Be Good Johnny

"Be Good Johnny" is a song recorded by the Australian band Men at Work, from their 1981 debut album, Business as Usual.

This article is about the Men at Work song. For the harness racing horse, see Be Good Johnny (horse).
"Be Good Johnny"
Single by Men at Work
from the album Business as Usual
B-side"F-19"
Released1982
RecordedAutumn, 1981
GenreSynth-pop, dance-rock, new wave
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Colin Hay; Greg Ham[1]
Producer(s)Peter McIan
Men at Work singles chronology
"Down Under"
(1982)		 "Be Good Johnny"
(1982)		 "Underground"
(1983)

The song achieved moderate airplay on American radio stations, but did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100 as it was not released in the United States as a physical single, a requirement for the chart at the time. However, it did chart on Billboard's Top Tracks, where it peaked at number three.

Content

The song is written from the viewpoint of a 9-year-old boy who is constantly being told to be good, but prefers to daydream rather than concentrate in class or play sports. Johnny feels like he understands some of his instructions, but also that he is completely misunderstood by the adult world.[2] The lead singer, Colin Hay, uses his voice in different ways throughout the song to imitate Johnny, Johnny's mother and father, and his teacher. The song also features spoken dialogue by keyboardist Greg Ham as he tries to figure out what Johnny is like. The title of the song is a reference to Johnny B. Goode.

Cover versions

Colin Hay covered a solo version on his album Man @ Work, and this version is used as the theme song of the American version of the reality TV program Supernanny.

Chart history
Chart (1982–83) Peak
positions
Australia (Kent Music Report) 8
Canada (RPM Magazine) 19
New Zealand (RIANZ)[3] 3
United Kingdom (The Official Charts Company) 78
U.S. Billboard Top Tracks 3

References
  1. "Men At Work - Business As Usual (Vinyl, LP, Album)". Discogs.com. 2015-01-18. Retrieved 2016-10-26.
  2. Be Good Johnny Song Facts SongFacts. Retrieved on January 7, 2007.
  3. Steffen Hung. "Men At Work - Be Good Johnny". Australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on 2016-04-09. Retrieved 2016-10-26.



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