DOUG FIEGER--HE GAVE US THE KNACK

[Rob Durkee]

By ROCKIN' ROBIN

Doug Fieger, the lead singer for the group the Knack, died Sunday (February 14, 2010) of brain and lung cancer. He was 57. According to Paul Egan of the Detroit News, Fieger had been living in Woodland Hills, California in the San Fernando Valley and was being treated at Cedars-Sinai Medical Hospital.

The Knack burst onto the scene in the fall of 1979 with “My Sharona,” which stayed at #1 for six weeks on the Cash Box pop chart. The song was named the #2 single for the entire year. Only "Le Freak" by Chic was bigger than "My Sharona" on the Cash Box 1979 year-end rankings.

Although the Knack had two more Top 40’s with “Good Girls Don’t” (#11) and “Baby Talks Dirty” (#30), those follow-ups couldn’t compare to the success of “My Sharona.” Anyone playing a guitar couldn't help but want to play that distinctive guitar riff that made "My Sharona" a classic pop hit.

The Knack was promoted by Capitol Records as the next Beatles. The group’s debut LP, “Get The Knack,” sold nearly three million copies in the USA alone.

Sharona Alperin, the subject of the Knack hit, is a real person. At last check, she was still selling real estate in the Los Angeles area.

“Everybody knows they’re going sooner or later,” Fieger told Detroit News columnist Neal Rubin just last month. “I don’t know any better than anyone when I’m going. I’ve had 10 great lives. And I expect to have some more. I don’t feel cheated in any way shape or form.”

Drummer Bruce Gary of the Knack is also deceased. He died of lymphoma on August 22, 2006 at the age of 55. According to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, the other two living members of the Knack, guitarist Berton Averee and bassist Prescott Niles, still perform as part of the group.

Fieger was born August 21, 1952 and grew up in the Oak Park, Michigan, area just north of Detroit. He'd been part of two bands, Sky and the Sunset Bombers, before hitting it big with the Knack. His brother, Geoffrey Fieger, is a prominent attorney best known for representing Dr. Jack Kevorkian in the well-publicized assisted-suicide trials.

Detroit News columnist Laura Berman grew up next door to the Fiegers and never doubted Doug's ability to succeed. "He was one of the most extraordinary people I've ever met," said Berman. "He was the pied piper. He was so charismatic and admired that people would just follow him anywhere."

[mrjukebox]

In 1979,"Weird Al" Yankovic recorded his parody of "My Sharona"-It was called "My Bologna"-When The Knack appeared at Al's college,which was Cal Poly San Luis Obispo,Al introduced himself to Doug Fieger-Fieger had evidently heard "My Bologna" & convinced his label Capitol Records to release it as a single-Although "My Bologna" never made the Billboard "Hot 100",it was the beginning of a career that shows no signs of slowing down.

[40fan]

I remember seeing The Knack on The Tonight Show in 1994. ("My Sharona" had a minor revival because of it's inclusion in the "Reality Bites" Soundtrack.) Feiger told Jay Leno that the group was touring abroad in '79 when they were the hottest thing on U.S. radio and the lack of domestic bookings was the reason they faded out so quickly. Airplay overkill was also a factor. The Summer of '79 was indeed the Summer of "My Sharona". The "new Beatles" promotion (or gimmick) worked...a little too well. After a while, a sense of "enough already" had set in!

But the way it started out was great. Anti-disco sentiment was on the rise and radio programmers saw "My Sharona" as the welcome return to guitar-driven power pop; and it was just as danceable!
It had a dream of a hook, lyrics that were just naughty enough without going over the top and a beat that did somehow remind us of the Fab Four. This was one of those songs you just knew was going to hit huge!

Then came the follow-up; "Good Girls Don't" which had gotten considerable play as an album cut. The single version had a few tamer substituted lyrics put in and it became a top 20 hit.