‘Good Thing’ is a song by British band Fine Young Cannibals, released as the second single from their second and last album, The Raw & the Cooked (1989). The song was their second and final US number-one, topping the Billboard Hot 100 on 8 July 1989. It also peaked at #7 on the UK Singles Chart. The song made its first appearance in Tin Men (1987). Fine Young Cannibals portrayed a nightclub band in the movie, performing this song and three others (including the single's B-side ‘Social Security’). The film is set in Baltimore in 1963, and the song's retro soul style is consistent with that setting. Jools Holland played piano on the track, noting that it was "one of the biggest selling records I've ever played on".
Fine Young Cannibals rose from the ashes of the UK band The Beat. Sometimes called "The English Beat" to distinguish them from the US Paul Collins' band, The Beat had a number of UK Singles hits including a cover of Smokey Robinson's "Tears Of A Clown," "Mirror in the Bathroom," and "Too Nice To Talk To." When the band broke up in 1983, guitarists David Steele and Andy Cox went on to form FYC with a new vocalist, Roland Gift, whom they carefully chose after eight months of listening to cassettes. Together with ‘She Drives Me Crazy,’ this is the other one of the Fine Young Cannibals' twin #1 Billboard hits, both pumped out in 1989 from their second album The Raw & The Cooked. They also had another Top-40 hit from the same album, ‘Don't Look Back’ at #11. This pegged Fine Young Cannibals (often abbreviated "FYC," even on the cover of the album) forever in music history as superstars who exploded onto the music scene in one year and were practically forgotten ever since. However, in their home turf of Birmingham, England, their fame is somewhat more evenly spread.
‘Good Thing’ was a worldwide hit, charting #4 on Irish Singles, #7 on Australian ARIA, #8 on German Singles, #12 on Swiss Singles. If we discover life on other planets, we'll probably find out that the song charted high with them, too. To this day you almost can't listen to a whole day of radio without hearing either this or ‘She Drives Me Crazy.’
The accompanying music video for ‘Good Thing’ features many scenes with the Orribly Good Scooter Club, the Jokers and A41 Eagles displaying their motor scooters, both at rest and in motion, as part of scooter boy culture. The scooters featured include stock scooters, as well as highly stylised scooters and minimalist cutdown scooters.
Label – London
Songwriters – Roland Gift, David Steele
Producers – Fine Young Cannibals
SONG LYRICS
[Verse 1]The one good thing in my life
Has gone away and I don't know why
She's gone away, I don't know where
Somewhere I cannot follow her
[Pre-Chorus]
The one good thing didn't stay too long (Hey, hey, hey, woo-hoo-hoo-hoo)
My back was turned and she was gone (Hey, hey, hey)
[Chorus]
Good thing, where have you gone? (Do, do-do-do)
My good thing, you've been gone too long (Good thing, do, do, do-do-do)
[Verse 2]
People say I should forget
There's plenty more, don't get upset
People say she's doing fine
Mutual friends I see sometimes
[Pre-Chorus]
That's not what I want to hear (Hey, hey, hey, woo-hoo-hoo-hoo)
I want to hear she wants me near (Hey, hey, hey)
[Chorus]
Good thing, where have you gone? (Do, do-do-do)
My good thing, you've been gone too long (Good thing, do, do, do-do-do)
[Post-Chorus]
Good thing
[Piano Solo]
[Bridge]
Then one day, she came back
I was so happy that I didn't ask
Morning came into my room (Hey, hey, hey, woo-hoo-hoo-hoo)
Caught me dreaming like a fool (Hey, hey, hey)
[Outro]
Good thing, ah-ah-ah, my good thing (Do, do-do-do)
My, my, my, my good thing, where have you gone? (Good thing, do, do, do-do-do)
My good thing, mhm, my good thing (Do, do-do-do)
Good thing, good thing, where have you gone? (Good thing, do, do, do-do-do)
It's been so long, good God, girl (Do, do-do-do, good thing)
Good God, girl, good God, girl (Do, do-do-do, good thing)
Good God (Do, do-do-do, good thing)
Good God, girl (Do, do-do-do)
Well, good God, girl