Today’s classic song of the day is the Knack’s follow-up to their smash debut hit, “My Sharona.” The song is “Good Girls Don’t” and, when it was released in August of 1979, it went all the way to #11 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100.
“Good Girls Don’t” was written by the band’s Doug Fieger. It’s all about teenage lust, in a way that might not be completely politically correct today. There’s that bit about “wishing you could get inside her pants,” the one that goes “you heard she’s pretty fast and you’re hoping that she’ll give you some tonight,” the one about “she’s sitting on your face,” and, of course, the hook, “She’ll be telling you, good girls don’t, but I do,” which is all wishful thinking on the narrator’s part.
Yeah, I’m sure somebody would take offense with that today.
Musically, “Good Girls Don’t” is three chords and cloud of dust, all power pop goodness with tight harmonies. I love this stuff, whatever the lyrics may be.
The Knack were considered by some to be the second coming of the Beatles. They weren’t, but they did give us two really good power pop songs in “Good Girls Don’t” and “My Sharona.” The boys (Doug Fieger on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Berton Averre on lead guitar and keyboards, Prescott Niles on bass, and Bruce Gary on drums) first got together in 1977, released three albums, and broke up in 1982. They reunited in 1986 and played together and apart for years after that.
Here’s today’s daily bonus video of the day, the Knack’s official music video for “Good Girls Don’t.” Yeah, they sanitized the lyrics for general consumption.
