Wouldn't It Be Good
Encyclopedia
"Wouldn't It Be Good" is a song written and recorded by singer Nik Kershaw
for his 1984 studio album Human Racing
. The song has been covered by numerous artists since, including Placebo
, Danny Hutton Hitters
, Cascada
, and Soulwax
.
, it was among his more popular singles spending three weeks at #4 in the UK charts and becoming a hit throughout Europe. It is also the song with which he is most closely associated in the U.S., where it narrowly missed going Top 40. Kershaw performed this song at Live Aid
in London
's Wembley Stadium, in July 1985. The lyrics are apparently inspired by the "the grass is always greener on the other side" saying.
Kershaw's prior single, his debut, had failed to be a major hit, and it was on the strength of this record's success that the earlier single, "I Won't Let the Sun Go Down on Me
", was promoted for a re-release. This time the single went all the way to #2 in the UK, becoming his highest-charting single there to date.
"Wouldn't It Be Good" was released in a single version and an extended 12" version. The main synth tune was produced using a combination of PPG Wave 2.2 and a Yamaha DX7
. A remix
by Simon Boswell, clocking in at 7:20, appears on the album Retro:Active 4: Rare & Remixed.
Nik Kershaw's "Wouldn't It Be Good" plays in the background of a scene from Gotcha!
, an action film released in 1985. It also features in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
on the radio station "Flash FM" set in 1984 in a metropolitan area patterned after Miami, Florida
. The song was also featured in two Ricky Gervais
projects, Episode 6 Season 2 of the British TV comedy "Extras
" and the "Living With Ricky" special feature on his DVD Politics
.
In 2009, VH1 listed the song as #88 among their 100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the '80s.
It also appeared on the "Pretty in Pink
" soundtrack.
12" maxi
, starring Molly Ringwald
. This song was also covered by American girl group She Moves
on their 1997 debut album Breaking All The Rules. A Eurotrance group called Pure Pressure also covered the song in a 2002 release by the Zeitgeist label. In 2002, the song was covered by the second season finalists of the French Star Academy
program on the album Star Academy
fait sa boum, sung by Nolwenn Leroy
and Georges-Alain Jones
. In 2008, a version by Tina Arena
was released on the album Songs of Love & Loss 2
. Alternative rock
band Placebo
features a cover as the B-side to their June 2009 single "For What It's Worth
".
Soulwax
covered "Wouldn't It Be Good" on their album Much Against Everyone's Advice
in 1997.
German singer Juliane Werding covered the song with a German text in 1984.
German gothic rock act ASP
released a cover of the song as a bonus track on the deluxe edition of their 2011 album Fremd.
Nik Kershaw
Nik Kershaw is an English singer-songwriter. The one time jazz-funk guitarist was a mid-1980s teen idol. His 50 weeks on the UK Singles Chart in 1984 beat all other soloists...
for his 1984 studio album Human Racing
Human Racing
Human Racing is Nik Kershaw's first album. It was released in 1984 by MCA Records. The title track was a top 20 hit in the United Kingdom, peaking at #19....
. The song has been covered by numerous artists since, including Placebo
Placebo (band)
Placebo are a British rock band from London, England, formed in 1994 by singer and guitarist Brian Molko and bass guitarist Stefan Olsdal. The band was joined by drummer Robert Schultzberg, who was later replaced by Steve Hewitt after conflicts with Molko. Hewitt left the band in October 2007 and...
, Danny Hutton Hitters
Danny Hutton
Daniel Anthony Hutton , is an Irish-American singer, best known as one of the three lead vocalists in the band, Three Dog Night. Hutton was the head of Hanna Barbera Records from 1965-1966...
, Cascada
Cascada
Cascada is a German Eurodance act most famous for their hit singles "Everytime We Touch", "What Hurts the Most", and "Evacuate the Dancefloor"...
, and Soulwax
Soulwax
Soulwax, headed by David and Stephen Dewaele, are an alternative rock/electronic band from Ghent, Belgium. Next to the Dewaele brothers, Soulwax consists of bassist Stefaan Van Leuven and drummer Steve Slingeneyer. They were first noticed after the release of their album Much Against Everyone's...
.
Song information
The second single from Kershaw's debut solo album Human RacingHuman Racing
Human Racing is Nik Kershaw's first album. It was released in 1984 by MCA Records. The title track was a top 20 hit in the United Kingdom, peaking at #19....
, it was among his more popular singles spending three weeks at #4 in the UK charts and becoming a hit throughout Europe. It is also the song with which he is most closely associated in the U.S., where it narrowly missed going Top 40. Kershaw performed this song at Live Aid
Live Aid
Live Aid was a dual-venue concert that was held on 13 July 1985. The event was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for relief of the ongoing Ethiopian famine. Billed as the "global jukebox", the event was held simultaneously in Wembley Stadium in London, England, United Kingdom ...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's Wembley Stadium, in July 1985. The lyrics are apparently inspired by the "the grass is always greener on the other side" saying.
Kershaw's prior single, his debut, had failed to be a major hit, and it was on the strength of this record's success that the earlier single, "I Won't Let the Sun Go Down on Me
I Won't Let the Sun Go Down on Me
The song was released by Jonas Ekfeldt as Robin Cook under the name "I Won't Let the Sun Go Down" and later formed part of the album Land of Sunshine in 1997. The song charted in Sweden for 19 weeks in 1996 peaking at no. 3 and in Finland for 2 week peaking at no...
", was promoted for a re-release. This time the single went all the way to #2 in the UK, becoming his highest-charting single there to date.
"Wouldn't It Be Good" was released in a single version and an extended 12" version. The main synth tune was produced using a combination of PPG Wave 2.2 and a Yamaha DX7
Yamaha DX7
The Yamaha DX7 is an FM Digital Synthesizer manufactured by the Yamaha Corporation from 1983 to 1986. It was the first commercially successful digital synthesizer. Its distinctive sound can be heard on many recordings, especially Pop music from the 1980s...
. A remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
by Simon Boswell, clocking in at 7:20, appears on the album Retro:Active 4: Rare & Remixed.
Nik Kershaw's "Wouldn't It Be Good" plays in the background of a scene from Gotcha!
Gotcha! (1985 film)
Gotcha! is a 1985 action film, starring Anthony Edwards and Linda Fiorentino. The movie is directed by Jeff Kanew, who also directed Anthony Edwards in Revenge of the Nerds in 1984....
, an action film released in 1985. It also features in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories is a 2006 sandbox-style action video game developed by Rockstar Leeds in association with Rockstar North. It was published by Rockstar Games for the PlayStation Portable in late 2006 and later for the PlayStation 2 in March 2007. The game is the eighth...
on the radio station "Flash FM" set in 1984 in a metropolitan area patterned after Miami, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. The song was also featured in two Ricky Gervais
Ricky Gervais
Ricky Dene Gervais is an English comedian, actor, director, radio presenter, producer, musician, and writer.Gervais achieved mainstream fame with his television series The Office and the subsequent series Extras, both of which he co-wrote and co-directed with friend and frequent collaborator...
projects, Episode 6 Season 2 of the British TV comedy "Extras
Extras (TV series)
Extras is a British sitcom about extras working on TV and film sets and in theatre. The series was co-produced by the BBC and HBO, and is created, written, and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, both of whom also star in it...
" and the "Living With Ricky" special feature on his DVD Politics
Politics (comedy)
Politics is the second of Ricky Gervais' stand-up shows. It was written and performed by the comedian Gervais. As the title suggests the show takes the political sphere as its central theme. Gervais toured the show in 2004 and it is now available on DVD....
.
In 2009, VH1 listed the song as #88 among their 100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the '80s.
It also appeared on the "Pretty in Pink
Pretty in Pink
Pretty in Pink is a 1986 American teen romantic comedy-drama film about teenage love and social cliques in 1980s American high schools. It is one of a group of John Hughes films starring Molly Ringwald, and is commonly identified as a "Brat Pack" film...
" soundtrack.
Track listings
7" single- "Wouldn't It Be Good" — 4:35
- "Monkey Business" — 3:28
12" maxi
- "Wouldn't It Be Good" (special extended mix) — 6:50
- "Monkey Business" — 3:28
Certifications
| Country | Certification | Date | Sales certified |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK | Silver | March 1, 1984 | 200,000 |
Charts
| Chart (1984–1985) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Singles Chart | 12 |
| Canadian RPM Singles Chart | 9 |
| Dutch Mega Top 100 | 32 |
| French SNEP Singles Chart | 35 |
| German Singles Chart | 2 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 2 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 6 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 3 |
| UK Singles Chart | 4 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 46 |
Cover versions
This song was first covered by Danny Hutton's Hitters for the 1986 John Hughes film Pretty in PinkPretty in Pink
Pretty in Pink is a 1986 American teen romantic comedy-drama film about teenage love and social cliques in 1980s American high schools. It is one of a group of John Hughes films starring Molly Ringwald, and is commonly identified as a "Brat Pack" film...
, starring Molly Ringwald
Molly Ringwald
Molly Kathleen Ringwald is an American actress, singer and dancer. Having appeared in the John Hughes movies Sixteen Candles , The Breakfast Club , and Pretty in Pink , Ringwald has been frequently named the greatest teen star of all time...
. This song was also covered by American girl group She Moves
She Moves
She Moves was an American pop trio consisting of Carla Duren, Danielle Flora and Diana Bologna, all who were former New York Knicks City Dancers.-History:...
on their 1997 debut album Breaking All The Rules. A Eurotrance group called Pure Pressure also covered the song in a 2002 release by the Zeitgeist label. In 2002, the song was covered by the second season finalists of the French Star Academy
Star Academy France
Star Academy was a French reality television show produced by the Dutch company Endemol, based on the Spanish format called Operación Triunfo. It consists of a contest of young singers. It spawned an equally successful show in Quebec called Star Académie. It was broadcast on TF1...
program on the album Star Academy
Star Academy France
Star Academy was a French reality television show produced by the Dutch company Endemol, based on the Spanish format called Operación Triunfo. It consists of a contest of young singers. It spawned an equally successful show in Quebec called Star Académie. It was broadcast on TF1...
fait sa boum, sung by Nolwenn Leroy
Nolwenn Leroy
Nolwenn Leroy, , is a French singer and songwriter, discovered by the French television reality show Star Academy. She is best known for her two Number One singles "Cassé" and "Nolwenn Ohwo!"....
and Georges-Alain Jones
Georges-Alain Jones
Georges-Alain Jones is a French singer. He participated in the second edition of French TV reality show Star Academy...
. In 2008, a version by Tina Arena
Tina Arena
Filippina Lydia "Tina" Arena is an Australian singer, songwriter and musical theatre actress. She has won several awards, most notably 6 ARIA Awards and in both 1996 and 2000 she received the World Music Award for the world's best selling Australian artist...
was released on the album Songs of Love & Loss 2
Songs of Love & Loss 2
Songs of Love & Loss 2 is the eighth studio album by Australian singer and songwriter Tina Arena, released on 15 November 2008 by EMI in Australia. Her second cover album, it follows on from Songs of Love & Loss, released in 2007, and includes covers of songs by Blondie, Lulu, Alice Cooper and...
. Alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band Placebo
Placebo (band)
Placebo are a British rock band from London, England, formed in 1994 by singer and guitarist Brian Molko and bass guitarist Stefan Olsdal. The band was joined by drummer Robert Schultzberg, who was later replaced by Steve Hewitt after conflicts with Molko. Hewitt left the band in October 2007 and...
features a cover as the B-side to their June 2009 single "For What It's Worth
For What It's Worth (Placebo song)
"For What It's Worth" is the first official single from Placebo's sixth studio album, Battle for the Sun.-Release:It was released on April 20, 2009, in a similar fashion to "Battle for the Sun", i.e...
".
Soulwax
Soulwax
Soulwax, headed by David and Stephen Dewaele, are an alternative rock/electronic band from Ghent, Belgium. Next to the Dewaele brothers, Soulwax consists of bassist Stefaan Van Leuven and drummer Steve Slingeneyer. They were first noticed after the release of their album Much Against Everyone's...
covered "Wouldn't It Be Good" on their album Much Against Everyone's Advice
Much Against Everyone's Advice
Much Against Everyone's Advice is a 1998 album by Belgian alternative rock band Soulwax. It includes a hidden track that can be found by rewinding about 50 seconds before "Conversation Intercom"...
in 1997.
German singer Juliane Werding covered the song with a German text in 1984.
German gothic rock act ASP
ASP (band)
ASP is a German rock band from Frankfurt am Main formed in 1999. The name is basically identical with the pseudonym of the Band's leader Asp and to be pronounced as one word.-Biography:...
released a cover of the song as a bonus track on the deluxe edition of their 2011 album Fremd.