Good Enough (Evanescence song)

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"Good Enough"
A woman with black hair and white dress is looking forward. Below her image, the word "Evanescence" is written with yellow letters. In front of her, the words "Good Enough" are written with yellow letters.
Single by Evanescence
from the album The Open Door
ReleasedDecember 14, 2007 (2007-12-14)
Recorded2006 (Record Plant Studios, Los Angeles)
Length5:31 (album version)
4:38 (music video, radio edit)
LabelWind-up
Songwriter(s)Amy Lee
Producer(s)Dave Fortman
Evanescence singles chronology
"Sweet Sacrifice"
(2007) 		"Good Enough"
(2007) 		"What You Want"
(2011)
Music video
"Good Enough" on YouTube

"Good Enough" is a song by American rock band Evanescence from their second studio album, The Open Door. It was released on December 14, 2007 in Germany as the album's fourth and final single. The song was written by singer and pianist Amy Lee and produced by Dave Fortman. It was the last song Lee wrote for the album, and placed it as the final track on the album to symbolize its hopeful theme and a new beginning.

"Good Enough" is a piano ballad featuring a strings section. The song received generally positive reviews, with music critics praising its hopeful theme and Lee's composition. The accompanying music video, directed by Marc Webb and Rich Lee, was filmed in Budapest, Hungary, and features Lee in a warehouse singing and playing the piano surrounded by flames.

Composition and release[edit]

Evanescence performing during a concert in 2009

"Good Enough" was written by Amy Lee, and produced by Dave Fortman.[1] It is the last song Lee wrote for the album.[2][3] Partly inspired by her friend and husband, Josh Hartzler,[4][5] Lee stated the main inspiration behind the song: "I had gone through a lot of difficult things during the writing of the whole album, and by the end of it, I had stepped away from those bad situations. [...] After doing that, I felt so amazing. For the first time I felt like I could write a song based on how good I felt. I have never done that before ever."[6] The song expressed what she felt at the time, that "for once, I wasn't miserable, or stuck or trapped or sad or grieving."[7] She elaborated, "You have to go through those things and make the changes you have to make and be there and go, 'Okay, I did it.' It doesn't come that easy."[3][8]

Lee described the track as "completely different" for her "because it sort of [has a] happy ending".[2][5] She found it "scary to be so vulnerable" and a "weird" outcome for her as she had never written a happy song in her life, having felt before like she needed her fear and woes to write.[9][8] She said that not holding back while writing the album made her "feel really purified, like I've actually gotten a chance to break through instead of just wallowing in all of my problems. It's not about all the times that I've been afraid and tormented and sad, it's about looking at those situations and stomping them out. It feels really good to sing these songs now."[3] Lee placed the song at the end of the album to symbolize its theme and a new beginning for herself.[3][10]

According to the sheet music published on the website Musicnotes.com by Alfred Music Publishing, the song begins in the key of F minor, later modulating into C minor and then finally landing and remaining in C major, while Lee's vocals for the song range from the musical note of G3 to the note of E♭5.[11] The song is a piano ballad, with strings and "gentle" vocals from Lee, ending the album on a hopeful note.[12][6][13] Jon Dolan from Entertainment Weekly felt that the song lyrically flirts with "the dark side".[14] A writer for The Boston Globe described it as a "moment of romantic peace" with an "incongruously downtrodden groove".[15] Writing in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Sara Berry said the song "lays bare Lee's insecurities in an intimate-sounding setting - just her and the piano."[16]

The single was scheduled for release in Germany in a basic and premium format on December 14, 2007,[17][18] but a release date was never officially announced.[citation needed]

Critical reception[edit]

"Good Enough" received generally positive reviews from music critics. In his review of The Open Door, Ed Thompson of IGN stated that although Lee's voice gives the song "a funereal cast", it is lyrically optimistic, deeming it "the most unique song Lee has ever released" and "the most beautiful song on the album".[13] Jon Dolan from Entertainment Weekly wrote that "the deceptively soft" song "flirts again with the dark side, offering 'Drink up sweet decadence / I can't say no to you' and striking a final note of cathartic badness."[14] In The Daily Telegraph, Kathy McCabe said Lee's "newfound confidence" is evident in the track.[19] Andree Farias of Christianity Today felt that the song "stands in contrast to everything else" in the album.[20] A writer for The Boston Globe called it the "lone glimmer in the gloom" in which Lee showcases her "most unclenched and luxurious vocal to date".[15] The Providence Journal's Rick Massimo thought the song is "rather melodramatic but melodically successful".[21] Writing for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Sara Berry concluded that the album balanced the "scorching rock anthems" with "reflective, piano-heavy ballads" like "Lithium" and "Good Enough", adding that in the latter, Lee bares "insecurities in an intimate-sounding setting."[16]

Richard Harrington of The Washington Post highlighted the track as a "quiet moment" in the album and thematically a "different creature".[3] Blabbermouth.net's Don Kaye found the song to be a "melancholy ballad".[22] A writer for Reuters regarded the song "as intense and affecting as anything before it - and this time, Amy Lee's lyric steps from the dark side, reveling in the relief of positivity."[23] In The Courier-Mail, Jason Nahrung praised the song, calling it "sombrely arranged but lyrically uplifting".[24] Blender writer Josh Eells viewed "Good Enough" as one of the album's "most touching moments" and "the sound of a woman who may have finally found true love — probably as close to contentment as a death-obsessed goth princess is going to get."[5] Rolling Stone deemed it a "plaintive" ballad in which Lee's voice gives a "richness and nuance not present on [Fallen]".[25] Writing for Metal Edge, Bryan Reesman said the song is "decidedly upbeat and showcases an Amy Lee that is letting someone in" and "the idea of an upbeat song closing the dark album actually makes sense".[9] AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine called it a "brooding affirmation of a closer".[26]

Music video[edit]

The music video directed by Marc Webb and Rich Lee was filmed in Budapest, Hungary.[27] A writer for MTV News found the video to be "dark and cinematic, it's almost as if you swallowed an entire feature length film in 3 minutes."[28] Lee made a guest appearance on MTV's Total Request Live on September 10, 2007, to premier the video.[29]

Formats and track listings[edit]

German CD single[17]
  1. "Good Enough" (Radio edit)
  2. "Good Enough" (Acoustic from Intl Live)
Premium German maxi single[18]
  1. "Good Enough" (Radio edit)
  2. "Good Enough" (Acoustic from Intl Live)
  3. "Your Star" (Live from Tokyo)
  4. "Good Enough" (Video)

Credits and personnel[edit]

Credits for "Good Enough" are taken from The Open Door liner notes.[1]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b The Open Door (liner notes). Evanescence. Wind-up Records. 2006.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. ^ a b Harris, Chris. Moss, Corey (additional reporting) (July 31, 2006). "Evanescence's Amy Lee Isn't Afraid Of Big Bad Wolf in 'Sober Clip". MTV News. Archived from the original on April 17, 2011. Retrieved June 23, 2011.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ a b c d e Harrington, Richard (October 6, 2006). "Another 'Door' Opens for Amy Lee". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on October 5, 2022. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
  4. ^ "Through the Open Door". Miami New Times. October 18, 2007. Archived from the original on August 2, 2017. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c Eells, Josh (October 2006). "Amy Lee: Back in Black". Blender. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
  6. ^ a b Bottomley, C (September 18, 2006). "Evanescence: Amy Lee Explains the New Songs". VH1. Viacom. Archived from the original on October 28, 2007. Retrieved February 2, 2007.
  7. ^ Kawashima, Dale (November 15, 2006). "Amy Lee Talks About Evanescence's Hit Album, The Open Door, And Her Songwriting". Songwriter Universe. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  8. ^ a b Nailen, Dan (October 20, 2006). "Amy Lee puts Evanescence on fresh road". The Salt Lake Tribune.
  9. ^ a b Reesman, Bryan (November 2006). "The Essence of Evanescence". Metal Edge. Vol. 52, no. 11. pp. 5–10. ISSN 1068-2872.
  10. ^ "Amy Lee gets it off her chest". The Sydney Morning Herald. October 16, 2006. p. 2. Archived from the original on November 8, 2012. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
  11. ^ "Evanescence – Good Enough Sheet Music (Digital Download)". Musicnotes.com. Alfred Music Publishing. Retrieved June 1, 2011.
  12. ^ Orzeck, Kurt (October 3, 2006). "New Releases: Killers, Beck, Evanescence, Jet, Sleepy Brown & More". MTV News. Archived from the original on December 29, 2011. Retrieved November 6, 2011.
  13. ^ a b Thompson, Ed (October 4, 2006). "Evanescence – The Open Door". IGN. News Corporation. Archived from the original on June 28, 2011. Retrieved June 1, 2011.
  14. ^ a b Jon, Dolan (October 9, 2006). "The Open Door Review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved June 1, 2011.
  15. ^ a b Globe Staff (October 3, 2006). "For Evanescence, black is the new black". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on December 3, 2011. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
  16. ^ a b Berry, Sara (October 13, 2006). "Evanescence makes welcome return through 'The Open Door'". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Archived from the original on January 4, 2013. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  17. ^ a b "Good Enough/Basic". Amazon.de (Germany). Archived from the original on December 18, 2007. Retrieved December 2, 2007.
  18. ^ a b "Good Enough/Premium". Amazon.de (Germany). Archived from the original on December 18, 2007. Retrieved December 2, 2007.
  19. ^ McCabe, Kathy (September 28, 2006). "Amy Lee's opening doors". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on August 2, 2017. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
  20. ^ Farias, Andree (January 1, 2006). "The Open Door". Christianity Today. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
  21. ^ Massimo, Rick (April 5, 2007). "Amy Lee cements her status as the core of Evanescence". The Providence Journal. A. H. Belo Corporation. Archived from the original on May 14, 2008. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
  22. ^ Kaye, Don (October 2, 2006). "CD Reviews - The Open Door Evanescence". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on September 16, 2016. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  23. ^ "Billboard single reviews: Paisley, Evanescence". Reuters. November 9, 2007. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
  24. ^ Nahrung, Jason (October 19, 2006). "Evanescence still shining". The Courier-Mail. Queensland Newspapers. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
  25. ^ "Evanescence: The Open Door". Rolling Stone. No. 1003. June 29, 2006.
  26. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Open Door – Evanescence". AllMusic. Archived from the original on October 5, 2011. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
  27. ^ "BOOKED: Evanescence – Marc Webb & Rich Lee, directors". VideoStatic.com. June 8, 2007. Archived from the original on July 11, 2007. Retrieved June 8, 2007.
  28. ^ "Director's Dozen: Marc Webb". MTV News. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
  29. ^ "MTV will premiere the new video for "Good Enough"..." Evanescence.com. September 5, 2007. Archived from the original on September 6, 2007.
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