"Knock on Wood" is a 1966 hit song written by

Eddie Floyd Edward Lee Floyd (born June 25, 1937) is an American R&B and soul singer and songwriter, best known for his work on the Stax record label in the 1960s and 1970s, including the No. 1 R&B hit song " Knock on Wood". Biography Floyd was born in ...

and

Steve Cropper Steven Lee Cropper (born October 21, 1941), sometimes known as "The Colonel", is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T. & the M.G.'s, which backed artists such as Ot ...

and originally performed by Floyd. The song has become covered by later artists, most notably

Amii Stewart Amy Paulette "Amii" Stewart (born January 29, 1956) is an American disco and soul singer and dancer who found prominence with her 1979 U.S. Billboard number 1 hit cover of Eddie Floyd's song " Knock on Wood", often considered a classic of the ...

in 1979. Stewart's

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

version was the most successful on weekly music charts.

Eddie Floyd version

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 in Memphis, Tennessee (now The

National Civil Rights Museum The National Civil Rights Museum is a complex of museums and historic buildings in Memphis, Tennessee; its exhibits trace the history of the civil rights movement in the United States from the 17th century to the present. The museum is built aro ...

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, lightning, The way you love me is frightening'. Floyd's version earned a Gold certification from the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA) on July 17, 1995.

Otis Redding and Carla Thomas version

David Bowie version

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

released a live performance of the song as a single in the UK in 1974; the recording was taken from Bowie's live album ''

David Live ''David Live'' is the first official live album by English musician David Bowie, originally released through RCA Records in 1974. The album was recorded in July of that year, on the initial leg of Bowie's Diamond Dogs Tour, at the Tower Theater ...

''. The B-side, "Panic in Detroit", was not on that album but was from the same concert. It was added to the 2005 release of the album. # "Knock on Wood" (Eddie Floyd, Steve Cropper) – 3:03 # "Panic in Detroit" (Bowie) – 5:52

Amii Stewart version

American

and

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

singer Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

released a disco version of "Knock on Wood" in 1979. It reached number one on the US 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 Simon May (born 15 August 1944) is a British composer. He has composed many British television theme tunes, including ''EastEnders'' and ''Howards' Way'', and the music for the 1988 film ''The Dawning''. Biography Born in Devizes and a pupi ...

. 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). The song earned a gold certification on March 22, 1979, and then a platinum certification on August 1 the same year from the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

when the single sold one or two million units. It would become one of "

anthems An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to short s ...

for the

gay community The LGBT community (also known as the LGBTQ+ community, GLBT community, gay community, or queer community) is a loosely defined grouping of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and other queer individuals united by a common culture and social ...

". Stewart's rendition of the song earned her a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

nomination for

Best Female R&B Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (previously called Best Rhythm and Blues Solo Vocal Performance, Female) was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards ...

at the

22nd Annual Grammy Awards The 22nd Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 27, 1980, at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, and were broadcast live on American television. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 1979. This year was notable for being the ...

in 1980. It was featured prominently in the video game '' The Warriors'', as well as the trailer for

Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Pictures is an American film production company and subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is owned by The Walt Disney Company. The studio is the flagship producer of live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Studios uni ...

1997 live-action film '' Mr. Magoo'', starring

Leslie Nielsen Leslie William Nielsen (11 February 192628 November 2010) was a Canadian actor and comedian. With a career spanning 60 years, he appeared in more than 100 films and 150 television programs, portraying more than 220 characters. Nielsen was bo ...

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Other notable cover versions

Wilson Pickett Wilson Pickett (March 18, 1941 – January 19, 2006) was an American singer and songwriter. A major figure in the development of soul music, Pickett recorded over 50 songs which made the US R&B charts, many of which crossed over to the ''Bill ...

, like Floyd a former member of the band

The Falcons ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

, covered the song on his 1967 album ''The Wicked Pickett''.

Otis Redding Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...

and

Carla Thomas Carla Venita Thomas (born December 21, 1942) is an American singer, who is often referred to as the Queen of Memphis Soul. Thomas is best known for her 1960s recordings for Atlantic and Stax including the hits "Gee Whiz (Look at His Eyes)" (1960 ...

covered the song on their 1967 album, ''

King & Queen ''King & Queen'' is a studio album by American recording artists Otis Redding and Carla Thomas. It is Thomas' fourth album and Redding's sixth and the final studio album before his death on December 10, 1967. Influenced by Marvin Gaye's duets, th ...

''. Otis and Carla's version charted on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in nine weeks, peaking at number 30 on the week of September 23, 1967. The version also peaked at number eight on the ''Billboard'' R&B Songs chart.

The American Breed The American Breed was an American rock band from Chicago in the 1960s. The band was originally called Gary & The Knight Lites before adopting the name The American Breed in 1967. The band had a number of charting songs in 1967–68, the be ...

also covered it on their 1967 self-titled debut album

Buddy Guy George "Buddy" Guy (born July 30, 1936) is an American blues guitarist and singer. He is an exponent of Chicago blues who has influenced generations of guitarists including Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Stevie Ray V ...

, on his live 1968 album ''This Is Buddy Guy!'' The Mauds, on their 1968 album ''Hold On''.

James Cotton James Henry Cotton (July 1, 1935 – March 16, 2017) was an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter, who performed and recorded with many fellow blues artists and with his own band. He also played drums early in his career. ...

also recorded the song on his 1967 album ''The James Cotton Blues Band''; his version is later included in the 1995 compilation album ''The Best of the Verve Years''. In 1971, a Filipino singer

Victor Wood The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...

released his version of this song.

Razzy Bailey Rasie Michael "Razzy" Bailey (February 14, 1939 – August 4, 2021) was an American country music. In the early 1980s, he scored 5 No. 1's on the '' Billboard'' country music charts. Early life Bailey was born in Five Points, Alabama, United ...

's version (1984) peaked at number 29 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs chart on the week of September 29, 1984, the version's ninth week.

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...

covered the song for his 1985 album '' Behind the Sun''. Actress

Kathleen Wilhoite Kathleen Wilhoite (born June 29, 1964) is an American actress and musician. She made her feature film debut in ''Private School'' (1983) before having a leading role in '' Murphy's Law'' (1986), followed by supporting parts in '' Witchboard'' (a ...

and Jeff Healy performed the song in the 1989 film '' Road House''.

Michael Bolton Michael Bolotin
, The Jewish Historical Society of New Haven, 1998. (born February 26, 1953), known professio ...

covered it for his 1992 album '' Timeless: The Classics''. A singer Mary Griffin recorded her disco/dance version for the 1998 film '' 54''; Griffin's recording was released that same year as a

promotional single A promotional recording, or promo, or plug copy, is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as ...

. Actress

Emma Stone Emily Jean Stone (born November 6, 1988), known professionally as Emma Stone, is an American actress. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Golden Globe Award. In 2017, she ...

performed the song in the 2010 movie, ''

Easy A ''Easy A'' (stylized as ''easy A'') is a 2010 American teen romantic comedy film directed by Will Gluck, written by Bert V. Royal, starring Emma Stone, Stanley Tucci, Patricia Clarkson, Thomas Haden Church, Dan Byrd, Amanda Bynes, Penn Badgle ...

''. In 1993 Beatrice Magnanensi and Letizia Mezzanotte interpret the song in the compilation ''Non è la Rai 2''. In 1996

Fausto Leali Faustino (Fausto) Leali (born 29 October 1944, Nuvolento, Brescia, Italy) is an Italian pop singer. Early life Leali began his musical career as a singer in several bands in his native Brescia. His first guitar teacher was Tullio Romano, of the ...

recorded the Italian version entitled ''No, non tu'' (No, not you), for the album ''Non solo blues'' (Not just Blues) (RTI Music, RTI 1112-4).

References

External links

* * {{authority control 1966 songs 1966 singles 1967 singles 1974 singles 1978 singles 1979 singles Amii Stewart songs James & Bobby Purify songs Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band songs David Bowie songs Eddie Floyd songs Otis Redding songs Rachel Stevens songs Razzy Bailey songs Guy Sebastian songs Eric Clapton songs Michael Bolton songs Songs written by Steve Cropper Songs written by Eddie Floyd Stax Records singles Ariola Records singles Hansa Records singles Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles RPM Top Singles number-one singles Male–female vocal duets