My Sharona by The Knack

Whether you are young or old, you probably remember the song “My Sharona” by The Knack. What were you doing when you first heard My Sharona by the Knack? Where were you at? Was it recent or was it back in 1979? In the comments below, I definitely want to read about your memories of this great song.

I remember the day in June 1979 when My Sharona was released, June 10th to be exact. The Chicago Cubs lost 7-3 to the Los Angeles Dodgers, something which really wasn’t a big surprise. The Cubs always lost. I played catch by myself in Park Forest, IL. I threw a hard sponge rubber ball against our red brick townhome. I threw it up high between the bathroom window and my bedroom window if my desire was to catch a fly ball, pretending to be Cubs outfielders Dave Kingman or Jerry Martin. But typically I threw the ball, bought for about 49 cents at Goldblatt’s, against the slab of cement that was our porch. By doing so, balls would ricochet back toward me at dizzying angles and I’d dive to my left or right and live life for a few moments as the best shortstop ever, number 11, Ivan DeJesus. He was my Chicago Cubs hero.

Playing catch, either by myself or with my evil step-father was a constant in my life that summer, so were the times that same evil step-father would leave the house to go get stoned, smoking joints laced with PCP. That was always cause for a nice family meal upon his return home. Well, that was June 10, 1979 for me, a great song on WLS, throwing a sponge rubber ball at a wall and a step-father stoned out of his mind. I remember as if it were just yesterday.

Who was Sharona?

Sharona was a real person. She was and is Sharona Alperin. In 1978 while a senior at L.A.’s Fairfax High School, a mutual friend introduced her to lead singer Doug Fieger of The Knack and in what almost seemed like an instant, he was in love. She wasn’t. Not returning a love is a great way to inspire a songwriter and he was inspired instantly by this 17 year old beauty named Sharona. He went on a songwriting binge after their meeting and My Sharona was one of those songs. Sharona and Doug Fieger became a couple after he invited her out on tour, but eventually, they each married someone different. They remained friends over the years and in the last months of Doug Fieger’s life (he died in 2010), she visited him many times. Sharona Alperin went on from being immortalized in the most popular rock song of 1979 to a career in real estate. Instead of going on tour and hanging out with music stars, like she did with The Knack, Sharona now sells homes to the stars in Los Angeles for Sotheby’s International Realty. Check out her website which appropriately is http://www.mysharona.com.

What is Summer of Sharona?

For a long time I wanted to write a book. I never quite knew what the book would be about, except to say I wanted it to center around events which occurred during the summer of 1979. I set out to write a non-fiction book. But instead, what flowed from my fingertips was a story about a fifteen year old girl named Ashley who is at times during the summer, frightened about the future, devastated about the life events of her friends, traumatized by domestic abuse and wishing all along that there were some type of rule which would prevent patients in the nut house from marrying one another. Yep, that last one is a biggie and if only her mother had lived life by that rule, Ashley’s life may have been quite normal. Too bad parents have to mess things up sometimes, right?

This YA (young adult) novel speaks to the heart of anyone, from teen to adult who has had to face tough decisions or live through messy marriages and divorces of selfish or needy parents. And if you’ve found love over a summer when you weren’t exactly looking for it, you can live that moment again in the pages of Summer of Sharona. The trauma, the drama, the love, the music and the best friend all equal enjoyment for however long it takes you to turn to the last page. After that, your heart will be filled with good memories of the summer of 1979, even if you weren’t born until decade or two later.

Purchase Summer of Sharona at Amazon.com.

My Sharona by The Knack – Live at the Rock n’ Roll Funhouse

I could not conclude this post without adding a video of My Sharona by The Knack for your viewing and listening pleasure. Enjoy and please don’t forget to leave your My Sharona or 1979 memories.

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