On August 25, 1979, "My Sharona" by The Knack hit the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 just two months after debuting. It stayed in that spot for six weeks, eventually being dethroned on October 6.

For Doug Fieger, the secret of songwriting success was to stay in touch with his inner teenager. That meant raging hormones, unrequited love, and girls, girls, girls. “When The Knack started, I wrote ...