Good Fortune

PJ Harvey

About Good Fortune

Good Fortune is a song by English alternative rock musician PJ Harvey. It is the second track and lead single from her fifth studio album Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea, and was released on 13 November 2000 on Island Records. The song was written by Harvey and self-produced with Mick Harvey and Rob Ellis. Upon its release, "Good Fortune" received positive critical acclaim and charted in both France and the United Kingdom, peaking at number 100 and number 41 respectively. The song had an accompanying music video, directed by Sophie Muller.  


Year:
2000
3:20
19 

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Threw my bad fortune
Off the top of
A tall building
I'd rather have done it with you

Your boy's smile
Five in the morning
Looked into your eyes
And I was really in love

In Chinatown
Hung over
You showed me
Just what I could do

Talking about
Time travel
And the meaning
Just what it was worth

And I feel like
Some bird of paradise
My bad fortune slipping away
And I feel the innocence of a child
Everybody's got something good to say

Things I once thought
Unbelievable
In my life
Have all taken place

When we walked through
Little Italy
I saw my reflection
Come right off your face

I paint pictures
To remember
You're too beautiful
To put into words

Like a gypsy
You dance in circles
All around me
And all over the world

And I feel like
Some bird of paradise
My bad fortune slipping away
And I feel the innocence of a child
Everybody's got something good to say

And I feel like
Some bird of paradise
My bad fortune slipping away
And I feel the innocence of a child
Everybody's got something good to say

So I take my
Good fortune
And I fantasize
Of our leaving

Like some modern day
Gypsy landslide
Like some modern day
Bonnie and Clyde

On the run again (On the run again)
On the run again (On the run again)
On the run again (On the run again)
On the run again (On the run again)

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PJ Harvey

Polly Jean Harvey (born 9 October 1969) is an English musician, singer-songwriter, composer and occasional artist. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments including piano, organ, bass, saxophone, harmonica, and most recently, the autoharp. more »

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12 facts about this song

Song Composition
"Good Fortune" is a composition by Polly Jean Harvey, also known as PJ Harvey, a British rock musician known for her unique songwriting blending elements of punk, folk, and blues.
Album Inclusion
The song is taken from the album "Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea", which is the fifth studio album of Harvey's career, released in October 2000.
Track List Point
"Good Fortune" is the second track on the album, following the opening song "Big Exit".
Song Inspiration
It is believed that "Good Fortune" was inspired by Harvey's time living in New York City, providing an optimistic view of city life.
Single Release
The song was released as a single in February 2001. It was the second single taken from the album after "Big Exit".
Chart Performance
"Good Fortune" did well on the charts, reaching number 41 in the UK singles chart. It was also a considerable hit in the US, especially on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart where it peaked at number 13.
Music Video
The music video for "Good Fortune" was directed by Sophie Muller, a renowned British music video director. The video features Harvey wandering around London at night in a reference to the song’s romantic lyrics about late-night urban exploration.
Grammy Nominations
The album "Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea", featuring "Good Fortune", was nominated for several Grammy Awards including Best Rock Album.
Mercury Prize Win
The album won the Mercury Prize in 2001, a prestigious award for the best album from the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Song Reception
"Good Fortune" received positive reviews from music critics, with BBC hailing it as an "indestructible pop melody". Some critics also praised Harvey's vocal delivery and the song's lyrics, which were seen as a departure from her more dark, intense earlier work.
Live Performances
Harvey often performs "Good Fortune" during her live performances. Her rendition of the song at the Olympia Theatre in Paris in 2001 was particularly praised.
Radiohead Connection
The song is rumored to have been about Thom Yorke, the lead singer of Radiohead, as Harvey was romantically linked to him around the time she wrote it. However, she has never confirmed the speculations.

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