"Knock on Wood" | ||||
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Single by Eddie Floyd | ||||
from the album Knock on Wood | ||||
B-side | "Got to Make a Comeback" | |||
Released | July 25, 1966 [1] | |||
Recorded | July 13, 1966 [2] | |||
Studio | Stax, Memphis [2] | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:06 [4] | |||
Label | Stax | |||
Songwriter(s) |
| |||
Producer(s) | Jim Stewart | |||
Eddie Floyd singles chronology | ||||
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"Knock on Wood" is a 1966 hit song written by Eddie Floyd and Steve Cropper and originally performed by Floyd. [5] The song has become covered by later artists, most notably Amii Stewart in 1979. Stewart's disco version was the most successful on weekly music charts.
"Knock On Wood" was written in the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee (now The National Civil Rights Museum). Steve Cropper has stated in interviews that there was a lightning storm the night that he and Eddie wrote the song, hence the lyrics 'It's like thunder, lightning, The way you love me is frightening'. The song was based on another song co-written by Cropper, the Wilson Pickett version of "In the Midnight Hour" (1965), having the same chord progression as it "only played in reverse". [6] According to Floyd, "Knock On Wood" was initially written for Otis Redding. However, Stax label manager Jim Stewart turned down the idea of Redding recording the song. [7] Both sides of the single were recorded on July 13, 1966 at Stax Records house studio in Memphis, Tennessee, [2] together with Stax's houseband Booker T. & the M.G.'s (Cropper on guitar, Donald "Duck" Dunn on bass, Al Jackson Jr. on drums, Booker T. Jones on keyboards), Isaac Hayes on piano and Wayne Jackson on trumpet. [8] Stewart produced the session. [1]
"Knock on Wood" was released as a single by Stax on July 25, 1966, featuring "Got to Make a Comeback" on the B-side. [1] His recording peaked at number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent one week at number 1 on the Soul Singles chart. [9] Floyd's version earned a Gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on July 17, 1995. [10] The song became the title track for Floyd's debut album, released on January 26, 1967. [1]
Chart (1966) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada RPM [11] | 67 |
UK Singles (OCC) [12] | 19 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [13] | 28 |
US Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles ( Billboard ) [14] | 1 |
Source: [15]
I don't wanna lose this good thing
That I've got, if I do
I would surely, surely lose a lot
'Cause her love is better than any love I know
It's like thunder, lightnin'
The way you love me is frightenin'
I better knock on wood, baby
I'm not superstitious about you
But I can't take no chance
Got me spinnin', baby, baby, I'm in a trance
'Cause your love is better than any love I know
It's like thunder, lightnin'
The way you love me is frightenin'
I better knock on wood, baby
[Instrumental Break]
No secret, that woman fills my lovin' cup
'Cause she sees to it that I get enough
Just one touch from her
You know it means so much
You might also like
It's like thunder, lightnin'
The way you love me is frightenin'
I better knock on wood, baby
I better knock, knock, knock
Oh yeah, think I better knock, knock, knock on wood
Think I better knock, knock, knock on wood
Think I better knock, knock, knock on wood
Think I better knock, knock, knock
"Knock on Wood" | |
---|---|
Single by Otis Redding and Carla Thomas | |
from the album King & Queen | |
B-side | "Let Me Be Good To You" |
Released | September 1967 |
Genre | Soul |
Length | 2:48 |
Label | Stax 601021 |
Songwriter(s) |
|
Chart (1967) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada RPM [16] | 29 |
UK Singles (OCC) [17] | 35 |
UK R&B ( Record Mirror ) [18] | 8 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [19] | 30 |
US Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles ( Billboard ) [20] | 8 |
"Knock on Wood" | ||||
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Single by David Bowie | ||||
from the album David Live | ||||
B-side | "Panic in Detroit" | |||
Released | 13 September 1974 [21] | |||
Genre | Blues rock | |||
Length | 3:08 | |||
Label | RCA | |||
Songwriter(s) |
| |||
David Bowie singles chronology | ||||
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David Bowie released a live performance of the song [22] as a single in the UK in 1974; the recording was taken from Bowie's live album David Live . The B-side, "Panic in Detroit", was not on that album but was from the same concert. It was added to the 2005 release of the album.
Chart (1974–2014) | Peak position |
---|---|
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista) [23] | 19 |
France (SNEP) [24] | 143 |
Ireland (IRMA) [25] | 4 |
Norway (VG-lista) [26] | 10 |
UK Singles (OCC) [27] | 10 |
"Knock on Wood" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Amii Stewart | ||||
from the album Knock on Wood | ||||
B-side | "When You Are Beautiful" | |||
Released | January 15, 1979 | |||
Recorded | 1978 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 6:11 (album version) 3:53 (single version) | |||
Label | Atlantic, Hansa (UK) [29] Ariola (US) | |||
Songwriter(s) |
| |||
Producer(s) | Barry Leng | |||
Amii Stewart singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Knock on Wood" on YouTube |
American disco and soul singer Amii Stewart released a disco version of "Knock on Wood" in 1979. It reached number one on the US charts in April 1979; it also made it to the soul singles and disco charts, becoming the best-known version of the song. [28] This recording was co-produced by Simon May. It reached the top 10 twice in the UK, first in 1979 (peaking at number 6) and again in a remixed version in 1985 (peaking at number 7). The song earned a gold certification on March 22, 1979, and then a platinum certification on August 1 the same year from the RIAA [10] when the single sold one [10] or two million units. [30] It would become one of the "anthems for the gay community". [31] Stewart's rendition of the song earned her a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance at the 22nd Annual Grammy Awards in 1980. It was featured prominently in the video game The Warriors , as well as the trailers for the Walt Disney Pictures 1997 live-action film Mr. Magoo , starring Leslie Nielsen, and the 1998 film The Big Lebowski .
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada) [60] | Platinum | 150,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [61] | Silver | 250,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [62] | Platinum | 2,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Wilson Pickett, like Floyd a former member of the band The Falcons, covered the song on his 1967 album The Wicked Pickett.
The American Breed also covered it on their 1967 self-titled debut album. [63]
Otis Redding and Carla Thomas released it as a single in 1967 on Stax Records, credited to Otis & Carla. It also appeared on their album King & Queen.
Buddy Guy, on his live 1968 album This Is Buddy Guy! [64]
The Mauds, on their 1968 album Hold On. [63] [65]
James Cotton also recorded the song on his 1967 album The James Cotton Blues Band; his version is later included in the 1995 compilation album The Best of the Verve Years. [66]
In 1971, Filipino singer Victor Wood released his version of this song. [67]
Razzy Bailey's version (1984) peaked at number 29 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart on the week of September 29, 1984, the version's ninth week. [68] [69]
Eric Clapton covered the song for his 1985 album Behind the Sun . [70]
Actress Kathleen Wilhoite and Jeff Healy performed the song in the 1989 film Road House .
Michael Bolton covered it for his 1992 album Timeless: The Classics . [71]
A singer Mary Griffin recorded her disco/dance version for the 1998 film 54 ; Griffin's recording was released that same year as a promotional single. [72]
Actress Emma Stone performed the song in the 2010 movie Easy A . [73] [74]
In 1993 Beatrice Magnanensi and Letizia Mezzanotte interpret the song in the compilation Non è la Rai 2.
In 1996 Fausto Leali recorded the Italian version entitled No, non tu (No, not you), for the album Non solo blues ("Not just Blues") (RTI Music, RTI 1112-4).
Amy Paulette "Amii" Stewart is an American disco and soul singer who found prominence with her 1979 U.S. Billboard number 1 hit cover of Eddie Floyd's song "Knock on Wood", often considered a classic of the disco genre. Stewart scored further international hits including "Light My Fire" (1979) and "Friends" (1985). Stewart is the stepsister of actress-singer Miquel Brown and aunt to Brown's daughter, singer Sinitta.
"Light My Fire" is a song by the American rock band the Doors. Although it was principally written by the band's guitarist, Robby Krieger, songwriting was credited to the entire band. Recognized as one of the earliest examples of psychedelic rock, it was recorded in August 1966 and released in January 1967 on their eponymous debut album. Due to its erotic lyrics and innovative structure, the track has come to be regarded as synonymous with the '60s psychedelic and sexual revolutions.
"In the Midnight Hour" is a song originally performed by Wilson Pickett in 1965 and released on his 1965 album of the same name, also appearing on the 1966 album The Exciting Wilson Pickett. The song was composed by Pickett and Steve Cropper at the historic Lorraine Motel in Memphis, later the site of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Pickett's first hit on Atlantic Records, it reached number one on the R&B charts and peaked at number 21 on the pop charts.
Eddie Lee Floyd is an American R&B and soul singer and songwriter, best known for his work on the Stax record label in the 1960s and 1970s, including the No. 1 R&B hit song "Knock on Wood".
Mind the Gap is the tenth album by German hard dance group Scooter. Four singles were taken from it: "Jigga Jigga!", "Shake That!", "One " and "Suavemente".
Pain in My Heart is the debut album of soul singer-songwriter Otis Redding. Redding recorded for Volt Records, a subsidiary of Stax Records, based in Memphis, Tennessee. Volt LPs were initially issued on the Atco label, which released this album. The song was written and arranged by Naomi Neville, a pseudonym used by Allan Toussaint.
"(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right" is a song written by Stax Records songwriters Homer Banks, Carl Hampton, and Raymond Jackson. Originally written for The Emotions, it has been performed by many singers, most notably by Luther Ingram, whose original recording topped the R&B chart for four weeks and rose to number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1972. Billboard ranked it as the No. 16 song for 1972.
The Great Otis Redding Sings Soul Ballads, simply referred to as Soul Ballads or Sings Soul Ballads, is the second studio album by American soul singer-songwriter Otis Redding, released in 1965. The album was one of the first issued by Volt Records, a sub-label of Stax Records, and Redding's first on the new label. Like Redding's debut Pain in My Heart (1964), Soul Ballads features both soul classics and originals written by Redding and other Stax Records recording artists. The recording sessions took place at the Stax studios in Memphis. The album features a stereo mix made by engineer Tom Dowd, replacing the early mono mix.
King & Queen is a studio album by American recording artists Otis Redding and Carla Thomas. It is Thomas' fourth album and Redding's sixth and the final studio album before his death on December 10, 1967. Influenced by Marvin Gaye's duets, the album features ten covers of soul classics and the eleventh finishing song co-written by Redding.
"Soul Man" is a 1967 song written and composed by Isaac Hayes and David Porter, first successful as a number 2 hit single by Atlantic Records soul duo Sam & Dave, which consisted of Samuel "Sam" Moore and David "Dave" Prater. In 2019, "Soul Man" was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry as "culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress. It was No. 463 in "Top 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" by Rolling Stone in 2010 and No. 458 in 2004.
Knock on Wood is a studio album by Amii Stewart released in February 1979. The album yielded two successful single releases, "Knock on Wood" and "Light My Fire / 137 Disco Heaven". A double A-side single with remixed versions of "Knock on Wood" and "Light My Fire" reached #7 on the UK charts in 1985 followed by a re-issue of "You Really Touched My Heart".
"Green Onions" is an instrumental composition recorded in 1962 by Booker T. & the M.G.'s. Described as "one of the most popular instrumental rock and soul songs ever" and as one of "the most popular R&B instrumentals of its era", the tune is a twelve-bar blues with a rippling Hammond M3 organ line by Booker T. Jones that he wrote when he was 17, although the actual recording was largely improvised in the studio.
"Woman to Woman" is the title of a 1974 deep soul single recorded by Shirley Brown for whom it was a #1 R&B hit.
Knock on Wood is the debut album of soul singer/songwriter Eddie Floyd, released in 1967 on Stax Records. The album was recorded between July and December 1966 at Stax Recording Studio. It features his most well-known single, the title track, "Knock on Wood".
"Hold On, I'm Comin'" is a 1966 single recorded by soul duo Sam & Dave, issued on the Atlantic-distributed Stax label in 1966.
Hold On, I'm Comin' is the 1966 debut album by Atlantic Records soul duo Sam & Dave, issued on the Atlantic-distributed Stax label in 1966.
Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul, or simply Dictionary of Soul, is the fifth studio album by American soul singer-songwriter Otis Redding and his last solo studio album released before his death. The successful Otis Blue and the following performance at Whisky a Go Go led to his rising fame across the United States. The first side of the album mainly contains cover versions, and the second songs mainly written by Redding.
"(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" is a song co-written by soul singer Otis Redding and guitarist Steve Cropper. Redding recorded it twice in 1967, including just three days before his death in a plane crash on December 10, 1967. It was released on Stax Records' Volt label in 1968, becoming the first posthumous #1 single in the US. It reached #3 on the UK Singles Chart.
This is the discography of American disco and soul singer Amii Stewart.
"I Can Smell That Funky Music" was a hit in 1972 for soul singer Eric Mercury. This was the first time he had a single of his own in the charts. Recorded and produced in the United States, the success of the single was in Canada where Mercury was originally from.
References
eric clapton knock on wood -wikipedia.
Sources