"Good Life" is a song by American

electronic music Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...

group

Inner City The term inner city (also called the hood) has been used, especially in the United States, as a euphemism for majority-minority lower-income residential districts that often refer to rundown neighborhoods, in a downtown or city centre area. Soc ...

, featuring vocals by Paris Grey, and was released in November 1988 by

Virgin Virginity is a social construct that denotes the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. As it is not an objective term with an operational definition, social definitions of what constitutes virginity, or the lack thereof ...

and 10 Records as the second single from their debut album, ''

Paradise In religion and folklore, paradise is a place of everlasting happiness, delight, and bliss. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical, eschatological, or both, often contrasted with the miseries of human ...

'' (1989). It is written and produced by

Kevin Saunderson Kevin Maurice Saunderson (born September 5, 1964) is an American electronic dance music DJ and record producer. He is famous for being a member of a trio, along with Juan Atkins and Derrick May, who came to be known as the Belleville Three, w ...

, and became a hit all over the world, reaching number one in Finland and number four on the UK Singles Chart. In the US, it peaked at number one on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' Dance Club Play chart. Its music video is directed by Neil Thompson and filmed in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. "Good Life", along with " Big Fun", have been considered prototypes for Belgian act

Technotronic Technotronic was a Belgian electronic music project formed in 1987 by Jo Bogaert and best known for their 1989 single, " Pump Up the Jam", which features vocals by Ya Kid K. The song peaked at No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the United ...

's 1989 hit " Pump Up The Jam", and is today widely considered a classic of its genre. In 2025, ''Billboard'' magazine ranked "Good Life" among "The 100 Best Dance Songs of All Time".

Background and release

Electronic music producer

met singer Paris Grey through a good friend of his. She then traveled to

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

to collaborate with him on their debut single, " Big Fun", which was released in 1988. After its success,

asked for a follow-up single and "Good Life" was chosen right away. It was written using basic instruments including a

Casio CZ-5000 The CZ series is a family of low-cost phase distortion synthesizers produced by Casio beginning in 1985. Eight models of CZ synthesizers were released: the CZ-101, CZ-230S, CZ-1000, CZ-2000S, CZ-2600S, CZ-3000, CZ-5000, and the CZ-1. Additional ...

synth and a Roland TR-909 drum machine. Saunderson made the instrumental part in his own apartment and rented a studio for 24 hours to record it with Grey. He was very happy with the result. He said in an interview about making the song, "The vocals were 100% Paris on 'Good Life', I just gave her some direction. I said, 'Look, I don't want it to sound like 'Big Fun' but I want it to be in the same family, I want to follow up with a feel that's similar.'" The original version of the track was almost like a radio version, and

Juan Atkins Juan Atkins (born September 12, 1962), also known as Model 500 and Infiniti, is an American record producer and DJ from Detroit, Michigan. ''Mixmag'' has described him as "the original pioneer of Detroit techno." He has been a member of the Belle ...

, Derrick May and

Steve "Silk" Hurley Steve W. "Silk" Hurley (born November 9, 1962), also known as J. M. Silk (for "Jack Master Silk"), is an American club DJ, house music producer, and songwriter. From 1985 to 1988, he had four top-10 singles on the US Dance chart, including th ...

made remixes for the single. It peaked at number four in the UK in January 1989, and was certified silver by the

British Phonographic Industry BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...

for sales exceeding 200,000 copies. It's their highest-charting single to date and became huge at rave parties and acid house clubs. In 1999, it was re-recorded and remixed by producer Tommy Onyx and a

Spanish language Spanish () or Castilian () is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family that evolved from the Vulgar Latin spoken on the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. Today, it is a world language, gl ...

version was also released. It hit number 10 on the UK Singles Chart and was released by IASRecordings (whereas the original version was issued by Virgin/AVL's 10 Records label). A new music video was also produced to accompany it.

Critical reception

Upon the release, J.D. Considine from ''

The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local, regional, national, and international news. Founded in 1837, the newspaper was owned by Tribune Publi ...

'' felt that songs like "Good Life" "boast more than enough pop appeal for the average listener." Bill Coleman from ''

'' wrote, "

's own Inner City has served up yet another stylized, hook-filled club record with "Good Life" (

). Producer/chief songwriter/member

is becoming the man of the hour—with good reason. Maintaining a feel similar to the act's previous No. 1 smash, " Big Fun", this new offering manages to blend familiar textures with exciting and refreshing melodies and hooks. Positive lyric treatment and a sensitive delivery by talented, 22-year-old Paris Grey intensify the track by complementing the potent energy the instrumentation creates."

Robert Hilburn Robert Hilburn (born September 25, 1939) is an American pop music critic, author, and radio host. As music critic and editor at the ''Los Angeles Times'' from 1970 to 2005, his reviews, essays, and profiles have appeared in publications worldwide ...

from ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' said, "The emphasis in this hyperactive dance-floor is on inviting sound textures, with all sorts of turntable high jinks adding to the dizzy exuberance." Another ''Los Angeles Times'' editor, Chris Willman, stated, "No record this year will have a better groove (or mixture of grooves, really) than this one from Inner City". He remarked that the lyrics "yearn plaintively for something better". Pan-European magazine ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later m ...

'' said, "If you thought "Big Fun" was good, then check this out. Same basic formula but more melody. Funky and smouldering." Upon the 1998 remix, ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as ''Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music We ...

'' wrote, "Guaranteed to cut through the winter cold, this uplifting update of the 1988

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

classic adds acoustic guitar flourishes, warm synth washes and Spanish vocals to the original." Alf Billingham from ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...

'' deemed it "another unequivocal slab of

techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempos being in the range from 120 to 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time ( ) and often ...

hi-tech". Matthew Cole from the ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper published between 1954 and 1991, aimed at pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after ''New Musical Express'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK Album ...

'' Dance Update named it Inner City's "finest moment". Barry Walters for ''

The San Francisco Examiner The ''San Francisco Examiner'' is a newspaper distributed in and around San Francisco, California, and has been published since 1863. Once self-dubbed the "Monarch of the Dailies" by then-owner William Randolph Hearst and the flagship of the H ...

'' concluded that as evident in club hits like "Good Life", "Grey has a voice to be reckoned with. Exuberant, exultant and yet relaxed, it can lovingly rap itself around notes and emotions other singers strain to reach. And it won't let go." Alex Kadis from ''

Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand ...

'' praised it as a "smashing dance single", stating that "singing girlie person, Paris Grey, has the perfect voice for house-type records."

Chart performance

"Good Life" peaked at number one in Finland, and on both the Canadian ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or r⋅min−1) is a unit of rotational speed (or rotational frequency) for rotating machines. One revolution per minute is equivalent to hertz. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 def ...

'' Dance chart and the US ''

'' Dance Club Play chart. In Europe, it reached number two in West Germany. It spent 17 weeks within the West German Singles Chart, with six weeks inside the top 10. "Good Life" entered the top 10 Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. In the UK, it peaked at number four during its fifth week on the UK Singles Chart, on January 1, 1989. It spent two weeks at that position and 12 weeks within the chart. "Good Life" was additionally a top-20 hit in Austria and a top 30 hit in Italy. In Oceania, it reached numbers eight and 52 in New Zealand and Australia, respectively. On the US ''Billboard''

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...

, it peaked at number 73.

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Good Life", which sees Kevin Saunderson and Paris Grey prancing around in

, was directed by Neil Thompson. Several famous landmarks can be seen in the video, like

Trafalgar Square Trafalgar Square ( ) is a public square in the City of Westminster in Central London. It was established in the early-19th century around the area formerly known as Charing Cross. Its name commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar, the Royal Navy, ...

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...

and

Piccadilly Circus Piccadilly Circus is a road junction and public space of London's West End of London, West End in the City of Westminster. It was built in 1819 to connect Regent Street with Piccadilly. In this context, a ''List of road junctions in the Unite ...

. Bystanders on the street were stopped and asked to film them. At one point they saw a Rolls-Royce parked on the kerb with a uniformed chauffeur standing by it. The director asked the driver if they could use the car for a minute. The chauffeur drove Grey down the street and then parked it back exactly where it had been, all before the owner returned. "Good Life" was later made available on

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

in October 2012, and by late 2024, the video had generated more than ten million views.

Impact and legacy

Alex Henderson from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

complimented the song as a "

gem". Another AllMusic editor, John Bush, praised it as a "uplifting" gem from the "uncommonly moody

club scene of the '80s." American DJ, record producer, remixer and songwriter Armand van Helden named "Good Life" one of his "classic cuts" in 1995, adding, "One of my first vocal house records, before that I was into the Todd Terry, Royal House stuff. When Inner City came out with "Good Life" it struck me – it's a happy song but very powerful. It moves the dancefloor but it's sassy, it wasn't weak. It had house and

elements years ahead of its time." ''

Mixmag ''Mixmag'' is a British electronic dance and clubbing magazine published in London. Launched in 1983 as a print magazine, it has branched into dance events, including festivals and club nights. History The first issue of ''Mixmag'' was printe ...

'' ranked the song number 20 in its "100 Greatest Dance Singles Of All Time" list in 1996, adding, "As the Summer of Love drew to a close, a tune emerged which distilled the spirit of club hedonism, pressed it onto vinyl and slapped it on the decks of every discerning DJ. "''Let me take you to a place I know you wanna go''", cooed Paris Grey over a chunky effortlessly uplifting backdrop, "''it's the good life''". And thousands of kids turned on to this bizarre new way of spending your Saturday night knew exactly what she meant. Remove it from its cultural context, play it eight years after it first came out and you're still left with a beautiful, remarkable house record." ''

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...

'' ranked it 55th in its "100 Greatest Dance Songs" list in 2006, writing, "1988's "Good Life" clanked like techno, pumped like house and featured

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

diva vocals from his partner in Inner City, Paris Grey. "''Let me take you to a place you know you wanna go/It's a good life''", she belts, creating the clearest picture of dance floor halcyon since

Chic Chic (; ), meaning "stylish" or "smart", is an element of fashion. It was originally a French word. Etymology '' Chic'' is a French word, established in English since at least the 1870s. Early references in English dictionaries classified ...

sang about 54 and its

roller skates Roller skates are boots with wheels mounted to the bottom, allowing the user to travel on hard surfaces similarly to an ice skater on ice. The first roller skate was an inline skate design, effectively an ice skate with a line of wheels replac ...

, roller skates." In '' Time Outs 2015 list of "The 20 Best House Tracks Ever", "Good Life" was included at #11, adding, "One of Detroit techno don

's housier, poppier moments - under his Inner City project with singer Paris Grey - also became his most well-known. With its unashamedly upbeat vocals and colourful '80s

synths A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis an ...

all over the place, 'Good Life' showed that dance music wasn't all about heads-down raving in a dark basement club - it could also be (whisper it) happy, for no damn reason at all." In a 2017 retrospective review, Pop Rescue stated that the song is "absolutely flawless in production, strength of vocals and beats", noting that "those up-beat lyrics, over a catchy synth and bassline, mixed with Paris Grey's fantastically dreamy vocals really does make this track feel like a slice of sunshine in the winter". ''Mixmag'' included it in their ranking of "The Best 20 House Classics From Before 1990" in October 2017. In March 2025, ''

'' magazine ranked "Good Life" number 56 in their list of "The 100 Best Dance Songs of All Time", writing, "An equal blend of house and techno, it demonstrates why both genres endure as two of America's greatest artforms."

Accolades

(*) indicates the list is unordered.

Track listings

* 7" single, Italy (1988) #"Good Life" (Master Reese Edit) — 3:59 #"Good Life" (Instrumental) — 5:12 #"Good Life" (Original 12" Mix) - 7:13 * 12" single, UK (1988) #"Good Life" (Magic Juan's Mix) — 8:18 #"Good Life" (Mayday Club Mix) — 6:12 #" Big Fun" (L.A. Big Big Fun Remix) — 5:12 * 12" single, US (1988) #"Good Life" (Mayday Mix) — 6:12 #"Good Life" (Steve "Silk" Hurley Mix) — 7:11 #"Good Life" (Radio Mix) — 3:59 #"Good Life" (Magic Juan Mix) — 8:28 #"Good Life" ( Mike "Hitman" Wilson Mix) — 7:21 #"Big Fun" ( Les Adams Remix) — 6:47 * CD single, UK & Europe (1989) #"Good Life" (Master Reese Edit 7") — 4:05 #"Good Life" (Magic Juan's Mix 12") — 8:29 #"Big Fun" (L.A. Big Big Fun Remix) — 5:15

Charts

Weekly charts

1998 Tommy Onyx version

Year-end charts

Certifications

Sampling

* In 1984 samples Volume of the Good Life GMBH a Frankfurt Germany sound recording Pop dance single classic produced by D.Staggs Sr * In 1989 it was sampled in "(Still Life) Keeps Moving" by Nexus 21, and in "Techno Time" by

The Maxx ''The Maxx'' is an American comic book series created by Sam Kieth in 1993 and originally published monthly until 1998 by Image Comics for 35 issues, before being collected in trade paperback by DC Comics' Wildstorm imprint. The first appearanc ...

. * In 1990 "A Place Called Bliss" by Cyclone (2) used a sample. * In 1992 it got sampled by

Yuzo Koshiro is a Japanese composer and sound programmer. He is often regarded as one of the most influential innovators in chiptune and video game music, producing music in a number of genres including rock, jazz, symphonic, and various electronic genres s ...

in the song "Go Straight", and by Jungle House Crew in "Let Me Take You". * In 1996 it was sampled in "Chord Memory" by Ian Pooley. * In 2005 "Rock On" by Jackson and His Computer Band used a sample of "Good Life". * In 2008 it got sampled by

Hercules and Love Affair Hercules and Love Affair is a dance music project created by American DJ, singer, composer, musician and producer Andy Butler in 2004. Consisting of a rotating cast of performers and musicians, the band work within the genres of house music, di ...

in the song "You Belong", and in "Be Free" by Promise Land. * In 2009

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman, and actress. One of the List of music artists by net worth, wealthiest musicians in the world, List of awards and nominations received by Rihanna, her vario ...

used a sample in the song "Bubble Pop", and it was also used in "Celebration" by Tony Lionni and by Kim Fai in the song "Good Life". * In 2013 it was sampled in "

Wanna Go "Wanna Go" is a song by the British rapper Maxsta, featuring vocals from Little Nikki. It was released on 29 September 2013, through Sony Music Entertainment Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multi ...

" by

Maxsta Ian Sanusee Koromah (born 1995), better known by the stage name Maxsta, is an English grime MC from South East London. He is signed Just Jam, a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment. A fast-paced, choppy style of delivery has led him to be ...

feat.

Little Nikki Nicole Shortland (born 6 March 1996), known professionally as Nikki Ambers and previously as Little Nikki, is an English singer-songwriter from London. She is best known for her 2013 single "Little Nikki Says", which peaked at number 53 on the ...

, and "Cut Me Up" by Stanton Warriors and Them & Us. * In 2014 it got sampled in "Let Me" by René Amesz. * In 2015 "Techno Disco" by Kerrier District and "Wanna Go" by Dos Padres used a sample. * In 2021

Ferry Corsten Ferry Corsten OON (; born 4 December 1973) is a Dutch DJ, record producer and remixer. He is well known for producing many pioneering trance tracks during the 1990s–2000s under his numerous aliases, including System F, Moonman, Pulp Victim an ...

sampled parts of the vocals for his song "Lemme Take You".

In popular culture

* In November 1996, the song was featured prominently in the opening scene of "Smack is Back", a third-season episode of the

FOX Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

police drama The police procedural, police show, or police crime drama is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasises the investigative procedure of police officers, police detectives, or law enforcement agencies as the protagonists, as ...

television series ''

New York Undercover ''New York Undercover'' is an American police drama that aired on the Fox television network from September 8, 1994, to February 11, 1999. The series starred Malik Yoba as Detective J.C. Williams and Michael DeLorenzo as Detective Eddie Torre ...

''. * It was featured in the opening credits of '' House of Style ''when it premiered on MTV in January 1989. * It was also featured in the films '' Slaves of New York'' (1989), '' Side Out'' (1990) and '' B*A*P*S'' (1997). * It was programmed as a chiptune for the

Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console, manufactured by Nintendo, which was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, and to international markets that June. It was later released in mainland China in 2004, under the name iQue Game Boy Advanc ...

e-reader An e-reader, also called an e reader or e device, is a Mobile computing, mobile electronic device that is designed primarily for the purpose of reading digital e-books and Periodical literature, periodicals. Any device that can display text on ...

. * German DJ/remixer Gardeweg used portions of this song, along with Inner City's other two singles, " Big Fun" and "Paradise", for his 2003 single "All I Want" * In 2005 the song was used in the South African movie Crazy Monkey presents Straight Outta Benoni. Both the original Inner City version and a cover by South African band The Finkelsteins were used in the soundtrack. *

sampled the synth on the song '' You Belong'' from their 2008 self-titled album. * It was featured in the closing credits of the

2012 Tour de France The 2012 Tour de France was the 99th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours. It started in the Belgian city of Liège on 30 June and finished on the Champs-Élysées stage in the Tour de France, Champs ...

coverage on Eurosport. *

Gossip Gossip is idle talk or rumor, especially about the personal or private affairs of others; the act is also known as dishing or tattling. Etymology The word is from Old English ''godsibb'', from ''god (word), god'' and ''sibb'', the term for the ...

sampled the synth on the song "Get Lost" from their 2012 album '' A Joyful Noise''. *

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. Cultural impact of Brit ...

sampled many elements of the song on the track "Up n' Down" from her 2011 album ''

Femme Fatale A ( , ; ), sometimes called a maneater, Mata Hari, or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and Seduction, seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype ...

''. *

M-22 M-22 are a British-German DJ and producer duo consisting of Matt James and Frank Sanders. On March 22, the duo met, through a joint production, which is the reason for their stage name. History On March 22, 2015, the duo met during a joint ...

samples the song in their 2019 single " White Lies"

References

{{authority control 1988 songs 1988 singles 1999 singles Inner City (band) songs Number-one singles in Finland UK Independent Singles Chart number-one singles Songs written by Kevin Saunderson Songs written by Paris Grey Music videos shot in London