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.
Can I Borrow A Kiss
The Knack Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
in the summer i'll always remember
said i was high-strung middle-class oversexed underemployed
by september i was a man
i followed the throng
out to the coast and found
a girl who stepped out of a song
and my world filled with light and sound as she said to me
can i borrow a kiss that's what i heard
can i borrow a kiss no cost incurred
and i'll pay it back with interest
if you'll only say the word
can i borrow a kiss like lovers do
can i borrow a kiss make dreams come true
let me know i exist can i borrow a kiss
and i'll give it right back to you
and i'll give it right back to you
she was a dark-haired satin-skinned velvet-eyed wisp of a girl
with a smile that could stop you from breathing
she had me coming on getting off tuning in and out of this world
and believing love was for real
just like in a poem
she smiled that smile and then
i knew i would not be alone
and that soon all my cares would end when she said to me
can i borrow a kiss is what i heard
can i borrow a kiss no cost incurred
and i'll pay it back with interest
if you'll only say the word
can i borrow a kiss like lovers do
can i borrow a kiss make dreams come true
let me know i exist can i borrow a kiss
and i'll give it right back to you
and i'll give it right back to you
when i look back upon the time that's passed away
it always seems that all my dreams are yesterday
and i'll pay it back with interest
if you'll only say the word
can i borrow a kiss like lovers do
can i borrow a kiss make dreams come true
let me know i exist can i borrow a kiss
and i'll give it right back to you
and i'll give it right back to you
The Knack's song "Can I Borrow A Kiss" is a nostalgic tribute to a summer romance that turned into something more. The lyrics describe the transformation of a shy, underfed boy into a confident man, all thanks to the love and affection of a mysterious girl who "stepped out of a song." The girl is described as a "dark-haired satin-skinned velvet-eyed wisp of a girl" who had a smile that could "stop you from breathing." The singer feels that this girl is the one who made him believe that love was real, and that he would not be alone anymore.
The chorus of the song is a plea from the girl to the singer. She asks him if she can "borrow a kiss" from him, promising to pay him back with interest. The lyrics suggest that this simple act of kissing can be transformative and can make dreams come true. The singer is more than happy to oblige, as he believes that this girl has given him everything he ever wanted.
Overall, the song is a celebration of youthful romance and the transformative power of love. It reminds us that the simplest acts of affection can have a profound impact on our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
i was a knock-kneed freckle faced overshy underfed boy
I was a young, shy, underfed boy who lacked self-confidence.
in the summer i'll always remember
During that summer, something significant happened that is still memorable to me.
said i was high-strung middle-class oversexed underemployed
People described me as a high-strung, underemployed middle-class guy who thinks about sex a lot.
by september i was a man
By the end of that summer, I had grown up and become more mature.
i followed the throng
I followed a crowd of people.
out to the coast and found
I went out to the coast and discovered something significant.
a girl who stepped out of a song
I met a girl who seemed too perfect to be true, like she was right out of a song.
and my world filled with light and sound as she said to me
When she spoke to me, I felt like the whole world was illuminated and filled with sound.
can i borrow a kiss that's what i heard
She asked if she could borrow a kiss as a way to express her interest in me.
can i borrow a kiss no cost incurred
She assured me that there was no cost involved in the kiss, just a mutual attraction.
and i'll pay it back with interest if you'll only say the word
She promised to return the kiss with even more interest if I would only agree to it.
can i borrow a kiss like lovers do
She asked for a kiss like two people in love would share.
can i borrow a kiss make dreams come true
She believed this kiss would make our mutual dreams come true.
let me know i exist can i borrow a kiss
She asked for a kiss to prove that she existed and was important to me.
and i'll give it right back to you
She promised to return the kiss to me as soon as it was given.
she was a dark-haired satin-skinned velvet-eyed wisp of a girl
She was a beautiful girl with dark hair and soft, velvety eyes.
with a smile that could stop you from breathing
Her smile was so captivating that it made it hard to breathe.
she had me coming on getting off tuning in and out of this world
She had a powerful and intense effect on me, making it feel like I was coming and going from reality.
and believing love was for real
Her influence made me believe that love was a real and meaningful thing.
just like in a poem
Her love was so beautiful that it could have been the subject of a poem.
when i look back upon the time that's passed away
When I reflect on my memories of that time, it feels like it was long ago.
it always seems that all my dreams are yesterday
It feels like all my dreams from that time were just yesterday and still fresh in my mind.
Contributed by Vivian D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.