There are several bands called The Knack. For the less famous ones: see bel… Read Full Bio ↴There are several bands called The Knack. For the less famous ones: see below. The by far most famous and successful ones were the 'My Sharona' guys from Detroit, MI, United States.

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.

Normal as the Next Guy
The Knack Lyrics

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Fieger-Averre

Normal as the next guy

I'm normal as the next guy
What makes you think I'm not huh
I eat a balanced breakfast in the morning
I drive a late model american car

And when I come home
I come home from work
How 'bout that weather eh
Interesting tornadic activity
And who are you to say
What is normal and what is not
'Cause I'm normal
Normal as the next guy
I'm normal
I'm normal
Normal as the next guy
Alright

I'm normal as walter cronkite
I'm normal as ghandi
I'm normal as idI amin
I'm normal as eydie gorme
And when I come home
I come home from work
I'm as normal as the wright brothers
I'm as normal as dr. joyce brothers
And who are you to say
What is normal and what is not
'Cause I'm normal
Normal as the next guy
I'm normal
I'm normal
Normal as the next guy
I'm normal as the next guy

I'm as normal as betty crocker
I'm as normal as jarvis cocker
I'm as normal as chris rock
I'm as normal as jacques chirac
I'm normal as jacques villeneuve
I'm normal as jacquille o'neil
I'm as normal as eugene o'neill
I'm as normal as white bread
I'm as normal as fred astaire
I'm as normal as fred flintstone
Wilma let me in Wilma
Dino get back here sammy frank
I'm one standard deviation of the mean

I'm normal as the next guy
Normal as the next guy

Overall Meaning

The Knack's song, Normal as the Next Guy, is a clever retort to society's expectations of what is considered "normal." The lyrics involve the singer defending their normality and expressing confusion towards those who suggest otherwise. The song is written in a lighthearted and humorous tone, with the singer listing off famous figures (both good and bad) to prove their point.

The chorus is repeated multiple times throughout the song, with the singer confidently proclaiming their normalcy. The use of repetition emphasizes the message of the song and reinforces the idea that what is considered normal is subjective and constantly changing. The singer's sarcastic tone towards those who doubt their normalcy serves as a critique of societal pressures to conform to a certain standard.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm normal as the next guy
I am just like any other average person

What makes you think I'm not huh
I don't understand why you would assume I'm abnormal

I eat a balanced breakfast in the morning
I consume a healthy morning meal

I drive a late model american car
I have a recent American-made vehicle

And when I come home I come home from work
I come back from my job when I get home

How 'bout that weather eh Interesting tornadic activity
Let's talk about the weather, there have been some notable tornados

And who are you to say What is normal and what is not
Why are you qualified to determine what is standard and what isn't

'Cause I'm normal Normal as the next guy I'm normal I'm normal Normal as the next guy Alright
Because I am like everyone else, I am average

I'm normal as walter cronkite I'm normal as ghandi I'm normal as idI amin I'm normal as eydie gorme
Just like Krocite, Ghandi, Amin, and Gorme, I am an ordinary person

I'm as normal as the wright brothers I'm as normal as dr. joyce brothers
I am similar to the Wright Brothers and Dr. Joyce Brothers in that we are all standard individuals

I'm as normal as betty crocker I'm as normal as jarvis cocker I'm as normal as chris rock I'm as normal as jacques chirac I'm normal as jacques villeneuve I'm normal as jacquille o'neil I'm as normal as eugene o'neill I'm as normal as white bread I'm as normal as fred astaire I'm as normal as fred flintstone Wilma let me in Wilma Dino get back here sammy frank I'm one standard deviation of the mean
I am similar to all the above famous and fictional individuals, as well as statistically average

Normal as the next guy
I am as standard and average as anyone else

Contributed by Caden O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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