"Good Thing" by Fine Young Cannibals

#1 Alert!

Song#:  3888

Date:  05/06/1989

Debut:  69

Peak:  1 (1 week)

Weeks:  17

Genre:  Pop, Soul

Pop Bits:  This Brit trio picked up their first #1 Pop hit in the States with "She Drives Me Crazy." The single, which was taken from their second album The Raw and the Cooked, would sell well enough to go gold and help the album reach the platinum level. For a follow-up, this next track was selected. It would catch on and eventually become their second #1 at Pop. It would also get to #2 Modern Rock, #12 AC, #20 Dance, and #39 Rock. The success of the single helped push the album to #1 at the beginning of June and it would remain at the top spot for seven weeks. The boost in sales would send it to the double-platinum mark.

ReduxReview:  While I liked the groovy "She Drives Me Crazy," this next single failed to draw me in. Its punchy, retro Motown sound didn't thrill me and I ended up ignoring the tune and losing interest in FYC. I still don't connect with the song even now, but I don't dislike it. I was actually surprised it did so well on the Pop chart. The tune was so different from "She Drives Me Crazy" and usually a big shift in sound or style following a major hit will not be greeted well by pop listeners. However, the song was strong enough to stand on its own and keep folks rollin' with FYC.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  Four tracks on The Raw and the Cooked made their debuts in films prior to be included on the album. The song "Ever Fallen in Love" would be picked up for use in the 1986 Jonathan Demme comedy flick Something Wild, which starred Melanie Griffith and Jeff Daniels. It would appear on the film's soundtrack and be issued out as a single. In the US, the song would not chart at Pop but would make it to #11 Dance. The tune would get to #9 in the UK. Then for the 1987 Barry Levinson comedy Tin Men that starred Richard Dreyfuss and Danny DeVito, the band would not only supply four songs for the film, but would appear as the house band of a night club. Three of the songs used in the movie would then be placed on The Raw and the Cooked including "Good Thing." It would be the first appearance of the songs on a record because there was no soundtrack album released for the film. Both Something Wild and Tin Men would receive positive notices from critics and do moderately well at the box office. However, Something Wild later turned into a sort of cult film especially after Griffin hit it big with 1988's Working Girl and after Demme's 1992 Oscar-winner The Silence of the Lambs.

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