The Knocks were formed in 2008 by James "JPatt" Patterson and Ben "DJ B-Roc" Ruttner. Patterson and Ruttner met at New York City's New School and shared an apartment, where they set up small recording studios in their bedrooms. The loud noise coming from their apartment led to neighbors constantly knocking on their door in order to get them to pipe down, hence the duo's name. Early success as remixers, however, enabled them to build their own studio in Manhattan. During 2008 and 2009, Knocks remixes surfaced for Katy Perry ("I Kissed a Girl"), Britney Spears ("3"), and PRGz ("Soul Glo"). B-Roc and Andrew W.K. also released DAMN! The Mixtape Vol. 1 in 2009, featuring several Knocks productions.
In 2010, the Knocks released their first singles, the sunny "Dancing with the DJ" (which later appeared on their 2011 EP Magic) and the whistling "Make It Better." Over the course of the next few years, the duo's profile was magnified by additional remixes for Tegan and Sara ("Closer"), the 1975 ("Girls"), and Dragonette ("Let It Go"), among others, in addition to tours with Ellie Goulding, Dragonette, and Sleigh Bells. They also collaborated with Fred Falke for the Kitsunรฉ Music release "Geronimo" in 2012, as well as Treasure Fingers for "DYWT," released on Fool's Gold Clubhouse in 2014. Also in 2014, the group released an EP, titled Comfortable and released on the Neon Gold label, that included collaborations with X Ambassadors and Ra Ra Riot.
Signed to Big Beat, the Knocks slowed it down a bit for the 2014 single "Classic," one of their funkier and more disco-indebted singles, featuring Powers. An EP titled So Classic appeared in April 2015, followed by a new version of "Classic" featuring a verse by Fetty Wap. The Knocks spent much of the year working on their long-delayed debut album, which was previewed by the singles "I Wish (My Taylor Swift)" (with Matthew Koma) and "New York City" (featuring Cam'ron). Finally, in March 2016, the duo released their first full-length, 55, which included additional guest appearances from Wyclef Jean, Walk the Moon, Carly Rae Jepsen, Alex Newell, and Semi-Precious Weapons' Justin Trantor. That July, the pair remixed selected tracks from the album on the 55.5 EP.
In early 2017, the Knocks released Testify, an EP of new songs featuring collaborations with MNEK, Delacey, and Tayla Parx. Later that year, the duo teamed up with Skylar Spence and released a future funk mixtape as Amelia Airhorn. They also formed the Mary Nixons, a group with Mat Zo, and issued the single "Adrian." They followed with the Captain Cuts collaboration "House Party." July 2018 saw the release of the single "Shades" which appeared later that year on the Knocks' second full-length, New York Narcotic. The album also featured contributions from Method Man, Sofi Tukker, and Foster the People.
2019 brought several singles, including the Kah-Lo collaboration "Awa Ni" and "Lucky Me" (with Great Good Fine Ok). Most of these were collected on the EP Summer Series: 2019. Several more singles arrived in 2020, including "One Fine Day" (with Idris Elba), "Bodies" (with MUNA), and "All About You" (featuring Foster the People). The following year, they released Melody & Silence, an EP with Foster the People that included a remix of the single, as well as covers of hits by Beck, Moby, and the Verve. Also in 2021, the Knocks released "R U High" (featuring Mallrat) and "Sound the Alarm" (featuring Rivers Cuomo and Royal & the Serpent), and were featured on Purple Disco Machine's "Fireworks." The following year saw the release of the full-length effort, HISTORY, which featured collaborations with Foster the People, MUNA, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, Cold War Kids, Parson James, and Yoke Lore, among others.
Biography by Andy Kellman
Bang Bang
The Knocks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sin in the city like a Tarantino
Bang bang, gonna get it fired up
Bang bang, gonna get it fired up
They say I'm different, bae, you misunderstood
Yeah, I'm an alien in Hollywood
Bang bang, gonna get it fired up
Oopsie daisy, gonna twist you like a freak
Shake it up, make you my apple-blossom dream
Bang bang, gonna get it fired up
Bang bang, gonna get it fired up
Ah-ah, ain't no crime
If I blow your mind (hey, hey, hey)
(Twist you like a freak)
Gonna get it fired up
(Twist you like a freak)
Gonna get it fired up
Fired up, fired up, fired up, fired up (hey, hey, hey)
Wanna get reckless, I'm your desperado
Sin in the city like a Tarantino
Bang bang, gonna get it fired up
Bang bang, gonna get it fired up (hey, hey, hey)
They say I'm different, bae, you misunderstood
Yeah, I'm an alien in Hollywood
Bang bang, gonna get it fired up
Bang bang, gonna get it fired up
Ah-ah, ain't no crime
If I blow your mind
Bang bang, gonna get it fired up
Bang bang, gonna get it fired up
Bang bang, gonna get it fired up
Bang bang, gonna get it fired up (hey, hey, hey)
(Twist you like a freak)
Gonna get it fired up
(Twist you like a freak)
Gonna get it fired up
(Hey, hey, hey)
The lyrics to The Knocks Donna Missal's song "Bang Bang" are about a person who wants to be reckless and live in the moment to experience all that life has to offer. The singer identifies herself as an outsider in Hollywood and claims that she is different from everyone else. She is looking for someone to share her desire for adventure and take risks with her. The chorus of the song -- "Bang bang, gonna get it fired up" -- suggests that the singer wants to make the most of life and enjoy every moment. She also promises to "twist [her partner] like a freak" and "make [them her] apple-blossom dream," indicating that she is passionate and ready to give her all in a relationship.
Overall, the lyrics of "Bang Bang" present a picture of someone who is unafraid to be herself and whose singular focus is on enjoying life to the fullest. The song encourages listeners to join in on this sense of adventure and make the most of their time on earth.
Line by Line Meaning
Wanna get reckless, I'm your desperado
I want to be daring and adventurous with you, I'm your daring outlaw
Sin in the city like a Tarantino
Indulge in wrongdoing in the city like a Quentin Tarantino movie
Bang bang, gonna get it fired up
I'm going to bring excitement and energy
They say I'm different, bae, you misunderstood
People say I'm unique, but you are one of the few who truly understand me
Yeah, I'm an alien in Hollywood
I feel like an outsider in this world of celebrities
Oopsie daisy, gonna twist you like a freak
I want to play around with you and make you feel wild
Shake it up, make you my apple-blossom dream
I want to cause a stir and make you feel like a dream come true
Ah-ah, ain't no crime
There's nothing wrong with what we're doing
If I blow your mind (hey, hey, hey)
If I impress and surprise you
(Twist you like a freak)
I want to explore our wild side
Gonna get it fired up
I'm really going to bring life to this situation
Lyrics ยฉ HIPGNOSIS SONGS GROUP, Ultra Tunes, SC PUBLISHING DBA SECRETLY CANADIAN PUB., WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Anthony Lukens, Benjamin Ruttner, Caitlin Stubbs, Clementine Douglas, James Patterson, Jessmeet Gulati, Ross Clark, Samuel Sprague, Timothy Denardo, Toby Scott
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Junno Junno
Oh wow....I still listening to Slow Song on a daily basis and now this one is amazing too....you are really making us happy !!!
Ouranos
Me too! I'm not ready!!!
Cranger
@itstheknocks I have
Cranger
@itstheknocks the q
Cranger
@Bear French j
Jean-Michel Mayer
Saaameeee
CX BX
AMAZING SONG..
AMAZING BEAT...
AMAZING AQUARIA QUEEN...
Jordon Atcheynum
Ok, this album is going to be ๐ฅyโall are making the soundtrack to summer 2022
Frank Goita
They keep dishing out summer anthems. I'm kinda floored lol. Music that actually puts a smile on your face.
itstheknocks
we are excited for ya'll to hear it!