A Good Heart
1985 single by Feargal Sharkey
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"A Good Heart" is a song written by Maria McKee and recorded by the Northern Irish singer Feargal Sharkey, released as the first single from his eponymous debut studio album. It was released on 30 September 1985 by Virgin Records and became a number-one hit in the United Kingdom, Australia, Belgium, Ireland, and the Netherlands.
| "A Good Heart" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Single by Feargal Sharkey | ||||
| from the album Feargal Sharkey | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | 30 September 1985 | |||
| Length | 4:39 | |||
| Label | Virgin | |||
| Songwriter | Maria McKee | |||
| Producer | David A. Stewart | |||
| Feargal Sharkey singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Official audio | ||||
| "A Good Heart" on YouTube | ||||
Background
Written by then-Lone Justice frontwoman Maria McKee about her relationship with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers keyboard player Benmont Tench and produced by the Eurythmics' Dave Stewart, this was former Undertones singer Feargal Sharkey's third solo single. The song was Sharkey's only number one single and stayed at the top of the UK Singles Chart for two weeks in November 1985.[1] However, it fared less well in the US, peaking at No. 74 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Sharkey followed up the single with the Tench-written "You Little Thief". This song was allegedly about Tench's side of the relationship with McKee. However, Tench denies the song is about McKee.[2]
Austin, Texas-based singer-songwriter/guitarist Kris McKay performed a version of the song, featured on the soundtrack for the 1989 Patrick Swayze movie Road House. In 2007, McKee released her own recording of the track on her album Late December.
Critical reception
Armond White at Spin said, "A strong, distinct voice and musical savvy could make anyone a vinyl hero, but the skills of the Undertones' former lead singer are more grating than ingratiating. Sharkey's machine produces an insistent warble—his voice lacks shocks."[3]
Formats
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "A Good Heart" | Maria McKee | 4:39 |
| 2. | "Anger Is Holy" |
| 2:20 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "A Good Heart" | McKee | 4:39 |
| 2. | "Ghost Train Blues" |
| 3:08 |
| 3. | "Anger Is Holy" |
| 2:20 |
Personnel
- Feargal Sharkey: lead vocals, synthesizers,[6] sequencers[6]
- Patrick Seymour: keyboards
- David A. Stewart: guitars, slide guitar solo[6][A]
- Dean Garcia: bass guitar[7]
- Olle Romo: drums[6][8]
- Debra Byrd: backing vocals[9]
- Freida Williams: backing vocals
Notes
- While the reference cited mentions that Stewart played guitar throughout the Feargal Sharkey album and describes the slide guitar solo in "A Good Heart", it is unclear whether it was in fact Stewart or Richard Morcombe (the other guitarist credited on the album) who actually performed the solo.
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Sales and certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[37] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| Netherlands (NVPI)[38] | Gold | 75,000^ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[39] | Gold | 15,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[40] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||