"Good Thing" is a song by British band

Fine Young Cannibals Fine Young Cannibals (FYC) are an English pop rock band formed in Birmingham, West Midlands, in 1984 by former The Beat band bassist David Steele and guitarist Andy Cox with singer Roland Gift (formerly of the Akrylykz). Their self-titled ...

, 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 (following 1988's "

She Drives Me Crazy "She Drives Me Crazy" is a song by British group Fine Young Cannibals, released in 1988 by London Records as the first single from their second and final album, '' The Raw & the Cooked'' (1989). The song was written by the group's frontman Ro ...

"), topping the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 on 8 July 1989. It also peaked at number one in Canada and entered the top 10 in Australia, Finland, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. The song made its first appearance in ''

Tin Men ''Tin Men'' is a 1987 American comedy film written and directed by Barry Levinson, produced by Mark Johnson, and starring Richard Dreyfuss, Danny DeVito, and Barbara Hershey. It is the second of Levinson's tetralogy of films set in his hometow ...

'' (1987). Fine Young Cannibals portrayed a nightclub band in the movie, performing this song and three others (including the single's

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

"Social Security"). The film is set in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

in 1963, and the song's retro soul style is consistent with that setting.

Jools Holland Julian Miles Holland (born 24 January 1958) is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, composer and television presenter. He was an original member of the band Squeeze and has worked with many artists including Marc Almond, Jayne County, To ...

played piano on the track, noting that it was "one of the biggest selling records I've ever played on".

Music video

The accompanying

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

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

scooterboy A scooterboy (or scooter boy) is a member of one of several scooter-related subcultures of the 1960s and later decades, alongside rude boys, mods and skinheads. The term is sometimes used as a catch-all designation for any scootering enthusias ...

culture. The scooters featured include stock scooters, as well as highly stylised scooters and minimalist

cutdown A cutdown is a customised scooter (usually an Italian Vespa or Lambretta) with parts of the bodywork removed or cut away. Cutdowns were popular amongst skinheads and scooterboys during the mod revival of the 1970s and 1980s. While the style-obs ...

scooters.

Track listings

* 7-inch single # "Good Thing" – 3:22 # "Social Security" – 3:26 * 12-inch maxi # "Good Thing" ( Prince Paul remix) – 5:30 # "Good Thing" (7-inch mix) – 3:22 # "Good Thing" (Nothing Like the Single mix – instrumental) – 4:38 * 10-inch limited edition # "Good Thing" – 3:22 # "Good Thing (Double Groove Alternate)" – 3:22 # "Social Security" – 3:26 * CD maxi # "Good Thing" (7-inch mix) – 3:25 # "Good Thing" (Nothing Like the Single mix) – 4:42 # "She Drives Me Crazy" (Monie Love remix) – 5:59

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Release history

In popular culture

The song was featured in the trailer for '' Mad Dog and Glory'' (1993) and in TV spots for '' Passed Away'' (1992) Twice during 1998, the song was featured in episodes of ''

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'', first in a used car review of the

Volkswagen Golf The Volkswagen Golf () is a compact car/ small family car ( C-segment) produced by the German automotive manufacturer Volkswagen since 1974, marketed worldwide across eight generations, in various body configurations and under various nameplate ...

, with a voiceover by presenter

Quentin Willson Quentin Willson (born 23 July 1957) is an English television presenter and producer, motoring journalist, author and former car dealer. He was a presenter of the motoring programmes '' Britain's Worst Driver'', '' Fifth Gear'', and the original ...

, the second in the beginning of the review of the

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, with scenes showing

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s. In 2007, the song was used in adverts for the

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(United Kingdom). The song appears in ''

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'' (2008), starring

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, in a surreal scene involving the film's main antagonist. It was also used in the film '' It's Complicated'' (2009), in the scene at the graduation party. It plays as

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walks towards

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and

Steve Martin Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American comedian, actor, writer, producer, and musician. Known for Steve Martin filmography, his work in comedy films, television, and #Discography, recording, he has received List of awards a ...

, after noticing the two are obviously high.

References

{{Authority control 1987 songs 1989 singles Fine Young Cannibals songs Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles RPM Top Singles number-one singles Songs written by David Steele (musician) Songs written by Roland Gift London Records singles Northern soul songs