Good Feeling (1957)

Album: It Ain't Easy (1970)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The song was written by Alan Brackett and John Merrill of The Peanut Butter Conspiracy in late 1968. They recorded their own version of the song, but it wasn't released until 2014 on the album Barbara. Before that, the song was known by the Three Dog Night version.

    Though Three Dog Night didn't release the song as a single, they played it frequently in live shows, and it was always a crowd favorite. It's a good-feeling tune and not intended to be anything more or less than that.
  • In his interview with Songfacts, Alan Brackett explained, "I just sent that as a fluke. Barbara's singing it. Well, Chuck [Negron] starts singing with Barbara when they heard the demo. They did this whole '50s thing on Midnight Special. It took like 15 minutes, they showed them getting all dressed up. They changed it to 'Good Feeling (1957),' and they did this whole '50s thing, and they did it for years. I made more money off of that song than I did off of everything with Peanut Butter."

    He added: "I wrote that song when we were the house band at the Factory, which was Sinatra and those guys' club. It was the best gig in town. I did it there because they needed something for people to dance to. I needed something with a good feeling, so I wrote that song, 'Good Feelin'.' It was just to have a good dance tune."
  • In his memoir Almost Famous: Journey to the Summer of Love, Brackett explained, "Musically I did what I'd been doing since school days with the Royal Blues and changed from straight time to swing in the song and it was my idea to add a recording trick I'd learned at home at the end."

Comments: 1

  • Seventhmist from 7th HeavenMy sister played this song repeatedly on her record player when it came out and since our bedrooms shared a wall, I always heard it (I thought the falsetto solo was a woman singing.).

    Hearing it now always transports me back to those childhood days.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

John Lee Hooker

John Lee HookerSongwriter Interviews

Into the vaults for Bruce Pollock's 1984 conversation with the esteemed bluesman. Hooker talks about transforming a Tony Bennett classic and why you don't have to be sad and lonely to write the blues.

Maxi Priest

Maxi PriestSongwriter Interviews

The British reggae legend tells the story of his #1 hit "Close To You," talks about his groundbreaking Shabba Ranks collaboration "Housecall," and discusses his latest project with Robin Trower.

Corey Hart

Corey HartSongwriter Interviews

The Canadian superstar talks about his sudden rise to fame, and tells the stories behind his hits "Sunglasses At Night," "Boy In The Box" and "Never Surrender."

Songs Discussed in Movies

Songs Discussed in MoviesSong Writing

Bridesmaids, Reservoir Dogs, Willy Wonka - just a few of the flicks where characters discuss specific songs, sometimes as a prelude to murder.

Ralph Casale  - Session Pro

Ralph Casale - Session ProSongwriter Interviews

A top New York studio musician, Ralph played guitar on many '60s hits, including "Lightnin' Strikes," "A Lover's Concerto" and "I Am A Rock."

Chris Tomlin

Chris TomlinSongwriter Interviews

The king of Christian worship music explains talks about writing songs for troubled times.