My Sharona

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

My Sharona [ʃəˈroʊnə] is the debut single by the American rock band The Knack . The song was written by Berton Averre and Doug Fieger and released on their 1979 album Get the Knack . It peaked at number one on the US singles chart on the Billboard Hot 100 , which it held for six weeks. The single was number one on the 1979 Billboards Top Pop Singles year-end chart and was awarded gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for one million copies sold. It was also My Sharona the fastest gold-status debut of Capitol Records since the Beatles -Single I Want to Hold Your Hand (1964).

inspiration

The signature riff of My Sharona was created by Berton Averre, the band's lead guitarist, years before the group The Knack was founded. Averre presented the riff as well as a drum groove to Doug Fieger, the group's lead singer and rhythm guitarist, who enjoyed it very much and promised to include it in a composition, although he had no ideas for the lyrics.

When Fieger was 25 years old, he met 17-year-old Sharona Alperin , who inspired him to write songs for two months and who became Fieger's girlfriend for the next four years. Fieger reported: “It was as if I had been hit on the head with a baseball bat, I immediately fell in love with her. And when that happened it triggered something and I began to feverishly write songs in a short time. ”Fieger and Averre worked out the structure and melody of the song. Averre was originally disapproving of Alperin's first name, but Fieger wanted it to be a direct expression of his feelings, and Averre eventually gave in. Fieger claimed that My Sharona was written in 15 minutes.

Music and lyrics

The music of the piece reflects many elements of songs from the 1960s. According to a reviewer from Trouser Press, the song's main melodic hook is "an inversion of the signature riff" from Gimme Some Lovin ' , a 1967 Spencer Davis Group hit . Fieger admitted that the song's tom-toms rhythm was " "Just a makeover" of Going to a Go-Go , a 1965 song by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. Drummer Bruce Gary said that although he didn't particularly like the song when Fieger introduced it to the band, he was for responsible for the stuttering beat that resembles a surf stomp. He also chose a Flam - drum rudiment incorporate, included in the two-tiered drum hits that produce a fuller sound, considered to Gary as critical to the success of the song.

In an interview with the Washington Post , Fieger stated that the song was written from the perspective of a 14-year-old boy.

The song's stuttering vocal effect from the repeated phrase "muh muh muh my Sharona" is reminiscent of Roger Daltrey's singing in The Who 's song My Generation from 1965.

Artwork

Sharona Alperin was not only the inspiration for the song, but also posed for the single, on the cover of which she keeps the debut album of The Knack Get the Knack .

reception

The clean production sound of the song was also reminiscent of the sound of the British Invasion of the 1960s. Commenting on the "catchy, deliberately awkward stop-go drum and guitar pauses", its "quirky lyrics" and "suggestive tone," the song will make the listener "ready, willing and able," said Dick Nusser of Billboard Magazine hum the chorus at the right moment. ”In the 1979 Pazz & Jop poll, Fleetwood Mac's My Sharona and Tusk shared sixth place on the list of best singles of the year. Allmusic's Chris Woodstra described the song as an "unforgettable hit". The New Rolling Stone Album Guide claimed the song was a hit for good reason. The beat is haunting, the chorus encourages you to roar while drunk and the guitar solo is "like the flash of fireworks."

Chart placements

Weekly charts

Charts (1979–1980) Highest
ranking
Germany 12 (15)
Austria ( Ö3 Austria Top 40 ) 13 (8)
Switzerland 7 (9)
US Billboard Hot 100 1
Charts (1994) Top
ranking
Australia ( ARIA ) 72
US Billboard Hot 100 91

Year-end charts

Chart (1979) position
Australia (KMR) 11
Canada ( RPM ) 3
New Zealand 24
US Billboard Hot 100 1

aftermath

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 celebrity."

In 1994, My Sharona re-entered the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 91 when it was released as part of the soundtrack album for the film Reality Bites . In the film itself, the characters could be seen dancing to My Sharona in a convenience store . This version was remixed by Dave Jerden and offers, among other things, a much more distinctive drum sound.

In 2005, the song caught some attention when it appeared on President George W. Bush's iPod playlist .

In 2008, My Sharona appeared on two Billboard charts for their 50th anniversary, at number 75 on the Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs and number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 Rock Songs.

Video games include a cover of My Sharona as downloadable content for the rock band series. This version was later updated for Rock Band 3 to support the pro guitar function. The original version of the song and music video can be seen in Lips: Party Classics on Xbox 360 .

The song was featured in the 1997 Disney film RocketMan , in the trailer for Charlie's Angels - Full Throttle in JJ Abrams ' Super 8 and in Richard Linklater's Everybody Wants Some !! .

Sharona Alperin, who was the inspiration for the hit, was a major source of inspiration for the band and brought many girls to their early shows. She has since been a real estate agent for Sotheby’s in the Los Angeles area. and owns the domain name mysharona.com for her company.

Parodies, samples and homages

My Sharona has been the subject of numerous parodies and samples, both through its notoriety as an international hit and through its unmistakable rock guitar riff, including:

Parodies

  • My Bologna by Weird Al Yankovic : This 1979 song kicked off Yankovic's career as a song parodist. The Knack agreed to the parody and even let Yankovic make a one-off deal with her label Capitol Records . A newly recorded version appeared on his debut album of the same name.
  • Ayatollah by Chicago radio personality Steve Dahl: The song covered current events related to the 1979 Iranian Revolution .
  • Pull My Strings by the Dead Kennedys : This 1980 song used the guitar riff and changed the phrase from "My Sharona" to "My Payola " to satire on the music industry.
  • My Scrotum by Cheech Marin : The song was used in the 1980 film Cheech and Chong's Next Movie .
  • 9 Coronas by John Mammoser, originally recorded in 1987 and published in 1995 and with two follow-up versions ( 10 Coronas (1996) and 9 Coronas ('99) 1999) in the radio programs of Dr. Demento presents.
  • Vaiche boa by the Galician band Heredeiros da Crus released in 1997 on their album Des minutos .
  • Babylona from the Christian parody band ApologetiX released their album Keep the Change in 2001 .
  • Comme des Connards ( Like Jerks ) by French comedian Michaël Youn , a parody for the 2004 film Les 11 commandements .
  • American Comedy Network's My Menorah , a 2004 Flash parody featuring singing candles.
  • My Toyota by radio host Bob Rivers, a video parody of the Toyota recall in 2010.
  • My Fevola , a parody sung about Australian football player Brendan Fevola on the Australian AFL Footy Show .
  • The Hong Kong pop singer Alan Tam recorded a Cantonese version of the song entitled 愛 到 你 發狂 (English: loving you make me crazy) for his 1980 album of the same name.
  • Parodies of the song have also been featured in several television commercials, including My Chalupa ( Taco Bell ), My Toyota ( Toyota ), My Mohegan (Mohegan Sun), and Pepperona ( Hormel ).
  • Girl U Want by Devo on the album Freedom of Choice was supposedly inspired by My Sharona , which was denied by Gerald Casale of Devo.
  • Numerous other parodies in the wake of the 2020 coronavirus epidemic

Audio samples

  • In 1986, Run-DMC used an unauthorized audio sample of the song in the hit It's Tricky . In 2006, Berton Averre and Doug Fieger sued Apple , Run DMC and others for distributing their work electronically. The process was settled in 2009.
  • Rogue Traders re-recorded elements of the riff in their 2006 hit Watching You .
  • Hip-hop artists Everlast and DJ Lethal used samples of the song for the track I Got the Knack , which appeared on Everlast's album Forever Everlasting in 1990 .
  • The British girls group Girls Aloud took over parts of the song for the track No Good Advice .

Let Me Out , the B-side of the single

The B-side of the single My Sharona is Let Me Out . It was written by Fieger and Averre to meet the band's need for a strong opening track for concerts and for their album Get the Knack . Averre stated that the song was "absurdly fast". Drummer Bruce Gary felt that the lyrics of Let Me Out helped make the song the perfect opening song as the band wanted to "let it all out," and bassist Prescott Niles noted that the band liked the song suddenly made it big. Gary also claimed that the song “described me trying to be Buddy Rich in a rock 'n' roll band. It was just full of it. "

Billboard Magazine described Let Me Out as a "youthful anthem delivered at full throttle," praising the song's "delightful" harmonies, the beating of the guitars, and "perfectly tuned" drums. Jon Wurster, drummer for Superchunk and The Mountain Goats , praised the "full power" of Gary's drumming on Let Me Out . Trouser Press's Ira Robbins and Michael Sandlin described the song as "tight guitar pop". Author John Borack described the song as "a damn fine pop melody". Audio magazine called it a “basher” with “lots of style”. Allmusic critic Mark Deming said the live version of Let Me Out had "a joyous force that almost any live act would envy." Ultimate Classic Rock's Dave Swanson called it "one of the greatest album openers of all time."

A 1979 live recording of Let Me Out at Carnegie Hall was recorded on the laser disc from Live at Carnegie Hall. The song was included on the compilation album Premium Gold Collection . A 2012 vinyl EP for Record Store Day includes live performances from Los Angeles’s Let Me Out and My Sharona from 1978, plus two other songs. The two performances are also included on the live CD of the entire 1978 Los Angeles concert Havin 'a Rave-Up .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Terry Atkinson: The Knack: yesterday ... and today . In: Rolling Stone . October 18, 1979, p. 32.
  2. ↑ a b c Richard Lieby: 'My Sharona,' Revealing a Knack for Current Affairs? . In: The Washington Post , p. D3. 
  3. ↑ a b supplement, 2002 “Get the Knack” digitally revised re-publication.
  4. ↑ a b Ben Sisario: Doug Fieger Dies at 57, Singer of 'My Sharona' . In: New York Times , February 15, 2010, p. A25. 
  5. ↑ a b c d Theodore Cateforis: Are We Not New Wave ?: Modern Pop at the Turn of the 1980s . University of Michigan Press, 2011, ISBN 978-0-472-03470-3 , pp. 123-127.
  6. ↑ a b J. Kelly: Knack Drummer's Beat Burrows into the Brain . In: Toledo Blade , August 26, 2006, pp. D3, D7. 
  7. ↑ Women Behind the Songs: 'My Sharona' . In: Spinner.com . August 3, 2007. Retrieved January 11, 2013.
  8. ↑ a b Dick Nusser: Closeup: Get The Knack . In: Billboard Magazine . July 28, 1979, pp. 52, 66. Retrieved July 14, 2011.
  9. ↑ Chris Woodstra: Get the Knack review at Allmusic . In: Allmusic . Rovi Corporation . Retrieved July 27, 2013.
  10. ^ Nathan Brackett, Christian David Hoard (eds.): The New Rolling Stone Album Guide , 4th. Edition, Simon & Schuster, 2004, ISBN 978-0-7432-0169-8 , p. 462.
  11. ↑ a b My Sharona , swisscharts.com, accessed on February 15, 2019
  12. ↑ My Sharona , austriancharts.com, accessed February 15, 2019
  13. ↑ a b c The Knack awards on Allmusic . In: Allmusic . Rovi Corporation . Retrieved July 27, 2013.
  14. ↑ The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart - Week Ending 04 Sep 1994 . ARIA . Retrieved March 14, 2016.
  15. ↑ David Kent : Australian Chart Book 1970-1992 . Australian Chart Book, St Ives , NSW 1993, ISBN 0-646-11917-6 , p. 431.
  16. ↑ Top 100 Singles (1979) . RPM . Retrieved July 29, 2017.
  17. ↑ End of Year Charts 1979 . Recorded Music NZ . Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  18. ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  19. ↑ Editors Rolling Stone: Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll: Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll . Touchstone, November 8, 2001, ISBN 978-0-7432-0120-9 , p. 536: "In 1994 the Knack began touring again after" My Sharona "found a new audience through its inclusion in the Reality Bites soundtrack."
  20. ↑ Talk About Coming From Nowhere . In: Electronic Gaming Monthly , EGM Media, LLC, June 1994, p. 212. 
  21. ↑ Kelly Woo: Scenes We Love: Reality Bites - The Moviefone Blog . In: News.moviefone.com . June 25, 2010.
  22. ↑ Reality Bites: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack . Retrieved February 25, 2017.
  23. ^ Peter Wilkinson: Bush bares soul with 'iPod One' . In: CNN.com , Cable News Network LP, LLLP., April 13, 2005. Archived from the original on December 21, 2008. Retrieved on December 21, 2008. 
  24. ↑ Billboard Hot 100 Chart 50th Anniversary . Retrieved February 15, 2010.
  25. ↑ It's Only Rock & Roll: Top Billboard Hot 100 Rock Songs . Billboard Magazine . Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  26. ↑ Billboard Hot 100 Songs of the Year . Billboard Magazine . Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  27. ↑ Kyle Gaddo: Eleven Legacy Rock Band Tracks Getting PRO Upgrades On Monday . The Gaming Vault. February 25, 2011. Archived from the original on May 25, 2013.
  28. ↑ Keith Simanton: Entertainment & the Arts - 'Rocketman' Is Hardly A Stellar Disney Movie . In: The Seattle Times , October 10, 1997. Retrieved September 20, 2013. 
  29. ↑ Steve Head: The New Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle Trailer . IGN. April 16, 2003. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
  30. ↑ Lynn Barker: "Super8" 's new star Joel Courtney . In: TeenHollywood.com . June 6, 2011. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
  31. ↑ Richard Brody: "Everybody Wants Some !!" Is Richard Linklater's Personal Best . In: The New Yorker , April 5, 2016. Retrieved April 25, 2016. 
  32. ↑ Alejandro Lazo: Mmm-my career in real estate: Sharona Alperin, who at 17 was the real-life inspiration for the 1979 Knack megahit, now sells high-end homes to celebrities. . In: Los Angeles Times . February 18, 2010.
  33. ↑ Gustavo Turner: Real-Life 'My Sharona' Inspiration Cashes In On Knack Singer's Death - Los Angeles - Music - West Coast Sound . In: Blogs.laweekly.com . February 17, 2010. Retrieved January 11, 2013.
  34. ^ Sharona Alperin . Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  35. ^ Iain Ellis: Rebels Wit Attitude: Subversive Rock Humorists . Counterpoint Press, 2008, ISBN 978-1-59376-206-3 , p. 205.
  36. ↑ a b c d Tom Szaroleta: am stir: The many faces of 'My Sharona' . In: Jacksonville.com . February 12, 2012.
  37. ↑ Jeff Morris: details for 9 Coronas - John Mammoser . In: Dmdb.org . Retrieved January 10, 2013.
  38. ^ Israel and Jewish Videos - My Menorah Spoof Animation . WeJew.com. Archived from the original on March 25, 2012. Retrieved January 11, 2013.
  39. ↑ ACN: My Menorah . Americancomedynetwork.com. November 13, 2006.
  40. ↑  (March 3, 2010). Bob River's Twisted Tune: "My Toyota"  (YouTube).
  41. ↑ DJ Ivan: Interview with Gerald Casale of DEVO (6-12-05) . In: earcandymag.com . July 2005.
  42. ^ Steve Bryant: 'My Sharona' Creators Sue Yahoo, Apple, Amazon and Run DMC for Copyright Infringement . In: eWeek.com . QuinStreet Inc .. October 4, 2006.
  43. ^ Alan Connor: Who was My Sharona? . In: News.bbc.co.uk , BBC News, February 17, 2010. 
  44. ↑ a b c d M. McLaughlin, K. Sharp. (2004). Getting the knack . Passport Productions.
  45. ↑ Bruce Gary: Controlled Bombast with the Knack . In: Modern Drummer , September 1, 2011. 
  46. ↑ Ira Robbins & Michael Sandlin: The Knack . Trouser Press . Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  47. ↑ John M. Borack: Shake some action: the ultimate power pop guide . Not Lame Recordings , 2007, ISBN 978-0-9797714-0-8 , pp. 23, 60.
  48. ↑ Get the Knack: The Knack . In: ' Audio' , CBS Magazines, p. 104. 
  49. ↑ a b Mark Deming: Havin 'a Rave-Up! Live in Los Angeles, 1978 . In: Allmusic . Rovi Corporation . Retrieved April 24, 2012.
  50. ↑ Swanson, D .: The History of 'My Sharona' - How One Song Doomed the Knack . June 11, 2014. Accessed March 24, 2015.
  51. ↑ Live at Carnegie Hall . In: Allmusic . Rovi Corporation . Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  52. ↑ Premium Gold Collection . In: Allmusic . Rovi Corporation . Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  53. ↑ The Knack Takes You Back ... to 1978 . The knack. March 10, 2012. Retrieved April 14, 2012.