Knock on Wood (song)

"Knock on Wood" is a 1966 hit song written by Eddie Floyd and Steve Cropper and originally performed by Floyd.[1] The song has become covered by later artists, most notably Amii Stewart in 1979. Stewart's disco version was the most successful on weekly music charts.

"Knock on Wood"
One of side-A labels of the US single release of the original Eddie Floyd recording
Single by Eddie Floyd
from the album Knock on Wood
B-side"Got to Make a Comeback"
ReleasedSeptember 1966
Recorded1966
GenreSoul
Length3:05
LabelStax Records S-194
Songwriter(s)Eddie Floyd, Steve Cropper
Producer(s)Jim Stewart
Eddie Floyd singles chronology
"Things Get Better"
(1966)		 "Knock on Wood"
(1966)		 "Raise Your Hand"
(1967)

Eddie Floyd version

His recording peaked at number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent one week at number 1 on the Soul Singles chart.[2] The song was written in the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee (now The National Civil Rights Museum). Steve Cropper has stated in interviews that there was a lightning storm the night that he and Eddie wrote the song, hence the lyrics 'It's like thunder, lightning, The way you love me is frightening'. Floyd's version earned a Gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on July 17, 1995.[3]

Chart (1966) Peak
position
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[4] 19
US Billboard Hot 100[5] 28
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[6] 1

David Bowie version
"Knock on Wood"
Side A of 1974 UK vinyl single of the David Bowie recording
Single by David Bowie
from the album David Live
B-side"Panic in Detroit"
Released1974
GenreBlues rock
Length3:08
LabelRCA
Songwriter(s)Eddie Floyd, Steve Cropper
David Bowie singles chronology
"1984"
(1974)		 "Knock on Wood"
(1974)		 "Rock 'n' Roll with Me"
(1974)

David Bowie released a live performance of the song as a single in the UK in 1974; the recording was taken from Bowie's live album David Live. The B-side, "Panic in Detroit", was not on that album but was from the same concert. It was added to the 2005 release of the album.

  1. "Knock on Wood" (Eddie Floyd, Steve Cropper) – 3:03
  2. "Panic in Detroit" (Bowie) – 5:52
Chart (1974) Peak
position
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[7] 19
Irish Singles Chart[8] 4
Norway (VG-lista)[9] 10
UK (Official Charts Company)[10] 10

Amii Stewart version
"Knock on Wood"
1979 US 12-inch picture disc single – both sides contain the same picture
Single by Amii Stewart
from the album Knock on Wood
B-side"When You Are Beautiful"
ReleasedJanuary 15, 1979
Recorded1978
GenreDisco,[11] Hi-NRG
Length6:11
LabelAriola America/Hansa
Songwriter(s)Eddie Floyd, Steve Cropper
Producer(s)Barry Leng
Amii Stewart singles chronology
"You Really Touched My Heart"
(1977)		 "Knock on Wood"
(1979)		 "Light My Fire"
(1979)

Amii Stewart released a disco version of the song in 1979. It reached number one on the US charts in April 1979; it also made it to the soul singles and disco charts, becoming the best-known version of the song.[11] This recording was co-produced by Simon May. It reached the Top 10 twice in the UK, first in 1979 (peaking at number 6) and again in a remixed version in 1985 (peaking at number 7). The version earned a Gold certification on March 22, 1979 and then a Platinum certification on August 1 the same year from RIAA[3] when the single sold one[3] or two million units.[12] It would become one of "anthems for the gay community".[13]

Chart performance

Other notable cover versions

Otis Redding and Carla Thomas covered the song on their 1967 album, King & Queen. Otis and Carla's version charted on the Billboard Hot 100 in nine weeks, peaking at number 30 on the week of September 23, 1967.[37] The version also peaked at number eight on the Billboard R&B Songs chart.[38] The American Breed also covered it on their 1967 self-titled debut album;[39] Buddy Guy, on his live 1968 album This Is Buddy Guy!;[40] The Mauds, on their 1968 album Hold On.[39][41] James Cotton also recorded the song on his 1967 album The James Cotton Blues Band; his version is later included in the 1995 compilation album The Best of the Verve Years.[42]

Razzy Bailey's version (1984) peaked at number 29 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart on the week of September 29, 1984, the version's ninth week.[43][44] Eric Clapton covered the song for his 1985 album Behind the Sun.[45] Michael Bolton covered it for his 1992 album Timeless: The Classics.[46] A singer Mary Griffin recorded her disco/dance version for the 1998 film 54; Griffin's recording was released that same year as a promotional single.[47] Actress Emma Stone performed the song in the 2010 movie, Easy A.[48][49]

Wilson Pickett, like Floyd a former member of the band The Falcons, covered the song on his 1967 album The Wicked Pickett.

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References
  1. Satellite & Stax singles 59-68 staxrecords.free.fr
  2. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004. Record Research. p. 208.
  3. "Gold & Platinum search results: "knock on wood"". RIAA. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
  4. "Eddie Floyd: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  5. "Eddie Floyd Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  6. "Eddie Floyd Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
  7. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava.
  8. "Knock on wood and Knock on Wood/Light my Fire (Remix) in Irish Chart". IRMA. Archived from the original on 3 June 2009. Retrieved 1 June 2013. Only results when searching "Knock on wood"
  9. "Norwegiancharts.com – David Bowie – Knock on Wood". VG-lista.
  10. "1974 Top 40 Official UK Singles Archive – 12th October 1974". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
  11. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974–2003. Record Research. p. 246.
  12. Lester, Peter (July 23, 1979). "Dancer Amii Stewart Turns Disco Diva with 'Knock on Wood'". People. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
  13. Baughman, Judith S.; et al., eds. (2001). "The Pulse of Black Music". American Decades. 8: 1970-1979. Gale. Retrieved August 16, 2019 – via Gale Virtual Reference Library. Gale document no. GALE|CX3468302576.
  14. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 169. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  15. "Austriancharts.at – Amii Stewart – Knock on Wood" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
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  17. "Knock on wood in Canadian Adult Contemporary Chart". Library and Archives Canada. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
  18. "Knock on wood in Canadian Disco Singles Chart". Library and Archives Canada. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
  19. "Knock on wood in Canadian Singles Chart". Library and Archives Canada. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  20. "Knock on wood and Knock on wood '99 in French Chart" (in French). Dominic DURAND / InfoDisc. 5 July 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-10-26. Retrieved 5 July 2013. You have to use the index at the top of the page and search "Ammi Stewart"
  21. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Amii Stewart" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  22. "Dutchcharts.nl – Amii Stewart – Knock on Wood" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  23. "Charts.nz – Amii Stewart – Knock on Wood". Top 40 Singles.
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  30. "Knock on Wood/Light my Fire (Remix) in Belgian Chart". Ultratop and Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  31. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  32. Steffen Hung. "Forum – 1970 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". Australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on 2016-06-02. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
  33. "Top Singles – Volume 32, No. 13, December 22, 1979". RPM. Archived from the original on October 19, 2013. Retrieved June 19, 2014 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  34. "Top Selling Singles of 1979 | The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Nztop40.co.nz. 1979-12-31. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
  35. "Top Singles 1979". Music Week. London, England: Spotlight Publications. 22 December 1979. p. 27.
  36. "Top 100 Hits of 1979/Top 100 Songs of 1979". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
  37. "Carla Thomas – Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
  38. Leszczak, Bob (2016). Dynamic Duets: The Best Pop Collaborations from 1955 to 1999. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 99. ISBN 9781442271494. LCCN 2016023200. Retrieved August 15, 2019 – via Google Books.
  39. Plasketes, George (2016) [2009]. B-Sides, Undercurrents and Overtones: Peripheries to Popular in Music, 1960 to the Present. New York City: Taylor & Francis Group. p. 28. ISBN 978-0-7546-6561-8. LCCN 2008046196. Retrieved August 15, 2019 – via Google Books.
  40. "Album Reviews: This Is Buddy Guy!". Billboard. December 21, 1968. p. 34. Retrieved August 15, 2019 – via Google Books.
  41. Schwann Monthly Guide to Stereo Records, Volume 19, Issues 10-12 – via Google Books.
  42. Dahl, Bill (2001). "The Best of the Verve Years (1995) review". In Vladimir Bogdanov; Chris Woodstra; Stephen Thomas Erlewine (eds.). All Music Guide: The Definitive Guide to Popular Music (4th ed.). San Francisco: Backbeat Books. p. 516. ISBN 0-87930-627-0. Retrieved August 15, 2019 – via Google Books.
  43. "Hot Country Songs: The Week of September 29, 1984". Billboard. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
  44. "Razzy Bailey: Chart History – Hot Country Songs".
  45. Clapton, Eric (2007). Clapton: The Autobiography. Broadway Books. p. 213. ISBN 978-0-385-51851-2. LCCN 2007015482. eric clapton knock on wood -wikipedia.
  46. Cooper, Lee; Wayne S. Haney (2013) [1999]. Rock Music in American Popular Culture III: More Rock 'n' Roll Resources. New York City: Taylor & Francis Group. p. 101. ISBN 0-7890-0489-5.
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  48. "Original Soundtrack: Satisfaction". All Music. Retrieved 22 July 2018.
  49. Emmanuele, Julia (January 7, 2017). "Emma Stone's Most Magical Musical Moments". People. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
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