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...But the Little Girls Understand

January 01, 1970

...But the Little Girls Understand is the second studio album by power pop/new wave group the Knack, released by Capitol Records in February 1980. The album reached the number 15 spot on the Billboard 200 album chart in 1980. The singles "Baby Talks Dirty" and "Can't Put a Price on Love" charted on the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 38 and No. 62, respectively.[1] The song "Mr. Handleman" was released as a single in some countries, such as New Zealand.[2] Guitarist Berton Averre has stated that "Mr. Handleman" was the first song he and lead singer Doug Fieger wrote together.[3] The RIAA certified the album as Gold on April 14, 1980.[4]

...But the Little Girls Understand
Studio album by
the Knack
ReleasedFebruary 15, 1980
RecordedDecember 1979
StudioMCA-Whitney Studios, Glendale, California
GenrePower pop
LabelCapitol
ProducerMike Chapman
The Knack chronology
Get the Knack
(1979) 		...But the Little Girls Understand
(1980) 		Round Trip
(1981)
Singles from ...But the Little Girls Understand
  1. "Baby Talks Dirty"
    Released: January 1980
  2. "Can't Put a Price on Love"
    Released: March 1980
  3. "I Want Ya"
    Released: 1980
  4. "It's You"
    Released: 1980
  5. "How Can Love Hurt So Much"
    Released: 1980
  6. "Mr. Handleman"
    Released: 1980

Overview edit

The album's title is a reference to blues musician Willie Dixon's song "Back Door Man",[1] which has the lyrics: "I'm a back door man. The men don't know, but the little girls understand."[5] Recording was done at MCA-Whitney Studios in Glendale,[6] where Mike Chapman—credited as "Commander" Chapman—produced the album. Chapman also wrote a comedic description of the album in the liner notes, including the line "The songs are an assortment of feelings expressed redundantly as only the Knack can. This record is very dear to me and my bank manager."[1] Band members Berton Averre and Doug Fieger wrote all of the songs except for "The Hard Way"[1] which was written by Ray Davies and recorded by the Kinks on their album Schoolboys in Disgrace (1975).[7][8]

Reception edit

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [9]
Robert ChristgauC−[11]
Record Mirror     [10]

The album was a commercial disappointment, failing to match the immense commercial success of the band's 1979 debut Get the Knack. The album did, however, sell well enough to hit the No. 15 spot on the Billboard 200 album chart in 1980, propelled by the singles "Baby Talks Dirty" and "Can't Put a Price on Love" which both charted on the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 38 and No. 62, respectively.[1] The RIAA certified the album as Gold on April 14, 1980,[4] about two months after its release.[1] Capitol Records released an expanded version of the album with bonus tracks in 2002.[12]

Critic Dave Marsh of Rolling Stone, known for his utter disdain for most artists of the era,[13] wrote a scathing review, commenting:

The music can't redeem the lyrics–not only because such dehumanization is irredeemable, but also because the music is lame. Indeed, the Knack are the most nefarious sort of hacks. They're terribly competent and they have a seemingly inexhaustible storehouse of clichés... the Knack's greatest achievement is to make hard-rock clichés sound completely gutless... Fieger's puling vocals suggest that, for him, the ultimate agony would be to imagine that somewhere in the world there exists a woman who might find him sexually unattractive. Compared to Doug Fieger, Rod Stewart is a paragon of sexual humility.[14]

Specifically addressing some of the songs on the album, Marsh wrote "In Fieger's lyrics, women are literally commodities whose chief purpose is to be brutalized. The kid in 'Baby Talks Dirty' is a foul-mouthed windup doll, and in 'Mr. Handleman,' the tame calypso that's the new LP's catchiest number, the protagonist is pimping for his wife–a situation the group views with dispassion, if not outright approbation."[14] He further wrote "All of Fieger's lyrics finally boil down to one sentiment: f*ck- me, honey. (When he's feeling ambitious, he writes something like 'Can't Put a Price on Love,' which translates: f*ck me for free, babe.)"[14]

Trouser Press remarked that the band "replicated the sound" of their debut album, and described "Baby Talks Dirty" as "anemic" and an "inferior replicant of 'My Sharona' (minus the thunderous hook)."[15] Trouser Press also remarked on the bad taste of some of the album's lyrics, giving "Mr. Handleman's" wife-pimping lyrics as an example.[15] In a generally negative review, Robert Christgau stated that "little girls prefer catchy, punchy second-hand songs to varied, indecisive thirdhand ones. In fact, so do critics."[16] On the other hand, critic Chris Woodstra of AllMusic has retrospectively given a positive opinion. He called the album "a good time for those who don't take rock & roll too seriously."[1] Critic Steve "Spaz" Schnee of AllMusic has also stated that ...But the Little Girls Understand is "unfairly dismissed as an inferior rehash of the debut."[17]

The album's front cover features Sharona Alperin, girlfriend of Doug Fieger, the young woman who had inspired the band's hit "My Sharona".

Track listing edit

Original release edit

All songs are by Doug Fieger unless noted:[1]

  1. "Baby Talks Dirty" (Berton Averre, Doug Fieger)
  2. "I Want Ya"
  3. "Tell Me You're Mine"
  4. "Mr. Handleman" (Berton Averre, Doug Fieger)
  5. "Can't Put a Price on Love" (Berton Averre, Doug Fieger)
  6. "Hold on Tight and Don't Let Go"
  7. "The Hard Way" (Ray Davies)
  8. "It's You" (Berton Averre, Doug Fieger)
  9. "End of the Game"
  10. "The Feeling I Get"
  11. "(Havin' a) Rave Up" (Berton Averre, Doug Fieger)
  12. "How Can Love Hurt So Much"

Chart positions edit

Album

Year Chart Position
1980 Billboard 200 15
1980 Kent Music Report (Australia)[18] 32

Certifications edit

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[19] Platinum 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[20] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Personnel edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Woodstra, Chris. "...But the Little Girls Understand - Overview". Allmusic. Retrieved April 14, 2010.
  2. ^ "Mr. Handleman". charts.nz. Retrieved 2011-10-09.
  3. ^ Averre, B. (2007-01-15). . Archived from the original on 2014-02-22. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
  4. ^ a b "Gold and Platinum - Search". RIAA. Retrieved April 14, 2010.
  5. ^ . LyricsTime.com. Archived from the original on 2010-06-02. Retrieved April 14, 2010.
  6. ^ Riegel, Richard (April 1980). "Knuking The Knack Inside Their Own Reactor". Creem. Retrieved June 13, 2019 – via Rock's Backpages.
  7. ^ "The Hard Way". AllMusic. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
  8. ^ Gilliam, R. "The Hard Way". AllMusic. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
  9. ^ AllMusic review
  10. ^ Westwood, Chris (15 March 1980). "Knackered". Record Mirror. p. 21.
  11. ^ Christgau, Robert. "Robert Christgau's Consumer Guide". Robert Christgau. robertchristgau.com. from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 2011-07-03.
  12. ^ Woodstra, Chris. "...But the Little Girls Understand (Bonus Tracks) - Overview". AllMusic. Retrieved April 14, 2010.
  13. ^ Suttle, Tim. "New Book Rips U2's Bono as a Lap-dog for Neo-liberals".Patheos. May 9, 2013. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
  14. ^ a b c Marsh, Dave (April 3, 1980). . Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 6, 2007. Retrieved April 14, 2010.
  15. ^ a b Robbins, Ira; Sandlin, Michael. "Knack". Trouser Press. Retrieved 2011-07-18.
  16. ^ Christgau, R. "Robert Christgau's Consumer Guide: The Knack". robertchristgau.com. from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 2011-07-18.
  17. ^ Schnee, Steve "Spaz". "Round Trip - Overview". AllMusic. Retrieved April 9, 2010.
  18. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 69. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  19. ^ "Canadian album certifications – The Knack – But The Little Girls Understand". Music Canada.
  20. ^ "American album certifications – The Knack – But The Little Girls Understand". Recording Industry Association of America.

External links edit

January 01, 1970
little, girls, understand, second, studio, album, power, wave, group, knack, released, capitol, records, february, 1980, album, reached, number, spot, billboard, album, chart, 1980, singles, baby, talks, dirty, price, love, charted, billboard, respectively, so. But the Little Girls Understand is the second studio album by power pop new wave group the Knack released by Capitol Records in February 1980 The album reached the number 15 spot on the Billboard 200 album chart in 1980 The singles Baby Talks Dirty and Can t Put a Price on Love charted on the Billboard Hot 100 at No 38 and No 62 respectively 1 The song Mr Handleman was released as a single in some countries such as New Zealand 2 Guitarist Berton Averre has stated that Mr Handleman was the first song he and lead singer Doug Fieger wrote together 3 The RIAA certified the album as Gold on April 14 1980 4 But the Little Girls UnderstandStudio album by the KnackReleasedFebruary 15 1980RecordedDecember 1979StudioMCA Whitney Studios Glendale CaliforniaGenrePower popLabelCapitolProducerMike ChapmanThe Knack chronologyGet the Knack 1979 But the Little Girls Understand 1980 Round Trip 1981 Singles from But the Little Girls Understand Baby Talks Dirty Released January 1980 Can t Put a Price on Love Released March 1980 I Want Ya Released 1980 It s You Released 1980 How Can Love Hurt So Much Released 1980 Mr Handleman Released 1980 Contents 1 Overview 2 Reception 3 Track listing 3 1 Original release 4 Chart positions 5 Certifications 6 Personnel 7 References 8 External linksOverview editThe album s title is a reference to blues musician Willie Dixon s song Back Door Man 1 which has the lyrics I m a back door man The men don t know but the little girls understand 5 Recording was done at MCA Whitney Studios in Glendale 6 where Mike Chapman credited as Commander Chapman produced the album Chapman also wrote a comedic description of the album in the liner notes including the line The songs are an assortment of feelings expressed redundantly as only the Knack can This record is very dear to me and my bank manager 1 Band members Berton Averre and Doug Fieger wrote all of the songs except for The Hard Way 1 which was written by Ray Davies and recorded by the Kinks on their album Schoolboys in Disgrace 1975 7 8 Reception editProfessional ratingsReview scoresSourceRatingAllMusic nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 9 Robert ChristgauC 11 Record Mirror nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 10 The album was a commercial disappointment failing to match the immense commercial success of the band s 1979 debut Get the Knack The album did however sell well enough to hit the No 15 spot on the Billboard 200 album chart in 1980 propelled by the singles Baby Talks Dirty and Can t Put a Price on Love which both charted on the Billboard Hot 100 at No 38 and No 62 respectively 1 The RIAA certified the album as Gold on April 14 1980 4 about two months after its release 1 Capitol Records released an expanded version of the album with bonus tracks in 2002 12 Critic Dave Marsh of Rolling Stone known for his utter disdain for most artists of the era 13 wrote a scathing review commenting The music can t redeem the lyrics not only because such dehumanization is irredeemable but also because the music is lame Indeed the Knack are the most nefarious sort of hacks They re terribly competent and they have a seemingly inexhaustible storehouse of cliches the Knack s greatest achievement is to make hard rock cliches sound completely gutless Fieger s puling vocals suggest that for him the ultimate agony would be to imagine that somewhere in the world there exists a woman who might find him sexually unattractive Compared to Doug Fieger Rod Stewart is a paragon of sexual humility 14 Specifically addressing some of the songs on the album Marsh wrote In Fieger s lyrics women are literally commodities whose chief purpose is to be brutalized The kid in Baby Talks Dirty is a foul mouthed windup doll and in Mr Handleman the tame calypso that s the new LP s catchiest number the protagonist is pimping for his wife a situation the group views with dispassion if not outright approbation 14 He further wrote All of Fieger s lyrics finally boil down to one sentiment f ck me honey When he s feeling ambitious he writes something like Can t Put a Price on Love which translates f ck me for free babe 14 Trouser Press remarked that the band replicated the sound of their debut album and described Baby Talks Dirty as anemic and an inferior replicant of My Sharona minus the thunderous hook 15 Trouser Press also remarked on the bad taste of some of the album s lyrics giving Mr Handleman s wife pimping lyrics as an example 15 In a generally negative review Robert Christgau stated that little girls prefer catchy punchy second hand songs to varied indecisive thirdhand ones In fact so do critics 16 On the other hand critic Chris Woodstra of AllMusic has retrospectively given a positive opinion He called the album a good time for those who don t take rock amp roll too seriously 1 Critic Steve Spaz Schnee of AllMusic has also stated that But the Little Girls Understand is unfairly dismissed as an inferior rehash of the debut 17 The album s front cover features Sharona Alperin girlfriend of Doug Fieger the young woman who had inspired the band s hit My Sharona Track listing editOriginal release edit All songs are by Doug Fieger unless noted 1 Baby Talks Dirty Berton Averre Doug Fieger I Want Ya Tell Me You re Mine Mr Handleman Berton Averre Doug Fieger Can t Put a Price on Love Berton Averre Doug Fieger Hold on Tight and Don t Let Go The Hard Way Ray Davies It s You Berton Averre Doug Fieger End of the Game The Feeling I Get Havin a Rave Up Berton Averre Doug Fieger How Can Love Hurt So Much Chart positions editAlbum Year Chart Position 1980 Billboard 200 15 1980 Kent Music Report Australia 18 32Certifications editRegion Certification Certified units sales Canada Music Canada 19 Platinum 100 000 United States RIAA 20 Gold 500 000 Shipments figures based on certification alone Personnel editDoug Fieger lead vocals rhythm guitar Berton Averre lead guitar Prescott Niles bass Bruce Gary drumsReferences edit a b c d e f g h Woodstra Chris But the Little Girls Understand Overview Allmusic Retrieved April 14 2010 Mr Handleman charts nz Retrieved 2011 10 09 Averre B 2007 01 15 Mr Handleman Archived from the original on 2014 02 22 Retrieved February 4 2014 a b Gold and Platinum Search RIAA Retrieved April 14 2010 Willie Dixon Back Door Man Lyrics LyricsTime com Archived from the original on 2010 06 02 Retrieved April 14 2010 Riegel Richard April 1980 Knuking The Knack Inside Their Own Reactor Creem Retrieved June 13 2019 via Rock s Backpages The Hard Way AllMusic Retrieved April 15 2010 Gilliam R The Hard Way AllMusic Retrieved March 26 2012 AllMusic review Westwood Chris 15 March 1980 Knackered Record Mirror p 21 Christgau Robert Robert Christgau s Consumer Guide Robert Christgau robertchristgau com Archived from the original on 6 June 2011 Retrieved 2011 07 03 Woodstra Chris But the Little Girls Understand Bonus Tracks Overview AllMusic Retrieved April 14 2010 Suttle Tim New Book Rips U2 s Bono as a Lap dog for Neo liberals Patheos May 9 2013 Retrieved October 14 2013 a b c Marsh Dave April 3 1980 But the Little Girls Understand Rolling Stone Archived from the original on January 6 2007 Retrieved April 14 2010 a b Robbins Ira Sandlin Michael Knack Trouser Press Retrieved 2011 07 18 Christgau R Robert Christgau s Consumer Guide The Knack robertchristgau com Archived from the original on 6 June 2011 Retrieved 2011 07 18 Schnee Steve Spaz Round Trip Overview AllMusic Retrieved April 9 2010 Kent David 1993 Australian Chart Book 1970 1992 illustrated ed St Ives N S W Australian Chart Book p 69 ISBN 0 646 11917 6 Canadian album certifications The Knack But The Little Girls Understand Music Canada American album certifications The Knack But The Little Girls Understand Recording Industry Association of America External links edit But the Little Girls Understand at Rhapsody com The Knack website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title But the Little Girls Understand amp oldid 1184613980, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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