'My Sharona': The Knack's 'Golden Albatross'

Rock 'n' Roll Rabbit Hole

16-08-2021 • 50 mins

"My Sharona" was a song that helped finally knock disco off the top of the charts. It was a massive hit for The Knack, but the band would never have another huge hit. Instead, the band would break up after their third album release and later reunite. Nevertheless, the iconic song, which was written about a real person named Sharona Alperin, would endure. The band's late, great front man Doug Fieger would ultimately call it the band's "Golden Albatross," which is the main topic Butch and Kevin focus on during this episode.

A few topics covered:

  • This week's beer is Uber Hipster IPA by Falls City Brewing Co. in Louisville.
  • The Knack Front man Doug Fieger appeared on the show "Roseanne" several times.
  • The Knack's young fan club was known as The Knackettes, led by Sharona Alperin.
  • Berton Averre wrote the riff and the framework for the song, and Doug wrote the song about Sharona, with whom he had fallen in love. Doug's live-in girlfriend was in the next room when they started rehearsing it.
  • The guitar solo in "My Sharona" is one of the greatest solos in the history of rock, and Kevin will fight you over it.
  • "My Sharona" had a chance to be featured during the Ving Rhames rape scene in "Pulp Fiction." The band instead offered the rights for use in "Reality Bites."
  • Kevin was definitely tipsy during the making of this episode, so please forgive any missteps such as referring to Capitol Records as "Columbia." Butch was ever patient.