Adam Ant doubts a celebrity's squeaky clean image in the dynamic "Goody Two Shoes."
Rowdy drums start the single as a guitar spits out the notes. It's followed by the bustling horn section. It sets a heightened, immediate tone.
Ant watches a female celebrity on television, publicizing her latest sad story. Her fully made-up face is tilted to the left of the camera, revealing a flattering angle.
"With the heartbreak open/So much you can't hide/Put on a little make-up, make-up/Make sure they get your good, side good side."
In the b-section, he notes that if she flubs an answer to the question, she can donate to a charity or pose in a photo op with children to keep up her positive image.
"If the words unspoken/Get stuck in your throat/Send a treasure token, token/Write it on a pound note, pound note."
He mocks her in the chorus, calling her a goody two shoes. She presents herself as someone who wouldn't drink even a glass of wine or puff on a cigarette for a movie. Although rumors and blind items suggest she's not quite the clean cut person she appears to be. Ant believes there must be some danger in her.
"Goody two, goody two, goody goody two shoes/Goody two, goody two, goody goody two shoes/Don't drink don't smoke - what do you do?/You don't drink don't smoke - what do you do?/
Subtle innuendos follow/There must be something inside."
The female celebrity is featured on post-Oscar shows wearing a silver sequined dress and hobo bag. It's a deliberate act to draw attention to herself and to be talked about more. Ant views the fans as captivated worshippers, taking in the celebrity's entertainment as though it were a mass.
"We don't follow fashion/That would be a joke/You know we're gonna set them, set them/So everyone can take note, take note/When they saw you kneeling/Crying words that you mean/Opening their eyeballs, eyeballs/
Pretending that you're Al Green, Al Green."
After the chorus is an audacious solo by the horn section.
Article comments
1 - Barry Stoller
Even the skeptical had to admit this was a guilty pleasure - what a killer one-hit wonder. Was the tune about the Princess?
2 - Icehouse
Nice review of/slant on Adam's work. In actual fact the song was part of an ongoing battle Adam was having with the UK press, who didn't believe he was squeaky clean-living but never managed to get the goods against him (Well up until the nervous breakdowns and the carburator...and by then his star had faded)
Oh, and Barry - Adm was no one hit wonder. In the US, Room At The Top and Wonderful were quite successful, and in the UK he was one of the biggest artists of the 80's.