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.
It's Not Me
The Knack Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If my smile is like the sun
Shining 'til the day is done
It's really only painted on
It's not me it's not me
And if you catch me by surprise
It's really just a cheap disguise
It's not me it's not me
It's a game they've played upon
The ragged frame my clothes hang on
Just a name that knows no one
It's not me it's not me
If you spy me in a crowd
Smiling broadly laughing loud
That's only thunder from a cloud
It's not me it's not me
And if you think you'll hear me cry
When you finally say goodbye
That's really just an alibi
It's not me it's not me
It's a game they've played upon
The ragged frame my clothes hang on
Just a name that knows no one
It's not me it's not me
Ooh ooh
It's not me it's not me
It's a game they've played upon
The fragile frame my clothes hang on
Just a name that knows no one
It's not me it's not me
That's the road we ride upon
Love's the hope we're hanging on
AÂ ?? here a long time gone
It's not me it's not me
The lyrics of The Knack's song It's Not Me talk about putting up a façade to hide one's true self. The song talks about the lead singer being someone he is not. The lines "If my smile is like the sun/Shining 'til the day is done/It's really only painted on" indicate how the lead singer puts on a happy face even on days when he isn't feeling particularly chipper. He then goes on to say that his laughter and his tears are just a part of the game he plays to keep up the façade. He even refers to himself as "just a name that knows no one".
The lyrics speak to the idea that we often present a different version of ourselves to the world, not wanting to be judged or misunderstood. We put on a brave and happy face even when we're sad inside, afraid of being seen as weak or vulnerable. The song highlights the fact that we all play roles in our day-to-day lives, failing to stay true to who we really are due to societal pressure or fear of rejection.
In conclusion, The Knack's song It's Not Me speaks volumes about the masks we all wear and the lengths we go to hide our true selves from the world, demonstrating how we all struggle with authenticity and acceptance at some point in our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
If my smile is like the sun
Shining 'til the day is done
It's really only painted on
It's not me it's not me
My happy demeanor is merely a facade and not my true self
And if you catch me by surprise
And there's wonder in my eyes
It's really just a cheap disguise
It's not me it's not me
Even when I appear genuinely interested, it's actually an act I put on to fool others
It's a game they've played upon
The ragged frame my clothes hang on
Just a name that knows no one
It's not me it's not me
People only see what I present to them, not my true self, so it's pointless to try to understand me
If you spy me in a crowd
Smiling broadly laughing loud
That's only thunder from a cloud
It's not me it's not me
Even in jovial moments, I'm not genuinely happy, and my laughter is hollow
And if you think you'll hear me cry
When you finally say goodbye
That's really just an alibi
It's not me it's not me
I'm not one to show vulnerability, so any emotional reaction to goodbyes is a mere act
It's a game they've played upon
The fragile frame my clothes hang on
Just a name that knows no one
It's not me it's not me
I'm not defined by my external appearance or reputation and feel misunderstood by others
It's a game they've played upon
The fragile frame my clothes hang on
Just a name that knows no one
It's not me it's not me
My worth is not determined by how others perceive me, but by who I truly am
That's the road we ride upon
Love's the hope we're hanging on
AÂ ?? here a long time gone
It's not me it's not me
Life is full of uncertainty, but we cling to hope and love, even when everything else falls apart
Ooh ooh
It's not me it's not me
The gap between who I present and who I truly am is vast, and I can't bridge it no matter how hard I try
Contributed by Layla A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.