(She's So) Selfish

Last updated

"(She's So) Selfish"
Song by The Knack
from the album Get the Knack
ReleasedJune 11, 1979
RecordedApril 1979
Genre New wave, hard rock, power pop
Length4:30
Label Capitol
Songwriter(s) Doug Fieger, Berton Averre
Producer(s) Mike Chapman

"(She's So) Selfish" is a hit song written by Doug Fieger and Berton Averre that was first released by the Knack on their #1 debut album Get the Knack in 1979. It also appeared on a number of live and compilation albums. It was intended for release as a single, but was prevented by its "scatological" lyrics. It was inspired by the same woman who inspired the band's #1 single "My Sharona." It was praised by critics for its hooks and style, but criticized for its nastiness and sexism.

Contents

Lyrics and music

The music of "(She's So) Selfish" is based on a Bo Diddley-like riff. [1] [2] According to Averre, Fieger wrote most of "(She's So) Selfish" and Averre wrote the "release" section with its "dirty words": [3]

When she takes you by the short hairs
It's the only thing she'll leave you down there
No fuck-a me fuck-a me today
No fuck-a me fuck-a me today

The song was inspired by Fieger's as-yet-unrequited passion for Sharona Alperin, girlfriend of Doug Fieger, who also inspired other Knack songs such as "My Sharona," and Averre has called it a "teasing, playful look" at her. [3] Alperin concurs that she was the inspiration. [4] [5] According to Ed Stephens, Jr. of Saipan Tribune , the song is about a "manipulative tease." [6] Taking a line from the song, Ira Robbins and Michael Sandlin of Trouser Press describe the girl in the song as "rich bitch." [7] Ultimate Classic Rock writer Dave Swanson included it as one of the Knack's "top shelf, hook-laden rockers" but acknowledged that it is "full of words that wouldn't fly past radio censors." [8] Critic Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times describes that the Knack uses crude, locker room language to portray a teenager's view of frustration. [9] Robert Wilonsky of the Dallas Observer described it as a "teen-beat [anthem] about doin' it to your girlfriend while Mom and Dad were out of the house" [10]

Reception

The Associated Press, TV Guide and others identified "(She's So) Selfish" as one of the Knack's radio hits. [11] [12] [13] [14] Classic Rock History critic Skip Anderson rated it as the Knack's 7th best song and noted the "Bo Diddley hambone style beat." [15] Terry Atkinson of the Los Angeles Times calls it "one of the Knack's better songs." [16] Mike Daily of The Age claims that it deserves equal credit with "My Sharona" for the success of Get the Knack . [17] Audio magazine called it a "basher" with "plenty of style". [18] Tina Maples of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel praised its "hooky effervescence". [19] Charla Wasel of The Evening Independent described it as a song "with which we can all relate." [20] Billboard says that it is "delivered in a smart, sophisticated post-punk style that oozes Southern Californian snootiness." [1] It also uses the song as an example of the Knack being "mad about the way things are" with lyrics that "are as innocent as the chief of police in a Latin American dictatorship," citing such lines as "she got a smile in her ass" and "she says she'll make your motor run but she won't give you none" as setting the tone. [1] Author John Borack described "(She's So) Selfish" as a "mean pop tune" in which Fieger comes off "like a leering, sexist twit with hormones a-raging." [21] J. J. Syrja of The Seguin Gazette said that with this song the Knack "[struck] pure teenage delirium." [22] Paul Wagner of Santa Cruz Sentinel claimed that "it had the same sparkle" as "My Sharona." [23]

Cue New York criticized the "sexist get-a-girl lyrics." [24] Jim Sullivan of The Boston Globe calls it "a tiresome, sexist rant." [25] The 3rd edition of The Rolling Stone Album Guide , music critic Robert Christgau and other critics commented on the song's nastiness, with authors Michael Uslan and Bruce Solomon calling it "by far the nastiest and most up-front cut on the album." [10] [26] [27] [28] Eric Siegel of The Sun claims that lines such as "It's just me me me me/She's so (dramatic pause) selfish" make apparent the group's "lack of lyrical ability," comparing the lyrics unfavorably to Carly Simon's similarly themed "You're So Vain." [29]

Producer Mike Chapman considers "(She's So) Selfish" his favorite song from Get the Knack besides "My Sharona." [3] Actor/musician Robbie Rist considers it part of the "lethal opening salvo" that opens Get the Knack, which Rist feels few if any albums can match. [3]

Censored version

Capitol Records wanted to release "(She's So) Selfish" as a follow-up single from Get the Knack to "My Sharona" and "Good Girls Don't" in time for Christmas 1979. [26] However, they could not do so unless some of the more "scatological" references were edited out. [26] The band, having already edited out some lyrics for the single release of "Good Girls Don't," refused to do it again, preventing the single release. [26] According to Knack bassist Prescott Niles, Fieger felt that altering the lyrics to "(She's So) Selfish" would be "selling out." [3] Averre didn't see anything problematic about including the profane lyrics, since that is how teenagers spoke and they heard such language all the time. [3]

Despite the band's concerns, an edited version of the song was released in Canada, removing lines such as "fuck-a me today" and "she don't give a shit about anybody else but herself." [30] [31] [32] This version was accidentally included on the initial compact disc release of Get the Knack in the United States, despite the fact that according to Fieger the tape with the altered lyrics was in a box with big red letters stating "NOT MASTER! NOT TO BE USED! ONLY CANADIAN RADIO!." [30] [31]

Other releases

"(She's So) Selfish" was a staple of the Knack's live shows and was included in several of the band's live albums, generally towards the end of the set right before "My Sharona." It was included on the 2012 live album Havin' a Rave-Up! Live in Los Angeles, 1978 , which was based on two concerts the band performed in Los Angeles, California in 1978, before signing their record deal that would lead to Get the Knack. [33] The Knack performed it at the 1979 concert at Carnegie Hall which was used for the 1982 video disc The Knack Live at Carnegie Hall . [34] It was later included on the 2002 CD of Live From the Rock 'N' Roll Funhouse and on the 2007 DVD On Stage at World Cafe Live. [35] [36]

"(She's So) Selfish" appeared on the Knack's 1992 compilation albums The Retrospective: The Best of the Knack and My Sharona. [37] [38] Ben Folds covered the song on his 2007 album Get Nack. [39]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Knack</span> American band

The Knack was an American rock band based in Los Angeles that rose to fame with its first single, "My Sharona", an international number-one hit in 1979.

<i>Get the Knack</i> 1979 studio album by The Knack

Get the Knack is the debut album by American rock band the Knack, released in June 1979. At the time, the album was one of the most successful debuts in history, selling over one million copies in less than two months and spending five weeks at number one on the Billboard 200 album chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">My Bologna</span> 1979 single by "Weird Al" Yankovic

"My Bologna" is the debut single by American musical parody artist "Weird Al" Yankovic, originally released in December 1979. It is a parody of the Knack's hit song "My Sharona". Yankovic originally wrote the lyrics while he attended California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California; the original version of the parody was recorded in a bathroom across the hall from the radio station at which Yankovic worked. The title refers to Bologna sausage, specifically the Oscar Mayer brand popular in the United States. Yankovic sent "My Bologna" to Dr. Demento, who aired the song on his nationwide radio program, The Dr. Demento Show. The song was a hit on the program, and eventually gained the number one spot on Dr. Demento's "Funny Five" countdown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">My Sharona</span> 1979 single by the Knack

"My Sharona" is the debut single by the Knack. The song was written by Berton Averre and Doug Fieger, and it was released in 1979 from their debut album, Get the Knack. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, where it remained for six weeks, and was number one on Billboard's 1979 Top Pop Singles year-end chart.

<i>Chipmunk Punk</i> 1980 studio album by The Chipmunks

Chipmunk Punk is an album by the Chipmunks, as well as being the first album released by Ross Bagdasarian Jr., after he took over the voices of the Chipmunks after the death of his father in 1972. Despite the title of the album, none of the songs listed are considered to be in the style of real punk rock music. It was released in June 1980. The album peaked at No. 34 on the Billboard 200. It was certified gold by the RIAA on October 14, 1980, becoming the Chipmunks' first gold record. In 2005, it was re-released on CD, although the CD was only available through the official Chipmunks website. In Canada, the album reached No. 59.

Michael Donald Chapman is an Australian record producer and songwriter who was a major force in the British pop music industry in the 1970s. He created a string of hit singles for artists including The Sweet, Suzi Quatro, Smokie, Mud and Racey with business partner Nicky Chinn, creating a sound that became identified with the "Chinnichap" brand. He later produced breakthrough albums for Blondie and The Knack. Chapman received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the 2014 Australia Day Honours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doug Fieger</span> American singer-songwriter

Douglas Lars Fieger was an American musician, singer and songwriter. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist of the rock band the Knack. He co-wrote "My Sharona," the biggest hit song of 1979 in the U.S., with lead guitarist Berton Averre.

Bruce Gary was an American musician who was best known as the drummer for the music group the Knack. He was nominated for two Grammy Awards as a stage performer, producer, and recording artist.

<i>Cracked Brain</i> 1990 studio album by Destruction

Cracked Brain is the fourth full-length studio album by German thrash metal band Destruction, released on May 1, 1990. It is the band's only album to feature André Grieder of Poltergeist, replacing Marcel "Schmier" Schirmer, who was fired after the initial sessions for the album. Also featured is a cover of The Knack song "My Sharona".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Good Girls Don't</span> 1979 single by the Knack

"Good Girls Don't" is a 1979 hit single written by Doug Fieger and released by the rock band The Knack, off their album Get the Knack. It was the follow-up to the group's number-one hit single, "My Sharona". "Good Girls Don't" was a No. 1 hit in Canada. It reached #11 on the Billboard Hot 100, #10 in Record World, and #11 in Cash Box, as well as No. 66 on the United Kingdom chart. It also reached No. 20 in New Zealand. The song has since been covered by a number of artists, including The Chipmunks, Ben Folds, The Chubbies, and The McRackins.

<i>Serious Fun</i> (The Knack album) 1991 studio album by the Knack

Serious Fun is the fourth album by power pop/new wave band the Knack released by Charisma Records on January 16, 1991. It was their fourth record; a comeback after a decade-long separation. It was accompanied by a public reunion and tour. Although the album did not achieve either commercial or critical success, it resulted in the hit single "Rocket O' Love," which reached number 9 in Billboard's Mainstream Rock Chart.

<i>Round Trip</i> (The Knack album) 1981 studio album by the Knack

Round Trip is the third studio album by power pop/new wave band the Knack, released by Capitol Records in 1981. It received generally unfavorable critical reviews, and stalled at #93 in the Billboard 200. It contained the single "Pay The Devil ". "Boys Go Crazy" was issued as the single from the album in Australia. It was also issued as a follow-up single to "Pay the Devil" in the U.S. and was expected to be "chart bound" on the Hot 100, but it did not chart. The band broke up a few months after its release, with their label dropping them due to failed expectations. They remained disbanded until a 1986 reunion.

<i>...But the Little Girls Understand</i> 1980 studio album by the Knack

...But the Little Girls Understand is the second studio album by power pop/new wave group the Knack, released by Capitol Records in February 1980. The album reached the number 15 spot on the Billboard 200 album chart in 1980. The singles "Baby Talks Dirty" and "Can't Put a Price on Love" charted on the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 38 and No. 62, respectively. The song "Mr. Handleman" was released as a single in some countries, such as New Zealand. Guitarist Berton Averre has stated that "Mr. Handleman" was the first song he and lead singer Doug Fieger wrote together. The RIAA certified the album as Gold on April 14, 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baby Talks Dirty</span> 1980 single by The Knack

"Baby Talks Dirty" is a 1980 Top 40 single written by Doug Fieger and Berton Averre from the Knack's second album, ...But the Little Girls Understand. Like the album it was taken from, "Baby Talks Dirty" fell short of the success of its predecessors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Can't Put a Price on Love</span> 1980 single by The Knack

"Can't Put a Price on Love" is a 1980 song written by Doug Fieger and Berton Averre. It was originally released by American pop group The Knack on their second album, ...But the Little Girls Understand. It was the second song from that album that was released as a single, reaching #62 on the Billboard Hot 100, falling short of the performance by its preceding single, "Baby Talks Dirty", which reached #30 in Cash Box and #38 in Billboard. Overall, it was the fourth single which The Knack had released, and was the first such release which did not reach the Top 40.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pay the Devil (Ooo, Baby, Ooo)</span> 1981 single by The Knack

"Pay the Devil " is a song written by Berton Averre and first released by the Knack on their 1981 album Round Trip. It was also released as a single, and reached #67 on the Billboard Hot 100. It continued the descending patterns of the Knack's singles from "My Sharona" which reached #1 to "Good Girls Don't" which reached #11 to "Baby Talks Dirty" which peaked at #38 to "Can't Put a Price on Love" which only reached #62. However, it was the last Knack single to chart at all until "My Sharona" re-entered the charts at #91 in 1994 in the wake of its appearance in the soundtrack of Reality Bites. "Pay the Devil" was later included on Knack compilation albums The Retrospective: The Best of the Knack and Very Best of the Knack.

<i>Zoom</i> (The Knack album) 1998 studio album by the Knack

Zoom is the fifth studio album released by the Knack in 1998. It marked a second attempted comeback by the Knack, after their first attempt in 1991 with Serious Fun fizzled. Terry Bozzio served as the drummer on the album in place of Bruce Gary. The album received positive reviews, including one that described it as the Knack's best effort since their debut album. The album was re-released several years later as Re-Zoom with three bonus tracks.

<i>Normal as the Next Guy</i> 2001 studio album by the Knack

Normal as the Next Guy is the sixth and final studio album by American rock band the Knack, released in 2001. It marks the fourth comeback attempt by the band after its second album, ...But the Little Girls Understand, failed to achieve the success of the band's début album. AllMusic critic Mark Deming noted that the album finds songwriter and lead singer Doug Fieger having resolved his issues with women, but has not "found a subject that appears to compel him nearly as much as the treacheries of girls once did." Therefore, Deming feels that compared to older songs by the band, the songs on Normal as the Next Guy "may be more pleasant, but they're not as interesting." The Rolling Stone Album Guide gave the album a 3 star rating, as high as the group's début Get The Knack, and higher than any other Knack studio album.

<i>Rock & Roll Is Good for You: The Fieger/Averre Demos</i> 2012 studio album by The Knack

Rock & Roll Is Good for You: The Fieger/Averre Demos is an album by The Knack which was released on September 11, 2012. It includes demo recordings made by Doug Fieger and Berton Averre made between 1973 and 1975. Most of the songs are performed by just Fieger and Averre, both singing and playing guitar, but some songs include the full band. Two of the songs, "Good Girls Don't" and "That's What the Little Girls Do," were released in more polished form on the Knack's debut album, Get the Knack. Other songs whose demos appear on Rock & Roll Is Good for You later provided elements for other Knack songs. For example, "Corporation Shuffle ," described by Allmusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine as "a nifty bit of fuzzy, snarky rock & roll in the vein of the Move," provided the basis for "Terry & Julie Step Out," a song from the 1998 album Zoom.

"Your Number or Your Name" is a song written by Doug Fieger and Berton Averre that was first released by the Knack as the second track on their No. 1 debut album Get the Knack in 1979. It also appeared on a number of live and compilation albums.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Nusser, D. (July 28, 1979). "Closeup: Get The Knack". Billboard. pp. 52, 66. Retrieved July 14, 2011.
  2. ↑ Cioe, C. (1979). "Be Hip, Get the Knack". High Fidelity . 29 (2).
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 M. McLaughlin, K. Sharp (2004). Getting the Knack. Passport Productions.
  4. ↑ "The Original "My Sharona" Remembers Doug Fieger". Us Weekly. February 18, 2010. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  5. ↑ Wakim, M. (January 8, 2013). "Rock Muse". Los Angeles . Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  6. ↑ Stephens, E. (February 19, 2010). "Good Girls Don't". Saipan Tribune . Archived from the original on November 4, 2013. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  7. ↑ Robbins, I. & Sandlin, M. "The Knack". Trouser Press . Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  8. ↑ Swanson, Dave (June 11, 2015). "The History of "My Sharona": How One Song Doomed the Knack". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
  9. ↑ Hilburn, R. (August 3, 1979). "The Knack Brings Back Teenage Rock". The Spokesman-Review . Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  10. 1 2 Wilonsky, R. (September 10, 1998). "Frustrated". Dallas Observer . Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  11. ↑ "Doug Feiger, leader of the Knack, dies in Woodland Hills". Los Angeles Daily News . Associated Press. February 13, 2010. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  12. ↑ Eng, J. (February 15, 2010). "Doug Fieger, Lead Singer of The Knack, Dies at 57". TV Guide . Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  13. ↑ Barnes, E. (February 18, 2010). "The Real 'Sharona' Issues Statement on the Death of The Knack's Doug Fieger". Gibson. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013. Retrieved November 2, 2010.
  14. ↑ Moser, J.J. (June 11, 2005). "A Knack for Survival: Everything Old is New Again for Veteran New-Wave Act". The Morning Call . p. D5. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
  15. ↑ Anderson, Skip. "Top 10 songs from the Knack". Classic Rock History. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  16. ↑ Atkinson, T. (November 22, 1982). "Taking Chances Doesn't..." Los Angeles Times . p. G3. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  17. ↑ Daly, M. (August 23, 1979). "More Laid-back Than Ever, It's J. J. Cale at His Best". The Age . p. 36. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  18. ↑ "Get the Knack: The Knack". Audio. 1979. p. 104.
  19. ↑ Maples, T. (June 2, 1994). "Resurrected by Film, the Knack Can't Move beyond 'My Sharona'". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel . Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  20. ↑ Wasel, C. (September 29, 1979). "Concert Connection". The Evening Independent . p. 10–D. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  21. ↑ Borack, J. (2007). Shake some action: the ultimate power pop guide. Not Lame Recordings. p. 60. ISBN   978-0-9797714-0-8.
  22. ↑ Syrja, J.J. (August 23, 1979). "Plenty of Power Sometimes..." The Seguin Gazette . p. 43. Retrieved April 3, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
  23. ↑ Wagner, Paul (February 22, 1987). "The State of the Knack". Santa Cruz Sentinel . p. 58. Retrieved April 3, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
  24. ↑ "Cue New York". Cue New York. 48 (19–24). 1979. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  25. ↑ Sullivan, J. (May 25, 1994). "A Band That Never Had the Knack". The Boston Globe . p. 70. Archived from the original on November 4, 2013. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  26. 1 2 3 4 Uslan, M. & Solomon, B. (1983). Dick Clark's The First 25 Years of Rock & Roll. Greenwich House. pp.  444–445. ISBN   0517415976.
  27. ↑ DeCurtis, A.; Henke, J.; George-Warren, H., eds. (1992). The Rolling Stone Album Guide (3rd ed.). Random House. p. 405. ISBN   9780679737292.
  28. ↑ Robert Christgau. "The Knack". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  29. ↑ Siegel, E. (September 16, 1979). "Pop Beat". The Sun . p. D8. Retrieved September 8, 2018– via newspapers.com.
  30. 1 2 Dominic, S. (February 15, 2010). "Doug Feiger Remembers Part 2: When fame got the Knack". Phoenix Music Examiner.
  31. 1 2 Anderson, M. (March 5, 2012). "The Knack – Get The Knack (Pop, 1979), Vinyl Re-Visions". Gear Diary. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  32. ↑ Ulmer, J. "The Knack: Live from the Rock 'n' Roll Funhouse". Digitally Obsessed. Archived from the original on November 10, 2013. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
  33. ↑ Deming, M. "Havin' a Rave-Up! Live In Los Angeles, 1978". Allmusic . Rovi Corporation . Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  34. ↑ "The Knack Live at Carnegie Hall". Allmusic . Rovi Corporation . Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  35. ↑ Doerschuk, R.L. "Live From the Rock 'N' Roll Funhouse". Allmusic . Rovi Corporation . Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  36. ↑ "On Stage at World Cafe Live". Allmusic . Rovi Corporation . Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  37. ↑ Erlewine, S.T. "The Retrospective: The Best of the Knack". Allmusic . Rovi Corporation . Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  38. ↑ Erlewine, S.T. "My Sharona". Allmusic . Rovi Corporation . Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  39. ↑ "Get Nack". Allmusic . Rovi Corporation . Retrieved November 2, 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.