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.
Hard Way
The Knack Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You never listen to what I say
And if you think you're here to mess around
You're making a big mistake
'Cos you're gonna find out the hard way
(You can take the hard way)
You can take the hard way
No matter what I do or say
You're much too dumb to educate
One day life's going to come around and
Slap you in the face
You can run back the hard way
(You can take the hard way)
You can take the hard way
Well, you do it your way
And I'll do it my way
And I'll be the one to survive
Because with no foundation or qualifications
There's no way that you can get by
No, no way you can get by
Why don't you take the easy way?
Why don't you co-operate?
Don't just sit there and masturbate
You're winding up illiterate?
C'mon now
Hey, you think that life's a vacation, you've no inclination
To dust away the cobwebs of your mind
Now it's time for confrontation and I'm tired of being patient
So I've got to be cruel to be kind
Yes, I've got to be cruel to be kind
Wasting my vocation teaching you to write neat
When you're only fit to sweep the streets
Your intellect is such, that it requires a killer's touch
So I'm going to play it your way, we'll take the hard way
Gonna take the hard way
You can take the hard way
Gonna take the hard way
You can take the hard way
C'mon now
The Knack's song Hard Way expresses frustration with someone who refuses to listen and instead makes their own decisions, even when they are clearly the wrong ones. The song's chorus encourages the listener to learn the hard way, implying that failure and hardship will be the only way for them to understand the value of listening to others and cooperating.
The lyrics are full of references to education and intelligence. The singer suggests that the person they are addressing is "much too dumb to educate" and that their "intellect is such, that it requires a killer's touch." The frustration may stem from a belief that the person is wasting their potential, either through laziness or because they simply don't understand the consequences of their actions. The song also implies a sense of superiority on the part of the singer, who believes that they will "be the one to survive" thanks to their "foundation or qualifications."
Overall, the song is a call for cooperation and an acknowledgement of the importance of education and learning from others. It suggests that taking the easy way out may lead to a lifetime of difficulty, and that sometimes the hard way is the only way to truly learn and grow.
Line by Line Meaning
Boys like you were born to waste
You, young men with your carefree attitudes and lack of respect, are not going to achieve much in life.
You never listen to what I say
You're too focused on your own desires and interests to pay attention to anything I say or teach you.
And if you think you're here to mess around
If you believe that the purpose of your life is to fool around and waste time, you're mistaken.
You're making a big mistake
You're going to regret the choices you make and the paths you take in life.
'Cos you're gonna find out the hard way
You're going to learn the harsh realities of life through your own mistakes and failures.
(You can take the hard way)
Emphasizing that there is a choice and consequences involved in the decision making.
No matter what I do or say
Regardless of how hard I try to guide you, you're too stubborn to learn anything.
You're much too dumb to educate
You're not capable of absorbing new knowledge, intelligence and understanding.
One day life's going to come around and
Eventually, life will present you with opportunities to learn important lessons.
Slap you in the face
It will be a harsh reality check that will sting and teach you through pain.
You can run back the hard way
Even when you realize your mistakes, it might be too late to recover and you'll have to go through the hard way.
Well, you do it your way
You're doing things your own way, ignoring any advice or suggestions from others.
And I'll do it my way
I'll continue living my life and making my choices, independent of what you do.
And I'll be the one to survive
I have faith in myself that I will endure the challenges of life and emerge victorious.
Because with no foundation or qualifications
If you don't put in the effort to learn and improve, you won't have the necessary skills to achieve success.
There's no way that you can get by
You won't be able to succeed in life with your current attitude and lack of skills.
No, no way you can get by
Emphasizing that the path you're on will lead to failure and disappointment.
Why don't you take the easy way?
You still have a chance to make things easier for yourself by listening and cooperating.
Why don't you co-operate?
Working together and following guidance can lead to success and make life easier.
Don't just sit there and masturbate
Don't waste your time on trivial activities, focus on improving and learning.
You're winding up illiterate?
You're not educating yourself and may end up unable to read, write or understand important things.
C'mon now
Encouraging the listener to take action and improve their ways.
Hey, you think that life's a vacation, you've no inclination
You believe that life is easy and there's no need for hard work or effort.
To dust away the cobwebs of your mind
You need to clear your mind and rid yourself of any negative thoughts or attitudes.
Now it's time for confrontation and I'm tired of being patient
The time for talking and teaching is over, and it's time for tough love.
So I've got to be cruel to be kind
Being harsh and unsympathetic now will benefit you in the long run.
Wasting my vocation teaching you to write neat
I'm using up my skills and potential to teach you basic things like handwriting.
When you're only fit to sweep the streets
You're not skilled or educated enough to do anything more than basic manual labor.
Your intellect is such, that it requires a killer's touch
You need to be harshly criticized and pushed hard in order to learn and improve.
So I'm going to play it your way, we'll take the hard way
If you insist on doing things your own way, expect obstacles and challenges along the way.
Gonna take the hard way
Emphasizing that the path ahead is difficult and challenging.
Contributed by Leo M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.