(She's So) Selfish

"(She's So) Selfish" is a hit song written by Doug Fieger and Berton Averre that was first released by the Knack on their #1 debut album Get the Knack in 1979. It also appeared on a number of live and compilation albums. It was intended for release as a single, but was prevented by its "scatological" lyrics. It was inspired by the same woman who inspired the band's #1 single "My Sharona." It was praised by critics for its hooks and style, but criticized for its nastiness and sexism.

"(She's So) Selfish"
Song by The Knack
from the album Get the Knack
ReleasedJune 11, 1979
RecordedApril 1979
GenreNew wave, hard rock, power pop
Length4:30
LabelCapitol
Songwriter(s)Doug Fieger, Berton Averre
Producer(s)Mike Chapman

Lyrics and music

The music of "(She's So) Selfish" is based on a Bo Diddley-like riff.[1][2] According to Averre, Fieger wrote most of "(She's So) Selfish" and Averre wrote the "release" section with its "dirty words":[3]

When she takes you by the short hairs
It's the only thing she'll leave you down there
No fuck-a me fuck-a me today
No fuck-a me fuck-a me today

The song was inspired by Fieger's as-yet-unrequited passion for Sharona Alperin, girlfriend of Doug Fieger, who also inspired other Knack songs such as "My Sharona," and Averre has called it a "teasing, playful look" at her.[3] Alperin concurs that she was the inspiration.[4][5] According to Ed Stephens, Jr. of Saipan Tribune, the song is about a "manipulative tease."[6] Taking a line from the song, Ira Robbins and Michael Sandlin of Trouser Press describe the girl in the song as "rich bitch."[7] Ultimate Classic Rock writer Dave Swanson included it as one of the Knack's "top shelf, hook-laden rockers" but acknowledged that it is "full of words that wouldn't fly past radio censors."[8] Critic Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times describes that the Knack uses crude, locker room language to portray a teenager's view of frustration.[9] Robert Wilonsky of the Dallas Observer described it as a "teen-beat [anthem] about doin' it to your girlfriend while Mom and Dad were out of the house"[10]

Reception

The Associated Press, TV Guide and others identified "(She's So) Selfish" as one of the Knack's radio hits.[11][12][13][14] Terry Atkinson of the Los Angeles Times calls it "one of the Knack's better songs."[15] Mike Daily of The Age claims that it deserves equal credit with "My Sharona" for the success of Get the Knack.[16] Audio magazine called it a "basher" with "plenty of style".[17] Tina Maples of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel praised its "hooky effervescence".[18] Charla Wasel of The Evening Independent described it as a song "with which we can all relate."[19] Billboard Magazine says that it is "delivered in a smart, sophisticated post-punk style that oozes Southern Californian snootiness."[1] It also uses the song as an example of the Knack being "mad about the way things are" with lyrics that "are as innocent as the chief of police in a Latin American dictatorship," citing such lines as "she got a smile in her ass" and "she says she'll make your motor run but she won't give you none" as setting the tone.[1] Author John Borack described "(She's So) Selfish" as a "mean pop tune" in which Fieger comes off "like a leering, sexist twit with hormones a-raging."[20] J. J. Syrja of The Seguin Gazette said that with this song the Knack "[struck] pure teenage delirium."[21] Paul Wagner of Santa Cruz Sentinel claimed that "it had the same sparkle" as "My Sharona."[22]

Cue New York criticized the "sexist get-a-girl lyrics."[23] Jim Sullivan of The Boston Globe calls it "a tiresome, sexist rant."[24] The 3rd edition of The Rolling Stone Album Guide, music critic Robert Christgau and other critics commented on the song's nastiness, with authors Michael Uslan and Bruce Solomon calling it "by far the nastiest and most up-front cut on the album."[10][25][26][27] Eric Siegel of The Sun claims that lines such as "It's just me me me me/She's so (dramatic pause) selfish" make apparent the group's "lack of lyrical ability," comparing the lyrics unfavorably to Carly Simon's similarly themed "You're So Vain."[28]

Producer Mike Chapman considers "(She's So) Selfish" his favorite song from Get the Knack besides "My Sharona."[3] Actor/musician Robbie Rist considers it part of the "lethal opening salvo" that opens Get the Knack, which Rist feels few if any albums can match.[3]

Censored version

Capitol Records wanted to release "(She's So) Selfish" as a follow-up single from Get the Knack to "My Sharona" and "Good Girls Don't" in time for Christmas 1979.[25] However, they could not do so unless some of the more "scatological" references were edited out.[25] The band, having already edited out some lyrics for the single release of "Good Girls Don't," refused to do it again, preventing the single release.[25] According to Knack bassist Prescott Niles, Fieger felt that altering the lyrics to "(She's So) Selfish" would be "selling out."[3] Averre didn't see anything problematic about including the profane lyrics, since that is how teenagers spoke and they heard such language all the time.[3]

Despite the band's concerns, an edited version of the song was released in Canada, removing lines such as "fuck-a me today" and "she don't give a shit about anybody else but herself."[29][30][31] This version was accidentally included on the initial compact disc release of Get the Knack in the United States, despite the fact that according to Fieger the tape with the altered lyrics was in a box with big red letters stating "NOT MASTER! NOT TO BE USED! ONLY CANADIAN RADIO!."[29][30]

Other releases

"(She's So) Selfish" was a staple of the Knack's live shows and was included in several of the band's live albums, generally towards the end of the set right before "My Sharona." It was included on the 2012 live album Havin' a Rave-Up! Live in Los Angeles, 1978, which was based on two concerts the band performed in Los Angeles, California in 1978, before signing their record deal that would lead to Get the Knack.[32] The Knack performed it at the 1979 concert at Carnegie Hall which was used for the 1982 video disc The Knack Live at Carnegie Hall.[33] It was later included on the 2002 CD of Live From the Rock 'N' Roll Funhouse and on the 2007 DVD On Stage at World Cafe Live.[34][35]

"(She's So) Selfish" appeared on the Knack's 1992 compilation albums The Retrospective: The Best of the Knack and My Sharona.[36][37] Ben Folds covered the song on his 2007 album Get Nack.[38]

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References
  1. Nusser, D. (July 28, 1979). "Closeup: Get The Knack". Billboard. pp. 52, 66. Retrieved July 14, 2011.
  2. Cioe, C. (1979). "Be Hip, Get the Knack". High Fidelity. 29 (2).
  3. M. McLaughlin, K. Sharp (2004). Getting the Knack. Passport Productions.
  4. "The Original "My Sharona" Remembers Doug Fieger". Us Weekly. February 18, 2010. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  5. Wakim, M. (January 8, 2013). "Rock Muse". Los Angeles. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  6. Stephens, E. (February 19, 2010). "Good Girls Don't". Saipan Tribune. Archived from the original on November 4, 2013. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  7. Robbins, I. & Sandlin, M. "The Knack". Trouser Press. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  8. Swanson, Dave (June 11, 2015). "The History of "My Sharona": How One Song Doomed the Knack". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
  9. Hilburn, R. (August 3, 1979). "The Knack Brings Back Teenage Rock". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  10. Wilonsky, R. (September 10, 1998). "Frustrated". Dallas Observer. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  11. "Doug Feiger, leader of the Knack, dies in Woodland Hills". Los Angeles Daily News. Associated Press. February 13, 2010. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  12. Eng, J. (February 15, 2010). "Doug Fieger, Lead Singer of The Knack, Dies at 57". TV Guide. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  13. Barnes, E. (February 18, 2010). "The Real 'Sharona' Issues Statement on the Death of The Knack's Doug Fieger". Gibson. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013. Retrieved November 2, 2010.
  14. Moser, J.J. (June 11, 2005). "A Knack for Survival: Everything Old is New Again for Veteran New-Wave Act". The Morning Call. p. D5.
  15. Atkinson, T. (November 22, 1982). "Taking Chances Doesn't..." Los Angeles Times. p. G3. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  16. Daly, M. (August 23, 1979). "More Laid-back Than Ever, It's J. J. Cale at His Best". The Age. p. 36. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  17. "Get the Knack: The Knack". Audio. 1979. p. 104.
  18. Maples, T. (June 2, 1994). "Resurrected by Film, the Knack Can't Move beyond `My Sharona'". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  19. Wasel, C. (September 29, 1979). "Concert Connection". The Evening Independent. p. 10–D. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  20. Borack, J. (2007). Shake some action: the ultimate power pop guide. Not Lame Recordings. p. 60. ISBN 978-0-9797714-0-8.
  21. Syrja, J.J. (August 23, 1979). "Plenty of Power Sometimes..." The Seguin Gazette. p. 43. Retrieved April 3, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. Wagner, Paul (February 22, 1987). "The State of the Knack". Santa Cruz Sentinel. p. 58. Retrieved April 3, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. "Cue New York". Cue New York. 48 (19–24). 1979. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  24. Sullivan, J. (May 25, 1994). "A Band That Never Had the Knack". The Boston Globe. p. 70. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  25. Uslan, M. & Solomon, B. (1983). Dick Clark's The First 25 Years of Rock & Roll. Greenwich House. pp. 444–445. ISBN 0517415976.
  26. DeCurtis, A.; Henke, J.; George-Warren, H., eds. (1992). The Rolling Stone Album Guide (3rd ed.). Random House. p. 405. ISBN 9780679737292.
  27. Robert Christgau. "The Knack". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  28. Siegel, E. (September 16, 1979). "Pop Beat". The Sun. p. D8. Retrieved September 8, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
  29. Dominic, S. (February 15, 2010). "Doug Feiger Remembers Part 2: When fame got the Knack". Phoenix Music Examiner.
  30. Anderson, M. (March 5, 2012). "The Knack – Get The Knack (Pop, 1979), Vinyl Re-Visions". Gear Diary. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  31. Ulmer, J. "The Knack: Live from the Rock 'n' Roll Funhouse". Digitally Obsessed. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
  32. Deming, M. "Havin' a Rave-Up! Live In Los Angeles, 1978". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  33. "The Knack Live at Carnegie Hall". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  34. Doerschuk, R.L. "Live From the Rock 'N' Roll Funhouse". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  35. "On Stage at World Cafe Live". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  36. Erlewine, S.T. "The Retrospective: The Best of the Knack". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  37. Erlewine, S.T. "My Sharona". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  38. "Get Nack". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
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