Wouldn’t it be Good by Nik Kershaw

I struggled with including this song because it only reached #46 on the AT 40, but it was #88 on VH1’S top 100 One Hit Wonders list – and I am being a little selfish because I love this song. Oh, and one more reason – there is a cover of this song on the Pretty in Pink soundtrack by the Danny Hutton Hitters and I have been listening to this album a lot lately, so I though the original One Hit Wonder would be a good choice. Growing up in Germany, I heard this song many, many times as it was a major hit in nearly every European country. I bought this album, Human Racing, and his next, The Riddle, but I have not kept up on any of his music after this. The music has that typical new wave ‘80s sound full of synthesizers and an occasional guitar riff. The speaker in the song is falling into that place we all tend to go sometimes – my life is hard, I wish I could have yours. The chorus get this idea across very clearly:
Wouldn’t it be good to be in your shoes
Even if it was for just one day
Wouldn’t it be good wish ourselves away
Wouldn’t it be good to be on your side
The grass is always greener over there
Wouldn’t it be good if we could live with a care
Nice idea, but I am not sure it is possible. If you do not know much about Kershaw, I would recommend his first two albums; they are a bit different than most American music, but clearly and firmly grounded in the ’80s.