That stutter. It hits like a physical punch. M-m-m-my Sharona. If you were anywhere near a radio in the summer of 1979, you couldn't escape it. You probably didn’t want to. It was the fastest gold-certified debut single since the Beatles’ "I Want to Hold Your Hand." But if you actually sit down and read the lyrics to My Sharona, things get a little weird. A little dark. Maybe even a little uncomfortable by today’s standards.
It’s not just a pop song. It’s a document of a full-blown obsession.
Doug Fieger, the lead singer of The Knack, wasn't just writing a catchy tune about a girl he liked. He was writing about a real person, Sharona Alperin, who was seventeen when he met her. He was twenty-five. That age gap is the engine behind the frantic, almost desperate energy of the track. It’s why the song feels like it’s vibrating. It’s the sound of a grown man losing his mind over a teenager he saw in a clothing store. Honestly, it’s a miracle the song is as catchy as it is, considering how predatory some of the lines look on paper.
The Raw Hunger in the Lyrics to My Sharona
Most people just hum along to the "my, my, my, my, whoa!" part. They don't think about the word "concupiscence." Yeah, that’s a real word Fieger used to describe his feelings. It basically means intense sexual desire. It's a heavy word for a power-pop anthem.
The opening verse sets the stage immediately: "Never gonna stop, give it up, such a dirty mind / I always get it up, for the touch of the younger kind."
It’s blunt. There’s no poetic metaphor here.
Fieger was obsessed. He had a girlfriend at the time, but the moment he saw Sharona, he told his bandmates she was the one. He spent months trying to win her over while she was still dating someone else. The lyrics to My Sharona are essentially a play-by-play of that pursuit. When he sings "When you gonna give it to me, give it to me," he isn't asking for a phone number. He’s demanding a surrender.
That Stutter Wasn't an Accident
You know the "M-m-m-my Sharona" part? People often compare it to Roger Daltrey’s stutter in "My Generation." It serves the same purpose—it signals a loss of control. It’s the sound of someone so worked up they can’t even get a word out clearly. It adds a layer of nervous, twitchy energy that defines the New Wave era.
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But it also mimics a heartbeat.
Berton Averre, the band's guitarist, had that riff sitting in a drawer for years. He didn't have lyrics for it. When Fieger started obsessing over Sharona, the riff and the girl collided. It was a perfect storm of ego, hormones, and a killer drum beat provided by Bruce Gary.
Who Was the Real Sharona?
Sharona Alperin wasn't just a muse who disappeared into the background. She’s real. She’s a high-end real estate agent in Los Angeles now. If you drive around L.A., you’ll see her face on benches and billboards. It’s a strange kind of immortality.
At the time, she was a fan of the band. She went to their shows. She eventually left her boyfriend for Fieger, and they stayed together for several years. She even appeared on the single's cover holding a copy of the band's album. It’s one of those rare cases where the "girl in the song" actually leaned into the fame.
"It was like being hit with a ton of bricks," Alperin told reporters years later about the first time she heard the song.
She knew it was about her. Everyone knew.
The Lyrics and the Controversy
We have to talk about the "younger kind" line. In 1979, the rock world was a different place. Groupie culture was rampant. The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin had already paved a pretty dark path regarding age gaps. But the lyrics to My Sharona felt more aggressive because they were so specific. It wasn't a vague "baby" or "honey." It was Sharona.
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Critics at the time, particularly from Rolling Stone and Village Voice, were split. Some loved the pure pop craftsmanship. Others found the lyrical content "creepy" or "juvenile."
- The song was a reaction against Disco.
- It brought guitar-heavy rock back to the top of the charts.
- It created a "Knack-lash" where people started wearing "Knack-Off" pins.
The backlash was swift because the band was marketed as the "Next Beatles." That’s a lot of pressure to put on a group singing about teenage lust.
Breaking Down the Bridge and the Solo
The song isn’t just the chorus. The bridge is where the desperation peaks. "Is it just a matter of time, Sharona? / Is it just a destiny, destiny?"
Fieger is framing his obsession as fate. It’s a classic psychological tactic—if it’s "destiny," then he isn't responsible for his relentless pursuit. He’s just following the stars. It’s clever songwriting, even if the sentiment is a bit stalker-adjacent.
Then there’s the guitar solo.
Berton Averre’s solo is arguably one of the best in rock history. It’s long. It’s melodic. It doesn't sound like a typical 70s blues-rock solo. It sounds like a spiral. It starts controlled and then just... goes. It mirrors the feeling of falling for someone way too hard. While the lyrics to My Sharona provide the narrative, the solo provides the emotional weight.
The Legacy of a One-Hit (Mostly) Wonder
The Knack had other songs. "Good Girls Don't" was actually a decent hit too. But they could never escape the shadow of their debut. How could they? You don't just top a song that stayed at number one for six weeks straight.
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The song has been covered by everyone from Nirvana (as a joke) to Royal Blood. It’s been used in movies like Reality Bites, where it became an anthem for Gen X irony. It’s a song that shouldn't work—it’s too fast, the lyrics are a bit problematic, and the band looked like they were trying too hard to be the Beatles.
Yet, it works perfectly.
Why We Can't Stop Listening
There’s a physiological response to the "My Sharona" beat. It’s what musicologists call a "driving rhythm." It forces your brain to sync up with the tempo. By the time you get to the second verse, you aren't thinking about the age gap or the "dirty mind" lyrics. You're just moving.
That’s the secret of the lyrics to My Sharona. They aren't meant to be read as poetry. They are meant to be felt as an impulse.
Actionable Takeaways for Music Fans
If you're looking to dive deeper into the history of this track or the power-pop era, here is how you should actually listen to it.
- Listen to the "Get the Knack" full album. Don't just stick to the single. You’ll hear how the band was trying to bridge the gap between 60s pop and 80s aggression.
- Check out Sharona Alperin’s website. Seeing her as a successful professional today provides a weird, grounding context to the frantic girl portrayed in the lyrics.
- Compare the song to "Pump It Up" by Elvis Costello. Released around the same time, it uses similar "manic energy" but with a very different lyrical perspective.
- Watch the live videos from 1979. You can see the sweat. You can see Fieger’s intensity. It makes the lyrics feel a lot more literal when you see the look in his eyes.
The song remains a masterpiece of tension. Whether you find the lyrics charmingly retro or slightly cringey, you can't deny the craft. Doug Fieger died in 2010, but he knew exactly what he was doing. He captured a moment of pure, unadulterated "want" and put it on a 45 RPM record.
When you hear that "M-m-m-my Sharona" kick in, you aren't just hearing a song. You're hearing a man's pulse. It's loud, it's messy, and it’s never going to stop.