| "Goody Two Shoes" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Adam Ant | ||||
| from the album Friend or Foe | ||||
| B-side | "Red Scab" | |||
| Released | 1982 | |||
| Format | 7" | |||
| Recorded | 1982 | |||
| Genre | Power pop, New Wave | |||
| Length | 7:21 | |||
| Label | CBS | |||
| Writer(s) | Adam Ant, Marco Pirroni | |||
| Producer | Adam Ant, Marco Pirroni, Chris Hughes | |||
| Adam Ant singles chronology | ||||
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"Goody Two Shoes" is a popular song by Adam Ant. The song was released on the album Friend or Foe in 1982. The title phrase is a disparaging term for someone who is overly virtuous or conformist.
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Following the dissolution of Adam and the Ants in early 1982, Adam Ant pursued a solo career. His debut as a solo artist, "Goody Two Shoes" was written by Adam Ant and Marco Pirroni and produced by Ant, Pirroni and Chris Hughes. The song details Ant's frustration with press intrusion, which was reinforced by the video and his clean cut image.
The song was an instant hit, reaching #1 on the UK singles chart for two weeks in June 1982 and later repeating the feat in Australia. Despite the success, this was his third and final #1 single. The song was his first and biggest hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US, peaking at #12.
Interestingly, there are two versions of the cover. The first has 'Adam and the Ants' across the top of the sleeve and the later version just 'Adam Ant'. This is probably due to the confusion around the timing of Adam going solo, particularly as the song was performed by three fifths of the band (Adam, Marco and Merrick).
All songs written by Adam Ant except as noted.
| Chart (1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Dutch Mega Top 50 | 13 |
| UK Singles Chart | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 12 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Rock Tracks | 7 |
The music video presents a stylized vision of a day in the life of Adam Ant, from dressing in the morning to performing on stage, to being hounded by the media. At the end of the day, he takes home a woman journalist played by British actress Caroline Munro.
Punk band Unwritten Law later covered this song. The original version, by Adam Ant, was featured in the film Hot Fuzz.
| Preceded by "House of Fun" by Madness |
UK number-one single 12 June 1982 -19 June 1982 |
Succeeded by "I've Never Been to Me" by Charlene |
| Preceded by "I Ran (So Far Away)" by A Flock of Seagulls |
Australian Kent Music Report number-one single 16 August 1982 - 23 August 1982 |
Succeeded by "The Other Woman" by Ray Parker, Jr. |
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