Good As Hell

Album: Coconut Oil (2016)
Charted: 7 3
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Songfacts®:

  • Lizzo originally recorded "Good as Hell" for the soundtrack of the 2016 film Barbershop: The Next Cut. It was released as the lead single from her debut EP Coconut Oil on March 8, 2016.

    The song didn't chart at the time, but began to gain traction in 2019 following the increased interest in the rapper's music. It finally entered the Hot 100 dated September 7, 2019 after Lizzo delivered a vibrant melody incorporating "Good as Hell" and "Truth Hurts." at the 2019 MTV VMAs.
  • Lizzo co-wrote the self-loving anthem with Ricky Reed (Twenty One Pilots, Meghan Trainor, Jason DeRulo). She also co-penned her breakthrough single "Truth Hurts" with the producer.
  • The song starts off with Lizzo rhyming:

    I do my hair toss
    Check my nails
    Baby how you feelin'?
    Feeling good as hell


    This was one of the first songs Lizzo made with Reed. She recalled to The Idolator they were still at the stage when they were checking out their chemistry with each other. Reed played her a piano riff and asked how it made her feel. Lizzo replied that it brought to mind the pink sweater emoji girl with the hair toss. Then the next thing she thought of was checking her nails. "It was a natural statement that came out my mouth," Lizzo said.

    Reed then responded with the phrase "feeling good as hell." After that, the lyrics rolled out easily.
  • The song has featured in several other films as well as Barbershop. They include A Bad Moms Christmas, I Feel Pretty, and Blockers.
  • Lizzo dropped an empowering remix of the song featuring Ariana Grande. The "Thank U, Next" singer gives the anthem a brand new verse in which she champions self-worth in the face of unworthy men.

    This was the first time the pair had worked together, though Lizzo did cover Grande's "7 Rings" for the Elvis Duran Show earlier in 2019.
  • The first music video for the song was released on May 11, 2016. In the wake of the track's growing popularity, Lizzo dropped a second clip three-and-a-half years later. Directed by Alan Ferguson, this visual takes place during Homecoming week 2019 at Baton Rouge, Louisiana's Southern University and features the Southern University Marching Band.
  • The song appeared in the seventh episode of the second season of Netflix's romantic drama television series Virgin River. It plays in a scene where Melinda is jogging, then dances in her apartment.
  • Lizzo donated the song to a 2022 PETA ad. Actors Joaquin Phoenix, Alicia Silverstone and Angela Means join former NBA star John Salley in the video, which celebrates going vegan as a way to "eat good and feel good."

Comments: 1

  • Karo from 37830Love this song!
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