# It Feels So Good

"It Feels So Good" is a song by British singer Sonique. It was originally released on 9 November 1998 and peaked at number 24 on the UK Singles Chart. In May 2000, in the wake of the song's success in the United States, the single was re-released and spent three weeks at number one on the same chart. The song remained in the top 40 for 14 weeks and became the third-biggest-selling single of 2000 in Britain. It has sold over 800,000 copies in the UK as of May 2020.
The song also proved successful in many other countries, including the United States, where repeated radio airplay in Florida helped it reach number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and led Sonique to sign with Republic Records. In 2017, BuzzFeed listed the song at number 33 in their list of "The 101 Greatest Dance Songs of the '90s".
In 2024, the song was revived in a remix by Matt Sassari and Hugel; the single peaked at number 29 on the UK Singles Downloads Chart.

## Background and content

Sonique said of the song, "It's about this guy whom I really liked years ago, but who didn't return my feelings. For he was very successful and I wasn't — at that time. And he thought that I was in love with his success. This song is just a way of declaring that it was him I liked." The song received widespread acclaim after it was played by a Tampa, Florida deejay in February 2000. Because of the song's popularity, Sonique was approached by Universal Music executives Doug Morris and Jimmy Iovine. She was eventually signed to Universal, and her album Hear My Cry was the first to be released on Universal's new internet-based record label, Republic Records.

## Critical reception

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic praised the song, saying that "The hit single 'It Feels So Good' is a dynamite dance-club item, blending straight-ahead dance with flourishes of techno and a sweet, catchy melody. It is a bright, fresh single that sets the stage for an album's worth of similar material, not just because it was the first hit, but because it kicks off the record."

## Commercial performance

Previously released in 1998, the song made a small chart appearance on the UK Singles Chart, debuting at number 24 on the chart dated 5 December 1998. It went to remain on the chart for two other weeks, before departing it. It later reappeared at number 91 on the chart dated 27 November 1999. In early 2000, the song was re-released, managing to re-enter straight at number-one, becoming Sonique's first song to top the charts in the United Kingdom. It went to remain at the top position for other two weeks, totalizing three weeks at number-one. It also managed to end third in the year-end chart for 2000. As of May 2020, the song has sold 829,000 chart sales in the UK. The song was a huge hit in the rest of Europe, reaching the top summit of another four countries: Hungary, Norway, Portugal and Romania, as well as the top-ten in over sixteen countries.
In the United States, the song also saw commercial success, becoming a multi-format hit. It charted simultaneously on the main Billboard Hot 100 chart, the Dance Club Play, the Mainstream Top 40, the Hot 100 Airplay, the Maxi-Singles Sales and the Rhythmic Top 40. While topping the Dance Club Play and reaching the top five on the Mainstream Top 40 radio charts, on the Billboard Hot 100, it spent 14 weeks on the chart until its peak position - number eight - becoming her first song to do so. It spent a total of six months on the Hot 100 chart.

## Certifications

| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
| Australia (ARIA) | Gold | 35,000$^^$ |
| Belgium (BEA) | Gold | 25,000$^*$ |
| France (SNEP) | Silver | 125,000$^*$ |
| Germany (BVMI) | Gold | 250,000$^^$ |
| Norway (IFPI Norway) | Platinum | |
| Sweden (GLF) | Platinum | 30,000$^^$ |
| Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) | Gold | 25,000$^^$ |
| United Kingdom (BPI) | Platinum | 829,000 |
| $^*$ Sales figures based on certification alone. $^^$ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |||

## Release history

| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) |
| United Kingdom | 9 November 1998 | 12-inch vinylCD | Serious |
| United States | 11 January 2000 | Rhythmic contemporarycontemporary hit radio | RepublicUniversal |
| Japan | 19 April 2000 | CD | Universal Music Japan |
| United Kingdom (re-release) | 22 May 2000 | 12-inch vinylCDcassette | SeriousUniversal |
| New Zealand | 12 June 2000 | CD | Universal |