On this day in 1979, "My Sharona" by the Knack hits number #1 on Billboard charts for 6 weeks...

[Edited 8/19/13 13:41pm]

and after all these years,it still packs a punch

fun fact: this is the song that knocked Chic's "Good Times" out of the Number One spot.

1979 was an incredible year for music.So many good songs all battling for the top spot on the charts.

SoulAlive said:

and after all these years,it still packs a punch

fun fact: this is the song that knocked Chic's "Good Times" out of the Number One spot.

1979 was an incredible year for music.So many good songs all battling for the top spot on the charts.

Man...1977-1981... ...the glory years...(for me anyway)

G3000 said:

SoulAlive said:

and after all these years,it still packs a punch

fun fact: this is the song that knocked Chic's "Good Times" out of the Number One spot.

1979 was an incredible year for music.So many good songs all battling for the top spot on the charts.

Man...1977-1981... ...the glory years...(for me anyway)

great times,indeed

Great song

Meh. According to Nile Rogers, the push behind this song in the music industry at the time was very politically motivated. They wanted a non-disco song to turn into a smash after what went down at Comiskey Park, and this was what they choose.

[Edited 8/19/13 21:18pm]

ADC said:

Meh. According to Nile Rogers, the push behind this song in the music industry at the time was very politically motivated. They wanted a non-disco song to turn into a smash after what went down at Comiskey Park, and this was what they choose.

[Edited 8/19/13 21:18pm]

If that is indeed true, at least they chose well. I know we have the gift of hindsight at this point, but it's kind of hard to imagine this song not being a big hit. It's pretty infectious.

According to Quincy Jones,Michael Jackson was a huge fan of this song.When he heard it,he was determined to have a rock song on his next album...a song that had the power and urgency of "My Sharona".That song,of course,was "Beat It".

I won a 12" copy of this song for being the ?th caller to WPLJ in NYC...

My Mom was pissed that I kept the phone tied up until I got through, but I really wanted that record!

ADC said:

Meh. According to Nile Rogers, the push behind this song in the music industry at the time was very politically motivated. They wanted a non-disco song to turn into a smash after what went down at Comiskey Park, and this was what they choose.

I remember when "My Sharona" knocked "Good Times" out of the number one spot,it was viewed as "rock music takes over" while disco becomes irrelevent I really hated that mindset.There was always room for every genre.And ironically,Chic's music played a huge role in many of the rock songs that were soon to follow ("Queen's "Another One Bites The Dust",for example).

A little voice inside keeps telling me that this inspired Prince's "Dirty Mind" LP.

This came out while he was recording the album...

"When you were Mine" has some of the same riffs...???

[Edited 8/20/13 7:54am]

G3000 said:

A little voice inside keeps telling me that this inspired Prince's "Dirty Mind" LP.

This came out while he was recording the album...

"When you were Mine" has some of the same riffs...???

you think so?

The Knack's entire first album was incredible.

I still say (though I have no proof) that Get the Knack influenced Dirty Mind. The lyrics were rawest, nastiest thing I'd ever heard on vinyl - and as big as that album was, you know Prince heard it.

I ain't sayin' Prince copied them (or anything close to it). But there's no question that Get the Knack didn't just push the envelope lyrically, it knocked it on the damn floor. And the sound was stripped down to nothing.

[Edited 8/20/13 10:33am]

chocolate1 said:

I won a 12" copy of this song for being the ?th caller to WPLJ in NYC...

My Mom was pissed that I kept the phone tied up until I got through, but I really wanted that record!

That's an awesome memory!!

SoulAlive said:

fun fact: this is the song that knocked Chic's "Good Times" out of the Number One spot.

ADC said:

Meh. According to Nile Rogers, the push behind this song in the music industry at the time was very politically motivated. They wanted a non-disco song to turn into a smash after what went down at Comiskey Park, and this was what they choose.

I don't Chic as a band had another #1 after Comiskey Park either.

I wasn't born until the 80s, but I heard this song in rotation for years as a toddler.

This was the last thing my folks bought on 8-Track, and my siblings and I would play it back in the basement "rec room" where the 8-track player was.

A1 Burton Cummings – Break It To Them Gently
A2 Kenny Loggins – This Is It
A3 Nick Lowe – Cruel To Be Kind
A4 Ian Gomm – Hold On
A5 Anita Ward – Ring My Bell
A6 Susan Jacks – All The Tea In China

B1 Doug And The Slugs – Too Bad
B2 Cheap Trick – Dream Police
B3 Journey – Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'
B4 Earth, Wind & Fire – Boogie Wonderland
B5 Meat Loaf – Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad
B6 Charlie Daniels Band – The Devil Went Down To Georgia

C1 Blondie – Heart Of Glass
C2 Robert John – Sad Eyes
C3 Dr. Hook – When You're In Love With A Beautiful Woman
C4 Al Stewart – Time Passages
C5 Melissa Manchester – Pretty Girls
C6 Dionne Warwick – I'll Never Love This Way Again

D1 The Knack - My Sharona
D2 Blondie – One Way Or Another
D3 The Babys – Back On My Feet Again
D4 Pat Benatar – Heartbreaker
D5 Little River Band – Lonesome Loser
D6 Raydio – You Can't Change That

[Edited 8/20/13 12:13pm]

Cinny said:

SoulAlive said:

fun fact: this is the song that knocked Chic's "Good Times" out of the Number One spot.

ADC said:

Meh. According to Nile Rogers, the push behind this song in the music industry at the time was very politically motivated. They wanted a non-disco song to turn into a smash after what went down at Comiskey Park, and this was what they choose.

I don't Chic as a band had another #1 after Comiskey Park either.

it's ironic that Chic didn't have too many hits after 1979,since so many early-80s singles borrowed heavily from their sound.

SoulAlive said:

yep

Fun song. Used to love it!

G3000 said:

SoulAlive said:

and after all these years,it still packs a punch

fun fact: this is the song that knocked Chic's "Good Times" out of the Number One spot.

1979 was an incredible year for music.So many good songs all battling for the top spot on the charts.

Man...1977-1981... ...the glory years...(for me anyway)

Whoo, there was some good music put out then! Yassss!

I believe this song held back Earth Wind & Fire's "After The Love Has Gone" from reaching #1.

It's funny how the first single from their 2nd album, "...But the Little Girls Understand," was a "Sharona" sound-alike. It was "Baby Talks Dirty" and it's got a really similar guitar part. I actually liked it a little better than "Sharona." Great little Rock song tho ("Sharona.")