“Goody Two Shoes” by Adam Ant
The narrator of “Goody Two Shoes” appears to have penned this song as a response to the media’s intrusion into his private life for the sake of their tabloids. He sarcastically describes himself with the titular expression (Goody Two Shoes), which is mostly used to refer to a self-righteous person, because of the shock that the media felt when they learnt he was a teetotaler.
While the singer was an intriguing personality on stage, he kept his personal life very private which always led the press to question his vices. As seen in the chorus of the song, they couldn’t wrap their fingers around how it was possible that someone with such an outrageous facade was not drinking or smoking. This is why they constantly questioned what he did behind the scenes and kept suspecting that he must have been on something else.
The final verses of the song see the singer taking a swipe at the media for trying to tell him what was right or wrong. While he’s aware of the pressure that comes with stardom, he insists on keeping his private life and vices out of the public eye.
Adam later revealed that the song was his answer back manifesto and his way of keeping things level-headed. He added that he felt that performing on stage was supposed to be an illusion, and he loves it for its wonder, however he also believed that he should be allowed to live a private personal life off stage.
When did Adam Ant release “Goody Two Shoes”?
Being officially released on 7 May 1982 by CBS (i.e. Columbia) Records, this is the first song which Adam Ant ever put out as a soloist. And it proved to be quite the hit, as the track went on to top the UK Singles Chart as well as the Kent Music Report in Australia, in addition to reaching as high as number 12 in America, making it his first ever American hit single. Furthermore this smash hit charted in the top 10 section of official singles charts in the following territories:
- Canada
- Germany
- Ireland
- Netherlands
This track came out as part of Adam Ant’s first solo album, “Friend or Foe” (1982).
Popular Usage and Covers
Since the turn of the century “Goody Two Shoes” has been featured on quite a few TV shows, such as “Scream Queens” (2016) and “The Umbrella Academy” (2019).
Who wrote “Goody Two Shoes”?
Adam Ant wrote and produced this track in conjunction with Macro Pirroni.
Music Video
The music video to this track featured a few genuine British actors – Caroline Munro, Graham Clark (1922-2013) and Dandy Nichols (1907-1986).
Summary
Goody Two Shoes basically addresses the intrusion of the press into the singer’s private life and his response to them.
UK Chart Performance
As was said above, this was a UK number 1 hit single for Adam Ant. In the whole of 1982, a total of 22 singles made it to the top spot of the UK Singles Chart. “Goody Two Shoes” was of course one of these songs. It achieved that feat on June 12th after booting Madness’ “House of Fun” from number 1. This was a really remarkable achievement for Adam Ant since it was the first time in his solo career that he had achieved a number 1 hit song in his home country. At the number 1 spot, Adam’s debut single remained for two weeks until it was replaced by Charlene’s “I’ve Never Been To Me“.
Below are a some other notable songs that made it to number 1 in UK in 1982:
- Culture Club’s “Do You Really Want To Hurt Me“
- Dexy’s Midnight Runners’ “Come On Eileen“
- Musical Youth’s “Pass The Dutchie“
- Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder’s “Ebony & Ivory“
- Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger“
It is interesting to mention that after “Goody Two Shoes”, none of the subsequent singles Ant released made it to number 1 in UK again. Simply put, this was the first and last UK #1 single of his career. The closest he ever got to that spot was with his 1983 single titled “Puss ‘n Boots”. Said single entered the top 10 spot but could only make it to number 5.
