Good Girls Don't (song)
Encyclopedia
"Good Girls Don't" is a 1979 hit single written by Doug Fieger
and released by the rock band The Knack
, off their album Get the Knack
. It was the follow-up to the group's No. 1 single, "My Sharona
." It reached #11 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart and #66 on the British charts. It also reached #20 in New Zealand. The song has since been covered by a number of artists, including The Chipmunks
, Ben Folds
and The McRackins
.
Critic Chris Woodstra of Allmusic described the song as an "unforgettable hit." Critic Greil Marcus
described the song as a "smutty little Beatles imitation." Author John Borack described the song as "a mean pop tune," noting too that in the song lead singer and songwriter Fieger comes off "like a leering, sexist twit with hormones a-raging." Billboard Magazine referred to the song's "hearty harmonica" part and Beatle-esque
harmonies
, noting that "the music is delivered in tight little notes at top speed." Wayne Wadhams, David Nathan and Susan Gedutis Lindsay described the song as a "well written pop tune" and note that the music is prettier than "My Sharonna" contains harmonies similar to The Searchers
and The Hollies
. However, they also go on to note that the lyric "portrays a character more doggedly bent on sex than naturally aroused" and represents a "leering, postpubescent sales pitch by a dirty young man." Other critics regarded the song as "derivative" and "sexist."
The lyrics, such as the refrain "She'll be telling you 'good girls don't but I do,'" were considered misogynistic by some critics. However, Joyce Canaan of the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies
wrote that this line succinctly captures the transformation of teenage girls' representations of their sexual practices; while they want to be seen as "good girls," even good girls may engage in practices that do not correspond to moral standards established by males. Other lyrics that created controversy included the lines:
"And she makes you want to scream; wishing you could get inside her pants," (this line was rerecorded as "wishing she was givin' you a chance" on the "clean" single release) and:
The "clean" single edit also changed this last line to "when she puts you in your place." Two other changes to the lyrics also had to be made in order to release the song as a single.
Like some other power pop
songs, such as Blondie
's "Hanging on the Telephone
" and "Sunday Girl
", as well as The Beatles
' "Please Please Me
" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand
", the drumming pattern of "Good Girls Don't" employs a double backbeat rhythm.
"Good Girls Don't" was also released on The Knack's compilation albums The Retrospective: The Best of the Knack (1992), The Very Best of The Knack (1998) and Best of The Knack (1999). It was also released on the 2002 live album and DVD Live From the Rock 'N' Roll Funhouse. It was part of the Carnegie Hall
concert that was released on laserdisc
. It was also included on a number of multiband compilation albums, such as Greatest Hits of the 70's and Party Starter: 80s Mix.
"Good Girls Don't" was one of the first songs The Knack recorded prior to signing their first record deal. They had made a demo of "Good Girls Don't" and "That's What Little Girls Do" in 1978, despite which the band was turned down multiple times in their efforts to get their first record contract.
Doug Fieger
Douglas Lars "Doug" Fieger was an American singer-songwriter-musician. He was the lead singer of the power pop band The Knack, and co-wrote "My Sharona", the biggest hit song of 1979 in the USA, with lead guitarist, Berton Averre.-Life and career:Fieger's father was Jewish, and his mother of...
and released by the rock band The Knack
The Knack
The Knack was an American New Wave rock quartet based in Los Angeles that rose to fame with their first single, "My Sharona", an international number one hit in 1979.-Founding :...
, off their album Get the Knack
Get the Knack
Get Knack is the debut album by The Knack, released in June 1979. The album was the fasting-selling debut album on Capitol Records since Meet the Beatles in 1964. It went platinum in just two months and spent five weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart...
. It was the follow-up to the group's No. 1 single, "My Sharona
My Sharona
"My Sharona" is the debut single by The Knack, released in 1979 from their album Get the Knack. It reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart where it remained for six weeks and was #1 on Billboards Top Pop Singles of 1979 year-end chart. It was certified gold by the Recording Industry...
." It reached #11 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart and #66 on the British charts. It also reached #20 in New Zealand. The song has since been covered by a number of artists, including The Chipmunks
The Chipmunks
Alvin and the Chipmunks is an American animated music group created by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. in 1958. The group consists of three singing animated anthropomorphic chipmunks: Alvin, the mischievous troublemaker, who quickly became the star of the group; Simon, the tall, bespectacled intellectual;...
, Ben Folds
Ben Folds
Benjamin Scott "Ben" Folds is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and television personality. From 1995-2000, Folds was the frontman and pianist of the alternative rock band Ben Folds Five. Since the group disbanded, Folds has performed as a solo artist and has toured all over the world...
and The McRackins
The McRackins
The McRackins are a Canadian pop punk band that was formed in 1994. Their song and album titles revolve around egg puns They have had approximately 70 releases from over 30 different record labels....
.
Critic Chris Woodstra of Allmusic described the song as an "unforgettable hit." Critic Greil Marcus
Greil Marcus
Greil Marcus is an American author, music journalist and cultural critic. He is notable for producing scholarly and literary essays that place rock music in a much broader framework of culture and politics than is customary in pop music journalism.-Life and career:Marcus was born in San Francisco...
described the song as a "smutty little Beatles imitation." Author John Borack described the song as "a mean pop tune," noting too that in the song lead singer and songwriter Fieger comes off "like a leering, sexist twit with hormones a-raging." Billboard Magazine referred to the song's "hearty harmonica" part and Beatle-esque
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
harmonies
Harmony
In music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches , or chords. The study of harmony involves chords and their construction and chord progressions and the principles of connection that govern them. Harmony is often said to refer to the "vertical" aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic...
, noting that "the music is delivered in tight little notes at top speed." Wayne Wadhams, David Nathan and Susan Gedutis Lindsay described the song as a "well written pop tune" and note that the music is prettier than "My Sharonna" contains harmonies similar to The Searchers
The Searchers (band)
The Searchers are an English beat group, who emerged as part of the 1960s Merseybeat scene along with The Beatles, The Fourmost, The Merseybeats, The Swinging Blue Jeans, and Gerry & The Pacemakers....
and The Hollies
The Hollies
The Hollies are an English pop and rock group, formed in Manchester in the early 1960s, though most of the band members are from throughout East Lancashire. Known for their distinctive vocal harmony style, they became one of the leading British groups of the 1960s and 1970s...
. However, they also go on to note that the lyric "portrays a character more doggedly bent on sex than naturally aroused" and represents a "leering, postpubescent sales pitch by a dirty young man." Other critics regarded the song as "derivative" and "sexist."
The lyrics, such as the refrain "She'll be telling you 'good girls don't but I do,'" were considered misogynistic by some critics. However, Joyce Canaan of the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies
Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies
The Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies was a research centre at the University of Birmingham, England. It was founded in 1964 by Richard Hoggart, its first director...
wrote that this line succinctly captures the transformation of teenage girls' representations of their sexual practices; while they want to be seen as "good girls," even good girls may engage in practices that do not correspond to moral standards established by males. Other lyrics that created controversy included the lines:
"And she makes you want to scream; wishing you could get inside her pants," (this line was rerecorded as "wishing she was givin' you a chance" on the "clean" single release) and:
- And it's a teenage sadness
- Everyone has got to taste.
- An in-between age madness
- That you know you can't erase
- Til she's sitting on your face.
The "clean" single edit also changed this last line to "when she puts you in your place." Two other changes to the lyrics also had to be made in order to release the song as a single.
Like some other power pop
Power pop
Power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are...
songs, such as Blondie
Blondie (band)
Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...
's "Hanging on the Telephone
Hanging on the Telephone
"Hanging on the Telephone" is a song written by Jack Lee and first performed by Lee's short-lived US West Coast power pop trio The Nerves, who placed it as the lead-off track on their 1976 EP, the band's only release. New Wave band Blondie popularised the song when it was released as the second...
" and "Sunday Girl
Sunday Girl
"Sunday Girl" was a UK number-one single by Blondie for three weeks in May 1979. It was Blondie's second UK number-one single after "Heart of Glass"; it was, however, never released as a single in the US.-Song information:...
", as well as The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' "Please Please Me
Please Please Me
Please Please Me is the debut album by the English rock band The Beatles. Parlophone rush-released the album on 22 March 1963 in the United Kingdom to capitalise on the success of singles "Please Please Me" and "Love Me Do" .Of the album's fourteen songs, eight were written by Lennon–McCartney...
" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand
I Want to Hold Your Hand
"I Want to Hold Your Hand" is a song by the English rock band The Beatles. Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, and recorded in October 1963, it was the first Beatles record to be made using four-track equipment....
", the drumming pattern of "Good Girls Don't" employs a double backbeat rhythm.
"Good Girls Don't" was also released on The Knack's compilation albums The Retrospective: The Best of the Knack (1992), The Very Best of The Knack (1998) and Best of The Knack (1999). It was also released on the 2002 live album and DVD Live From the Rock 'N' Roll Funhouse. It was part of the Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
concert that was released on laserdisc
Laserdisc
LaserDisc was a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium. Initially licensed, sold, and marketed as MCA DiscoVision in North America in 1978, the technology was previously referred to interally as Optical Videodisc System, Reflective Optical Videodisc, Laser Optical...
. It was also included on a number of multiband compilation albums, such as Greatest Hits of the 70's and Party Starter: 80s Mix.
"Good Girls Don't" was one of the first songs The Knack recorded prior to signing their first record deal. They had made a demo of "Good Girls Don't" and "That's What Little Girls Do" in 1978, despite which the band was turned down multiple times in their efforts to get their first record contract.