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.
Don't Look Back
The Knack Lyrics
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Cold rain pourin' and I'm feelin' hurt
With my back wheel spinnin' in the dirt
Angel makes up her face down on lonely street
Won't you straddle the shifter in my front seat
There's nothing to lose, it's a heartbreak, the deck's stacked
Just put your foot to the floor and darling don't look back
Won't you cool me down in this blazin' rain
Cause I'm blowin' pistons, workin' the fast lane
With the poor boy's dream, my pocket's full of cash
Baby writes her name in lipstick there on my dash
There's nothing to lose, it's a bad break to face facts
Just keep your eyes on the road and darling don't look back
We held it in our hearts in the pourin' rain
We made it through the heart of the hurricane
We tore it apart and we put it together again
Whoa-whoa-whoa
Baby won't you believe in love for me
And I will meet you tonight on that lonely street
When you look sight's blindfold on shooting stars
You gotta walk it talk it in your heart
There's nothing to lose, it's a heartbreak, the deck's stacked
So put your foot to the floor and darling
Just keep your eyes on the road now baby
Tonight we'll even the score and no we won't look back
Yeah!
Don't look, don't look
Don't look, don't look
Don't look, don't look
Don't look, don't look
Don't look, don't look
Don't look, don't look
Back
The Knack’s song Don’t Look Back is an upbeat track that talks about the challenges of life and relationships. The song opens with the singer feeling hurt and stuck with his back wheel spinning in the dirt. However, he has an angel waiting for him on Lonely Street who can transform his day. He asks her to straddle the shifter in his front seat and join him on a ride. The chorus “there’s nothing to lose, it’s a heartbreak, the deck’s stacked, just put your foot to the floor and darling don’t look back” shows a desire to leave behind the troubles of the past and move forward, no matter the cost.
The pre-chorus (Won't you cool me down in this blazin' rain ‘Cause I'm blowin' pistons, workin' the fast lane) and the second verse (With the poor boy's dream, my pocket's full of cash Baby writes her name in lipstick there on my dash) reflect the theme of risk-taking and living fast. The power chords and pounding drums add to the sense of urgency and thrill.
In the bridge, the singer and his lover have weathered the storm and made it through the heart of the hurricane, and now they’re ready to believe in love and walk the talk. They finally even the score and make peace with the past, ready to move forward with hope and confidence.
Line by Line Meaning
Cold rain pourin' and I'm feelin' hurt
I am feeling hurt as the cold rain is pouring down on me
With my back wheel spinnin' in the dirt
My back wheel is spinning in the dirt
Angel makes up her face down on lonely street
There is an Angel on the lonely street putting on makeup
Won't you straddle the shifter in my front seat
Come and sit in my front seat, straddling the shifter
There's nothing to lose, it's a heartbreak, the deck's stacked
There is nothing to lose, it's a heartbreak and the odds are against us
Just put your foot to the floor and darling don't look back
Push the pedal to the metal and don't look back, my love
Won't you cool me down in this blazin' rain
Can you cool me down in this blazing rain?
Cause I'm blowin' pistons, workin' the fast lane
My engine is overheating as I speed down the fast lane
With the poor boy's dream, my pocket's full of cash
I have a poor boy's dream but my pockets are full of cash
Baby writes her name in lipstick there on my dash
My baby has written her name on my dashboard using lipstick
Just keep your eyes on the road and darling don't look back
Keep your eyes on the road and don't look back, my love
We held it in our hearts in the pourin' rain
We kept our love in our hearts even in the pouring rain
We made it through the heart of the hurricane
We survived the heart of the hurricane together
We tore it apart and we put it together again
We broke it apart but we managed to put it back together again
Baby won't you believe in love for me
My love, can you believe in love for me?
And I will meet you tonight on that lonely street
I will meet you tonight on that lonely street
When you look sight's blindfold on shooting stars
Looking at shooting stars with a blindfold on
You gotta walk it talk it in your heart
You need to walk the talk, following your heart
Tonight we'll even the score and no we won't look back
Tonight, we will even the score and we won't look back
Contributed by Logan P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.