In the late '70s, the Los Angeles quartet The Knack found themselves in the midst of a bidding war by record labels to sign the power-pop band. With the music world in a tug of war between the disco that had been dominating radio and punk garnering the attention of critics, The Knack's sound, drawing on predecessors like The Kinks and The Beatles, was embraced by fans.

The band's 1979 debut, Get The Knack, was a genuine phenomenon, selling millions of copies on the strength of its monster lead single "My Sharona" which topped the singles charts for six weeks. They also notched a second Top 20 hit with the bouyant "Good Girls Don't." So there was considerable anticipation as well as expectations for their follow-up.

However, just as quickly as they became a sensation, The Knack became a footnote. The band had alienated critics by refusing to do interviews and when their sophomore effort, ...But The Little Girls Understand, arrived less than a year after their debut, it was clear that it was a pale imitation at best.

"Baby Talks Dirty" managed to make the US Top 40, limping to a peak of #38 in the spring of 1980, but it would prove to be The Knack's swansong. There would be no more significant hits and, following another poorly recieved album in '81, the band would split. A handful of periodic reunions over the next 15 years would be accompanied by a couple of new albums but nothing could recapture the magic despite the fact that "My Sharona" would find a new generation of fans through its use in several movies and television shows.

To hear this song, and many more hits from the '80s, log on to Pop Go The '80s

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