"Good" is a song by American alternative rock band Better Than Ezra. It was released in February 1995 by Elektra as the lead single from their major-label debut album, Deluxe (1995). It reached 1 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, No. 3 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart, and No. 30 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Composition Kevin Griffin wrote the song in late 1990 or early 1991, just after he had graduated from LSU and had formed Better Than Ezra. It was a part of the band's set lists for several years before being released as a single in early 1995. His simple four-chord pattern and strong modulation were inspired by Bob Dylan's mastery of the three-chord structure, as well as alt-rock pioneers R.E.M. and the Pixies. "I wanted to talk about the positive things that come from the end of a relationship. There's always the hurt feelings and everyone's guarded and it can be traumatic, but when the dust settles, it was about looking at the good things - no pun intended - that you got from that relationship. How did you grow? What did you learn emotionally? And to experience some stuff. And in this case it was just kind of reflecting on how this person changed," said Griffin. He was in a happy relationship at the time, so the song wasn't personal experience, but he broke up shortly after.

Track listings and formats US CD and cassette single "Good"  – 3:05 "Circle of Friends" (live version) – 3:39

German maxi-CD single "Good"  – 3:05 "Summerhouse" (live version) – 2:23 "Know You Better" (live version) – 4:32 "Circle of Friends" (live version) – 3:39

Charts

Weekly charts +Chart (1995)PeakpositionAustralia (ARIA) N.B. The HP column displays the highest peak reached.86US Billboard Hot 10030US Album Rock Tracks (Billboard)3US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)1US Top 40/Mainstream (Billboard)17US Cash Box Top 10022

Year-end charts +Chart (1995)PositionCanada Rock/Alternative (RPM)17US Billboard Hot 10085US Album Rock Tracks (Billboard)8US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)2

Release history +RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)United StatesFebruary 1995ElektraMay 2, 1995Contemporary hit radioUnited KingdomJune 12, 1995

References