jeans, and fans on The Knack’s X account still geek out over her real estate career at mysharona.com. One Zoo Freak in the The Knack Fans Facebook group shared a story about seeing the band play it live in ’79 at The Whisky, where the crowd went nuts for that killer guitar solo by Berton Averre, which sadly got chopped for the radio edit.

More groovy trivia about “My Sharona” — the song’s riff was cooked up by guitarist Berton Averre years before The Knack formed, and Doug promised to turn it into a hit, as noted on Songfacts. When Sharona sparked Doug’s two-month songwriting frenzy, it all clicked, though the lyrics raised eyebrows for their raunchy vibe and Fieger’s “younger kind” line. In a Louder interview, Fieger said he was channeling a “16-year-old’s” perspective, despite being 25. The track’s raw energy killed disco’s grip on the charts, paving the way for new wave, and even inspired Michael Jackson’s “Beat It,” as per American Songwriter. Fans on the Knack Fan Club site love how it’s been parodied, like “Weird Al” Yankovic’s “My Bologna,” which The Knack dug so much they got Al a deal with Capitol Records. Oh, and during the 2020 pandemic, folks on X were cracking up over “My Corona” parodies, with Berton and bassist Prescott Niles dropping a YouTube tutorial to teach the riff!

So, how did The Knack get their start? Picture Los Angeles, 1978, buzzing with punk and new wave energy. Doug Fieger, a Michigan-born singer-guitarist who’d fronted a band called Sky in the early ’70s, teamed up with lead guitarist Berton Averre, bassist Prescott Niles, and drummer Bruce Gary, all seasoned players from the L.A. scene. Bruce had even jammed with Cream’s Jack Bruce, while Prescott had ties to Jimi Hendrix’s circle, as mentioned on uDiscover. Naming themselves after a ’60s film, The Knack… And How To Get It, they hit the Sunset Strip hard, selling out clubs like The Troubadour and jamming with Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen. Capitol Records snapped them up after a bidding war, and with producer Mike Chapman (fresh off Blondie’s Parallel Lines), they cut Get The Knack in just 11 days for a measly $18,000. The album’s Beatles-inspired look — right down to the Capitol rainbow label — sparked “next Beatles” hype, but also a “Knuke the Knack” backlash from critics, led by artist Hugh Brown, as noted on Loudwire. Still, that debut went double platinum, and “My Sharona” became a cultural juggernaut.

Wanna keep the Knack party going? Visit their official website for all the latest on their legacy and merch. They’re on Facebook and Instagram, sharing throwback pics and live clips that’ll take you back to ’79. Check out their X account for updates and fan chatter about the band’s impact. For more community love, join the The Knack Fans Facebook group or swing by the Knack Fan Club site, where diehards swap stories, rare demos, and memories of Doug Fieger, who sadly passed in 2010. Keep those dials locked on THE ZOO, Zoo Freaks, and let’s keep the power-pop spirit alive!