With new wave defining the airwaves in the tail end of the '70s, The Knack was perfectly poised to capture the ears of listeners with their updated mod-rock sound, striking gold with the hit single "My Sharona." The song would make their first album a resounding success, going gold in 13 days and selling five million copies.

Unfortunately, they were a little too radio-friendly and over-hyped for many listeners, who eventually turned against them, though they continued to put out some interesting records before breaking up.

The Knack formed in L.A. in 1978, and consisted of Doug Fieger on vocals and guitar, Berton Averre on lead guitar, Prescott Niles on bass and Bruce Gary on drums. The quartet quickly found success playing gigs around the city, and were battled over by rival labels to sign them up for their debut album. Get the Knack was released in 1979, launching the band to national stardom and earning them heavy radio play. Their music wasn't exactly cerebral, but it was undeniably fun, catchy, fast pop music--if you were expecting more, they weren't the band for you. But what they did, they did beautifully.

Their second album, 1979's ...But the Little Girls Understand, didn't fare as well as their first, but still produced some hits. Their third album, 1981's Round Trip was by far their best record yet, but by that point the backlash against them, coupled with waning interest, left it in the dust. Despite the fact that the band was only beginning to grow, The Knack decided collectively to break up, and did so shortly after releasing their third record.

They would embark on several reunion tours in the following decades, coming back together with slightly different lineups for "reunion albums." These largely received poor reviews, and most fans found what they wanted by going back to The Knacks first hits.