"Be Good Johnny" is a song recorded by the Australian band Men at Work, released in April 1982 as the third and final single from their debut album, Business as Usual.

Content

The song is written from the viewpoint of a 9-year-old boy who is constantly being told to be good, but prefers to daydream rather than concentrate in class or play sports. Johnny feels like he understands some of his instructions, but also that he is completely misunderstood by the adult world.^[3] The lead singer, Colin Hay, uses his voice in different ways throughout the song to imitate Johnny, Johnny's mother and father, and his teacher. The song also features spoken dialogue by keyboardist Greg Ham as he tries to figure out what Johnny is like. The title of the song is a reference to the Chuck Berry song "Johnny B. Goode".

Cover versions

Colin Hay covered a solo version on his album Man @ Work, and this version is used as the theme song of the American version of the reality TV program Supernanny.

Personnel

Colin Hay – guitar, lead vocals
Greg Ham – keyboards, background vocals
Ron Strykert – guitar, background vocals
John Rees – bass, background vocals
Jerry Speiser – drums, background vocals

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1982–83)	Peak positions
Australia (Kent Music Report)^[4]^[5]	8
Canada (RPM Magazine)	18
New Zealand (RIANZ)^[6]	3
United Kingdom (The Official Charts Company)	78
U.S. Billboard Top Tracks^[7]	3

Year-end charts

Chart (1982)	Positions
Australia (Kent Music Report)^[5]	67

References

^ ^a ^b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Men At Work - Business As Usual (1982) Review at AllMusic. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
^ "Men At Work - Business As Usual (Vinyl, LP, Album)". Discogs.com. 2015-01-18. Retrieved 2016-10-26.
^ Be Good Johnny Song Facts SongFacts. Retrieved on January 7, 2007.
^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 198. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
^ ^a ^b "National Top 100 Singles for 1982". Kent Music Report. 3 January 1983. Retrieved 22 January 2023 – via Imgur.
^ Steffen Hung. "Men At Work - Be Good Johnny". Australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on 2016-04-09. Retrieved 2016-10-26.
^ "Rock Albums & Top Tracks". Billboard. 19 February 1983. p. 24.

v t e Men at Work
Colin Hay Ron Strykert Jerry Speiser Greg Ham John Rees
Studio albums	Business as Usual Cargo Two Hearts
Live albums	Brazil
Compilation albums	'81–'85 / The Works Contraband: The Best of Men at Work The Essential Men at Work
Singles	"Who Can It Be Now?" "Down Under" "Be Good Johnny" "Dr. Heckyll & Mr. Jive" "Overkill" "It's a Mistake" "High Wire" "Everything I Need"
Discography Members