1. The Knack was an American new wave/power pop band from Detroit, Michigan, based in Los Angeles. They rose to fame with their first single, "My Sharona", which was an international hit in 1979. The power pop of "My Sharona", coupled with the band's retro 60s look, earned the band comparisons to The Beatles (though the band members themselves viewed the 'New Beatles' label as tongue-in-cheek). Many music critics hated disco, which dominated the music industry at the time, and were, at best, coolly receptive to other developing trends like punk, electronica, and heavy metal.
The Knack's hard rock influences earned them some critical credibility and massive commercial success with their debut album, 1979's 'Get The Knack'. The band had formed in May 1978, known at first as '20/20', and, after shopping their demo tape to various record labels without success, they began playing the local club circuit. Quickly gaining a following as musicians such as Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen praised them, they finally signed with Capitol Records in January 1979. Reaching #1 on the Billboard 200 chart, 'Get The Knack' has earned praise for decades, with Kurt Cobain in particular claiming it as one of his top fifty albums of all time.
While fans praised their new wave and power pop fueled sound, many critics still found issues with the group's in-your-face image in their lyrics, with accusations of misogyny popping up. After subsequent releases, the social backlash against the Knack (similar to that of The Monkees a generation earlier) was strong. Dave Marsh of 'Rolling Stone' in particular wrote, "In Fieger's lyrics, women are literally commodities whose chief purpose is to be brutalized." A 'Knuke the Knack' campaign emerged based on that as well as the perceived corporate-based over-hype. With their second album, '...But the Little Girls Understand', getting less commercial success (doing well, but not up to expectations), the band broke up mid-tour on New Year’s Day 1982. Besides the turmoil around the group, they also faced near total burnout among themselves, particularly given Fieger's drugs-heavy lifestyle, and the band members reportedly hadn't the energy to do much of anything after their third album, 'Round Trip', came out.
They re-united sporadically several years later and released a new album on January 16, 1991, titled 'Serious Fun'. A comeback accompanied by a public reunion and tour, it failed to reach either commercial or critical success but resulted in the hit single "Rocket O' Love", which reached #9 in Billboard's Mainstream Rock Chart. They continued playing through the 90s and into the new millennium, with 2003's 'Re-Zoom' (or 'Zoom') being their last studio album. Commercial airplay mostly eluded the group over the 90s, but a generation of new fans who loved 80s-era new wave music provided a devoted cult following. Lead singer and main songwriter Doug Fieger was diagnosed with cancer in 2005. Fieger battled the disease until his death on Valentine's Day 2010.
Fieger, a native of Detroit, Michigan, had previously played in a country rock band called Sky. Of the three other original members of the Knack (Berton Averre - Guitar, Prescott Niles - Bass, and Bruce Gary - Drums), Averre and Niles remained with the group as it ended. Gary died of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2006. Several drummers had played for the group over the years, including Billy Ward (Serious Fun album), Terry Bozzio (Zoom album), and David Henderson as 'Holmes Jones' (Normal as the Next Guy and Live at the Rock N Roll Funhouse albums). Pat Torpey (Mr. Big) played the drums for the group right before they ended.
There are other artists with the same name:
2. The Knack was a short-lived 1960s American psych/garage band from Los Angeles, CA. They recorded for Capitol Records. Formed in 1965, the band comprising Mike Chain (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Dink Kaplan (lead guitar, backing vocals), Larry Gould (bass, backing vocals) and Pug Baker (drums), formally débuted at The Ice House in October 1966 and released four singles in total, of which Time Waits For No One was the best-seller. They toured throughout the U.S. but worked most frequently in Hollywood.
3. The Knack was a mid-60's British band originally known as The Londoners, a moniker they adopted whilst paying their beat group dues in the clubs of Germany in the early 60s. Upon returning to the UK in 1965 and changing their name to the rather hipper The Knack (after the recently released Richard Lester film), they recorded half a dozen singles for Decca and Piccadilly including the mod R&B ravers "She Ain't No Good", "Time Time Time" and "Stop!". Their final single, "(Man From The) Marriage Guidance And Advice Bureau", featured a more mature acoustic sound, which nodded towards both The Kinks and the impending psychedelic explosion. They broke up in 1967 and leader Paul Gurvitz formed the band The Gun.
Africa
The Knack Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
so you step inside
and you hear a sound
from another room
air disturbed
with a foreign sound
and you look around
electricity
it's just got to be
you can't be sure
'til you open up the door
open up the door
steal away
so you steal away
and the light is low
and it disappears
day for night
and the passing car
and the air is charged
curiousity
deep jungle of night
safe on a sullen street
soft echos of light
shimmering heat
The lyrics of The Knack's song "Africa" are open to various interpretations, but at its core, it appears to be a song about exploration and discovering something new. The first verse talks about stepping inside a place and hearing a sound coming from another room. There's a sense of curiosity and anticipation, as the singer is unsure of what to expect but can feel the electricity in the air. The chorus carries this sense of mystery forward, with the singer needing to open a door to confirm what they already suspect - that there's something exciting and unknown on the other side.
Line by Line Meaning
step inside
Enter into a new place
so you step inside
You have entered the place
and you hear a sound
There is a noise in the background
from another room
The noise is coming from a different location
air disturbed
The atmosphere is affected by the sound
with a foreign sound
The sound is not familiar
and you look around
You survey the surroundings
electricity
A sense of excitement and anticipation
it's just got to be
You have a strong feeling about something
you can't be sure
You are uncertain
'til you open up the door
You need to investigate to find out
open up the door
Explore what's behind the door
steal away
Sneak away
so you steal away
You are leaving quietly
and the light is low
It's dark
and it disappears
It vanishes
day for night
It's like nighttime during the day
and the passing car
A car goes by
and the air is charged
The atmosphere is energized
curiosity
You are eager to explore
deep jungle of night
An intense and mysterious atmosphere
safe on a sullen street
You feel secure on a quiet and gloomy street
soft echos of light
Gentle and subtle reflections of light
shimmering heat
An intense and dazzling warmth
Contributed by Nolan N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.