The Song Girls
Girls and Women who were the real life inspiration for some of the hit songs of my youth.
The Woman: Sharona Alperin
The Song: My Sharona, by the Knack, 1979.
The Story:
Douglas Lars Fieger (August 20, 1952 – February 14, 2010) was an American musician, singer and songwriter. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist of the rock band the Knack. He co-wrote, with lead guitarist Berton Averre, "My Sharona," the biggest hit song of 1979 in the U.S.
Doug was 25 years old, when he met Sharona Alperin, who was 17, and instantly fell in love with her.
Today, Sharona is a very successful realtor in Los Angeles, and promotes her listings at her official site, https://mysharona.com. She has sold more than 1 Billion dollars worth of real estate for thousands of clients like Loretta Swit and other movie stars. Sharona is in the top 2% of Sotherby’s U.S. realtors.
Sister 1: Jenny Boyd
The Song: "Jennifer Juniper" by Donavan (1968)
“I was working at this boutique and Donovan walked in – I had met him before,” Jenny Boyd told Fox News in 2020. “We just started talking and we ended up seeing each other a couple of times. I remember the second time we went out, he told me, ‘I wrote a song for you.’ We sat down, he took out his guitar and then he started singing ‘Jennifer Juniper.’”
Jenny was later married to Mick Fleetwood - twice. She also married drummer Ian Wallace. She has been married to architect David Levitt since 1997.
At one point, Mick Jagger told her he’d written a song for her, though he didn’t bother to mention which one. “I always wondered about that,” Jenny said with a laugh.
Sister 2: Pattie Boyd
The Songs: Pattie Boyd inspired George Harrison's songs "I Need You", "If I Needed Someone", "Something" and "For You Blue", and Eric Clapton's songs "Layla", "Bell Bottom Blues" and "Wonderful Tonight".
Pattie is 4 years older than Jenny.
Pattie Boyd married George Harrison in 1966, experiencing the height of the Beatles' popularity and sharing in their embrace of Indian spirituality. She divorced Harrison in 1977 and married Harrison's friend Eric Clapton in 1979; they divorced in 1989.
Pattie became involved in charity work following her separation from Clapton in the late 1980s. In 1991, she co-founded SHARP (Self Help Addiction Recovery Program) with Barbara Bach, the second wife of former Beatle Ringo Starr. And Barbara Bach’s sister, Marjorie Bach, is married to Joe Walsh.
More women and the artists they inspired
The Woman: Linda McCartney - Paul’s wife
The Artist: Paul McCartney
The Song: “Maybe I’m Amazed” (1970)
The Woman: Kathy Mary Etchingham - Jimi’s girlfriend for 3 years
The Artist: Jimi Hendrix
The Songs: “The Wind Cries Mary” and “Foxy Lady”
The Woman: Caroline Kennedy / Marcia Murphy*
The Artist: Neil Diamond
The Song: “Sweet Caroline”
The Woman: Rosanna Arquette* - film and TV. actress
The Artist: Toto
The Song: “Rosanna”
The Woman: Christie Brinkley / Elle Macpherson*
The Artist: Billy Joel
The Song: “Uptown Girl”
The Woman: Peggy Sue Gerron - married “The Cricket’s” drummer Jerry Allison
The Artist: Buddy Holly and the Crickets
The Song: “Peggy Sue”
The Woman: Helô Pinheiro - was an actress, beauty
The Artist: Astrud Gilberto with João Gilberto and Stan Getz
The Song: “The Girl from Ipanema”
The Woman: Judy Collins - Stephen Stills girlfriend
The Artist: Crosby, Stills and Nash
The Song: "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes"
The Woman: Naomi Campbell / Courtney Love *
The Artist: Gwen Stefani
The Song: “Hollaback Girl”
The Woman: Erin Everly - Axl Rose’s wife (Don Everly of Everly Brother’s daughter)
The Artist: Guns N' Roses
The Song: "Sweet Child O' Mine”
The Woman: Sara Allen (Hall’s girlfriend)
The Artist: Hall and Oats
The Song: "Sara Smile"
The Woman: Kathleen Chitty - Simon’s Girlfriend in the 60’s
The Artist: Paul Simon
The Song: “Kathy’s Song” and “Homeward Bound”
The Woman Car: Maybellene -A 1934 V-8 Ford
The Artist: Chuck Berry
The Song: “Maybellene”
The Woman: Donna Ludwig - Valen’s First Love
The Artist: Ritchie Valens
The Song: "Donna"
The Woman: Veronica Jackson - Elvis Costello’s Paternal Grandmother
The Artist: Elvis Costello
The Song: “Veronica“
The Woman: Angela Richards or Angela Bowie? Neither - just a name
The Artist: Rolling Stones
The Song: “Angie”
The Woman: Cecilia (St. Cecilia, patron saint of music)
The Artist: Simon and Garfunkel
The Song: “Cecilia”
The Woman: Rikki Ducornet (Donald Fagen’s crush is school)
The Artist: Donald Fagen - Steely Dan
The Song: “Rikki Don’t Lose that Number”
The Woman: Jessica Betts (Dickey’s daughter)
The Artist: Allman Brothers/guitarist Dickey Betts
The Song: “Jessica”
The Woman: Barbara Ann Fassert (Fred’s daughter)
The Artist: Fred Fassert and the Regents
The Song: “Barbara Ann”
The Woman: Maggie May (Rod Stewart’s first lover)
The Artist: Rod Stewart
The Song: “Maggie May”
The Women with the asterisk * may have some controversial information about them (and the songs) online. Occasionally the stories varied a bit.
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I have sea shanties written after me, most notably "The Drunken Sailor." ;--)
An impressive work, Paul! Thanks! Only a few I was really aware of! In June of 1979, I was visiting L.A. for a week (from Houston), to see if I really wanted to move there! I wandered into the Sunset Blvd. Tower Records, and was met by the real-life, complete "The Knack" drum kit belonging to their drummer, Bruce Gary!
It was surrounded by hundreds of copies of their just-released debut Capitol album! But, after ogling all that, I noticed a familiar figure doing what I was doing: Eye-balling this impressively huge endcap display.....lead singer/guitarist, Doug Fieger! He had fallen by to have a glimpse of the recently-constructed display, and we shared a few words, but I mainly walked away just being gob-smacked that this was life in Hollywood....this couldn't happen in Houston!
Building a massive endcap with hundreds of albums? We did it, daily, at Cactus Records, where I worked for 3 years! But, having a recording artist just fall by to eye-ball it with record rep in tow? Nah. Not unless they were touring, and in town in the first place! I moved to L.A. in January '80!