Knock on Wood (song)



"Knock on Wood" is a 1966 hit song written by Eddie Floyd and Steve Cropper and originally performed by Floyd. His recording peaked at number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent one week at number 1 on the Soul Singles chart. The song was written in the Lorraine Motel 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 and lightning, The way you love me is frightening'.

The song has been frequently covered, first by Otis Redding and Carla Thomas in 1967. The American Breed covered it on their 1967 debut album, The American Breed. There have also been charting singles by David Bowie (1974), Amii Stewart (1979), Razzy Bailey (1984), Eric Clapton (1985), Michael Bolton (1992) and Safri Duo featuring Clark Anderson (2004). The German techno band Scoote r made a half-cover of the song, entitled "The Avenger's Back", on their 2004 album Mind the Gap. The song is also featured in the movie "Satisfaction", as performed by Justine Bateman and the Mystery.

David Bowie
David Bowie's 1974 single is taken from the live album David Live. "Panic in Detroit" was not on the album but was from the same concert. It was added to the 2005 release of that album.
 * 1) "Knock on Wood" (Floyd, Cropper) — 3:03
 * 2) "Panic in Detroit" (Bowie) — 5:52

Personnel

 * David Bowie – vocal
 * Earl Slick – guitar
 * Herbie Flowers – bass
 * Michael Kamen – keyboards
 * Tony Newman – drums
 * David Sanborn, Richard Grando – saxophone
 * Pablo Rosario, Gui Andrisano, Warren Peace – backing vocals
 * Tony Visconti – producer

Amii Stewart cover
The most successful version of "Knock on Wood" was recorded by Amii Stewart, who made a disco version of the song in 1979. It was Stewart's debut single and reached number one in the U.S. charts in April 1979; it also made it to the soul singles and disco charts, becoming the best-known version of the song. 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).

Other versions

 * The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band released a version of the song on their 1968 album, Together.
 * Larry Carlton covered this song for his album, Discovery in 1986.
 * In 1984, a version by Razzy Bailey made number 29 on Hot Country Songs. It was Bailey's last top-40 country hit.
 * Eric Clapton covered this song in his album Behind the Sun in 1985.
 * In August 2007, Australian soul singer Guy Sebastian recorded a tribute version of "Knock on Wood" at Ardent Studios in Memphis, Tennessee for his album of soul classics The Memphis Album. Steve Cropper played on and produced this track with many of the original members of the Stax House Band including Donald "Duck" Dunn, Lester Snell, Steve Potts.
 * Archie Bell & The Drells added the song to their 1968 studio album Tighten Up.