Elvis Costello – The Elephant's Trunk

Written for Song Lyric Sunday. This week Jim Adams
has asked his readers in his post, ‘Significance of Names’,
to write about a song with a person’s name in the title.

When you’re 17, raging hormones and unrequited young love can be a combustible combination. And for the American rock band The Knack (named after the British comedy film The Knack … And How To Get It), they provided the spark for their first #1 song and the biggest single of 1979 – “My Sharona”.

Though lead singer Doug Fieger was 25 at the time, he purposefully cast himself in the role of a sex-crazed adolescent for the song. “It was a conscious effort for me to come at it from the point of view of my remembered teenage self,” Fieger once said. “I wanted to tell the story from that place where it’s more raw and direct.”

Lead guitarist Berton Averre came up with the famous intro guitar riff, inspired by the intro and beat of Elvis Costello’s song “Pump It Up” and “Going To A Go-Go” by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles. If you want to hear what inspired Berton Averre, check out those two songs on YouTube. It was pretty obvious to me.

But the real inspiration for the song was one Sharona Alperin (see photo above).

In 1978, when The Knack was on the rise in the Los Angeles pop scene, Doug Fieger was introduced to Sharona Alperin, a dark-haired 17-year-old beauty who worked as a clerk in a clothing shop. Fieger said, “It was love at first sight. Literally. I broke up with my girlfriend and chased Sharona for a year.”

Though Alperin was in a relationship and put Fieger off, it didn’t stop him from pursuing her. “Doug made it very clear he was in love with me,” Alperin said. “It wasn’t like my boyfriend and the world didn’t know. I always say that he was my groupie, I wasn’t his.” Indeed, it was a strange dynamic.

In late 1978, The Knack signed with Capitol, home of their favorite band, the Beatles. “My Sharona” was released a few weeks later, taking over the airwaves in 1979, and has remained a staple in classic rock radio. It has also appeared in several movies, including Reality Bites and Super 8.

Fieger and Alperin finally did get together and had a four year run as a couple. They remained friendly and even 30 years later Fieger called Sharona the love of his life. Fieger died from cancer in 2010 at age 57. Alperin is a now a successful real estate agent in Beverly Hills. Her website’s welcome page (mysharona.com, of course) features the familiar drum beat and guitar riff.

Of the song, Alperin has said, “Michelle, Yoko, Roxanne – there are so many great songs named after women in history. I feel incredibly fortunate that I’ve had this experience. It’s a really exciting adventure that never leaves me.”

“My Sharona” remained at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for six weeks; it was also #1 on Billboard‘s 1979 Top Pop Singles year-end chart. It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America, representing one million copies sold, and was Capital Records’ fastest gold status debut single since the Beatles’ “I Want To Hold Your Hand” in 1964. “My Sharona” has since gone on to sell more than 10 million copies as of 2010.

This is “My Sharona” by The Knack.

LYRICS

Ooh, my little pretty one, pretty one
When you gonna give me some time, Sharona?
Ooh, you make my motor run, my motor run
Gun it coming off of the line, Sharona

Never gonna stop, give it up, such a dirty mind
I always get it up for the touch of the younger kind
My, my, my, I, yi, woo!
M-m-m-my Sharona

Come a little closer, huh, ah, will ya, huh?
Close enough to look in my eyes, Sharona
Keeping it a mystery gets to me
Running down the length of my thighs, Sharona

Never gonna stop, give it up, such a dirty mind
I always get it up for the touch of the younger kind
My, my, my, I, yi, woo!
M-m-m-my Sharona
M-m-m-my Sharona

When you gonna give to me, g-give to me?
Is it just a matter of time, Sharona?
Is it j-just destiny, d-destiny
Or is it just a game in my mind, Sharona?

Never gonna stop, give it up, such a dirty mind
I always get it up for the touch of the younger kind
My, my, my, I, yi, woo!
M-m-m-my, my, my, I, yi, woo!

M-m-m-my Sharona
M-m-m-my Sharona
M-m-m-my Sharona
M-m-m-my Sharona

Mmh, ohh, my Sharona
Mmh, ohh, my Sharona
Mmh, ohh, my Sharona

Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Doug Fieger/Burton Averre
My Sharona lyrics © Wise Brothers Music Llc, Eighties Music

For fans of the popular TV show “Monk”, you’ll remember that Sharona Fleming was Adrian Monk’s nurse and assistant during the first three seasons. Monk was in a catatonic state for three and a half years following the murder of his wife, Trudy, until Sharona began taking care of him. A detective with OCD, Monk (played by award-winning actor Tony Shalhoub) was able to resume work because of Sharona’s care. Monk once remarked, “When she found me, I was drowning”. Sharona Fleming was portrayed by actress Bitty Schram. Here are some clips from “Monk”.

Significance of Names

Big thanks to Jim Adams for hosting another great Song Lyric Sunday this week. Be sure to follow the link and check out Jim’s site.

Thanks for stopping by. See you on the flip side. 😎

The last time I used that title was for an essay in 4^th or 5^th grade!

Our vacation started the morning of Wednesday, July 10^th. The destination? Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT to attend a concert and play the slots …. two things we haven’t done in a very long time. It’s a little more than a 2 1/2 hour drive straight up I-95. Check-in time wasn’t until 4PM but we lucked out because our room was ready when we arrived at noon and we were able to check in right away. We dropped off our bags in our room and headed for the slots.

One thing we forgot since the last time we were at Mohegan Sun is the place is enormous and designed in such a way that everything feels like it’s about 4 miles from everything else! We did a lot of walking and later in the day my lower back started barking like a junkyard dog but I wasn’t going to let that stop me! 😖

Sitting at the slot machines gave me a chance to rest and my back calmed down, but every time I started walking again the pain came back. We tried to limit our walking but it was extremely difficult.

Our main reason for going to Mohegan Sun was to see the Daryl Hall + Elvis Costello Concert Tour. We took advantage of the accommodations/concert package which meant we didn’t know in advance where we’d be sitting for the show or how much the tickets cost. You can see by the photo of my ticket that there’s no price indicated. It turns out the seats were very good and we had a clear view of the stage.

We were in section 16, 5th row, seats 1 & 2
on the aisle next to Section 15.

Elvis Costello and his group performed first. They were excellent …. a tight little combo …. and I was surprised how much my husband liked them; he wasn’t familiar with Elvis’ music and didn’t know what to expect. We were both blown away by Elvis and his band …. keyboard player Steve Nieve and drummer Pete Thomas.

And I can say the same for my man, Daryl Hall. In all honesty, though, his sound check wasn’t the greatest and the sound quality was mixed. Hall’s band of seven was extremely loud in person but it doesn’t come across that way on the video. The songs were great, Daryl was in good voice and his piano playing was excellent. Some of the most enjoyable parts of the concert were the sax solos by Charlie DeChant who’s been playing with Daryl since the early days. That guy can really play! The concert wasn’t perfect but it was great and a long time coming for me.

The action at the slots was pretty good – teaser payoffs, nothing big – and we probably broke even. We’re not big time gamblers; it’s all about having fun and knowing when to walk away with some money in your pocket.

Just a few of the nearly 4,000 slot machines at Mohegan Sun

There were a few moments of panic during Saturday evening’s dinner when we heard about the shooting at the Trump rally. Our son Bill is a cameraman and teleprompter and has been assigned to cover some of the rallies. He’s a grown man and doesn’t check in with us when he’s out of town for work so that night we didn’t know if he was at the rally or not. A couple of quick texts reassured us that Bill was safe (and at the Met game in Citi Field with his sons). This scare reminded me of something I’ve said many times: it doesn’t matter how old our children are; we will always worry about them.

Once we were assured our son was ok, we were able to relax and enjoy the rest of our vacation. We left Mohegan Sun Sunday morning and made ourselves comfortable for the 3 hour drive to Saratoga Race Course, where we spent one very exciting and extremely hot day, weather wise. It’s incredible watching the people who are into racing or following a particular horse; they really go nuts! My back was throbbing like a bass guitar and I had to sit a lot during the races.

After a day at the races, it was off to Lake George …. only a half hour drive. The entire area of Lake George is gorgeous and so very relaxing, which was exactly what we needed after five days of busy-ness. There’s nothing like being right on the water, sitting in a lounge chair and staring at a beautiful, peaceful view. I did a lot of that while at Lake George!

It was wonderful to get away for a bit; it wasn’t our usual month in Montauk but it was just what we needed. I was surprised how much I missed blogging and I’m happy to be back here with all of you.

So, what’d I miss?

Here’s a little taste of Mr. Casual, Charlie DeChant, and his awesome sax.

Tag: Elvis Costello

Getting the Knack

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

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