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Things Can Only Get Better (Howard Jones song)

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"Things Can Only Get Better"
Single by Howard Jones
from the album Dream into Action
B-side"Why Look for the Key"
Released1 February 1985[1]
Genre
Length3:59
Label
Songwriter(s)Howard Jones
Producer(s)Rupert Hine
Howard Jones singles chronology
"Like to Get to Know You Well"
(1984) 		"Things Can Only Get Better"
(1985) 		"Look Mama"
(1985)
Music video
"Things Can Only Get Better" by Howard Jones on YouTube

"Things Can Only Get Better" was released as the first single from Howard Jones' 1985 album Dream into Action.

Background

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A typically upbeat Jones composition, it was one of two songs from the album to feature all-female singing group Afrodiziak on backing vocals. John Leland from Spin magazine wrote that "It mines the best of the Anglo soul movement: a clean slap-bass line, precise horns and synths, and some well-paced and inviting singing".[2]

The main B-side was another album track from the UK version of the album, "Why Look for the Key", although with a slightly longer fade that made it about twenty seconds longer than the version on the UK version of Dream into Action. "You Jazzy Nork!" is a reworked instrumental version of "Why Look for the Key" performed by the Alphonse Conway Orchestra.

The cover of the 12" single featured a photograph of Jones, in profile, sitting on a high bar stool. This image was used in silhouette for the 7" artwork, the single being issued in several alternative sleeves with different colour backgrounds.

Music video

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The video depicts Jones singing the song as his road crew sets up equipment for a concert, followed by a transition to the show as he performs for a lively crowd. A martial artist styled after Daniel LaRusso, the protagonist of the 1984 film The Karate Kid, and the Tramp character made famous by Charlie Chaplin wander around backstage during the setup and later appear in the crowd. At the end of the video, the Tramp walks off hand in hand with a young girl who had earlier watched the crew at work.

Track listings

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7" Elektra – 7-69651 (US)
  1. Things Can Only Get Better – 3:59
  2. Why Look for the Key – 3:40
12" Elektra – 0-66915 (US)
  1. Things Can Only Get Better (LP Version) - 3:59
  2. What Is Love? (New Extended Version) - 6:34
  3. Things Can Only Get Better (Extended Version) - 7:26
  4. New Song (New Version) - 4:48

Both a 7" and 12" picture disc were released with the same tracks as the standard formats.

Remixes

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In 2005, Swedish DJ Eric Prydz released a remixed version and renamed it "And Do You Feel Scared?". It is featured in the video game 2006 FIFA World Cup as one of the many EA Trax that appear in the game.

In 2013, French house music artist Cedric Gervais released a song featuring the vocal track from Howard Jones' original song. It too was titled "Things Can Only Get Better".

Chart history

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"Things Can Only Get Better" reached number six in the UK Singles Chart and number five in the United States on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song also crossed over to the R&B charts in America, peaking at number 54.[3]

Chart (1985) Position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[4] 11
Canada RPM Top Singles[5] 9
Ireland (IRMA)[6] 5
Italian Singles Chart 13
Sweden 3
UK Singles Chart[7] 6
US Mainstream Rock Tracks 21
US Billboard Hot 100 5
US Dance/Club Play Songs 10
U.S. Billboard Hot Black Singles 54
Year-end chart (1985) Rank
US Top Pop Singles (Billboard)[8] 41
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This song was featured in episode 5 of the Watchmen TV series, in a short sequence set in 1985.[9] This song was also featured in the soundtrack to the 2018 movie Bumblebee.[10] This song was also used in series 2, episode 5 of the television series Halt and Catch Fire.[citation needed] This song also has a Simlish version in The Sims 2 New Wave radio category. A portion of the song is used in the 2024 horror film Tarot.

References

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  1. ^ "Things get better for Howard" (PDF). Record Mirror. 28 January 1985. p. 5. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  2. ^ John Leland (June 1985). "Singles – Howard Jones "Things Can Only Get Better" (Elektra)". Spin. p. 36. Retrieved 22 August 2010.
  3. ^ "Howard Jones – Chart history | Billboard". www.billboard.com. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  4. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). St. Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 161. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. N.B. the Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid 1983 and 19 June 1988.
  5. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 29 June 1985. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  6. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Things Can Only Get Better". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  7. ^ "officialcharts.com". Official Charts. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  8. ^ "1985 The Year in Music & Video: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 97, no. 52. 28 December 1985. p. T-21.
  9. ^ Abad-Santos, Alex (17 November 2019). "How Watchmen's giant squid attack changes everything". Vox. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  10. ^ "Bumblebee". soundtrack.net. Autotelics, LLC. 21 December 2018. Archived from the original on 21 January 2024. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
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