A Good Heart

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For the Elton John song, see Wonderful Crazy Night.

"A Good Heart"
File:AGoodHeart.jpg
Single by Feargal Sharkey
from the album Feargal Sharkey
B-side
  • "Anger Is Holy"
  • "Ghost Train Blues"
Released30 September 1985 (1985-09-30)
Length4:39
LabelVirgin
SongwriterMaria McKee
ProducerDavid A. Stewart
Feargal Sharkey singles chronology
"Loving You"
(1985) 		"A Good Heart"
(1985) 		"You Little Thief"
(1985)
Official audio
"A Good Heart" on YouTube

"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.

Background

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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

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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

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7-inch single[4]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."A Good Heart"Maria McKee4:39
2."Anger Is Holy"
  • David A. Stewart
  • Feargal Sharkey
  • Tim Daly
2:20
12-inch single[5]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."A Good Heart"McKee4:39
2."Ghost Train Blues"
  • Stewart
  • Sharkey
  • Daly
3:08
3."Anger Is Holy"
  • Stewart
  • Sharkey
  • Daly
2:20

Personnel

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Notes

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  1. ^ 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

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Sales and certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[37] Gold 50,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[38] Gold 75,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[39] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United Kingdom 30 September 1985
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • 12-inch vinyl
 Virgin [40]
United States February 1986 A&M [41]

References

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  6. ^ a b c d Walmsley, Richard (1986). "A Heart to Heart with Feargal Sharkey." International Musician and Recording World, February 1986. (Accessible @muzines.co.uk) Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  7. ^ Dean Garcia - Eurythmics - General Discussion (26 June 2011 post) @basschat.co.uk Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  8. ^ "Discography" @olleromo.com Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  9. ^ Feargal Sharkey- "I Heard the News that Debra Byrd has left us." @Twitter (X), 7 March 2024. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  10. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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  12. ^ "Feargal Sharkey – A Good Heart" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  13. ^ "Feargal Sharkey – A Good Heart" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  14. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0655." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  15. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  16. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – A Good Heart". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  17. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value). Set Tipo to Singoli, then enter Feargal Sharkey into the Arista field and click cerca.
  18. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 5, 1986" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  19. ^ "Feargal Sharkey – A Good Heart" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  20. ^ "Feargal Sharkey – A Good Heart". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  21. ^ "Feargal Sharkey – A Good Heart". VG-lista. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  22. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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  24. ^ "Feargal Sharkey – A Good Heart". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  25. ^ "Feargal Sharkey: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  26. ^ "Feargal Sharkey Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  27. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Feargal Sharkey – A Good Heart" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  28. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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  38. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value). Enter A Good Heart in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1986 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
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