written and produced by Richard Rudolph and Michael Sembello

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Here’s another song originally introduced to me via a movie, the

movie for which it was written and recorded: a 1996 family comedy

called House Arrest. Though later also a recording artist as we see

here, Jenny Love Hewitt started out and remains best-known as an

actress, with both successful films and TV series.

Before Ghost Whisperer, before the Garfield films, before Party Of Five, Can’t Hardly Wait, I Know What You Did Last Summer...

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Jen-Love earliest of all was in Kids Incorporated. A few years later, I first saw her in Whoopi Goldberg’s movie Sister Act 2: Back In The Habit. After that, I believe my family and I saw House Arrest together in the theater. For many years afterwards, like lots of movies I like, I had it recorded somewhere on a VHS tape. At the time of making House Arrest, I believe she would’ve been about 16... yeah, she was born in February ’79, so that sounds about right.

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The songs done specifically for House Arrest were written and produced by Richard Rudolph and Michael “Maniac” Sembello (who kicked in the song “Maniac” for Flashdance in ’83 and had a massive hit with it). This includes JLH’s song covered on this page. Her character appears in one brief scene near

the beginning, after which her song is featured for the first time, after which she becomes a main figure

in the story. An edited version of it also carries us through the second half of the closing credits.

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The movie’s cute, funny, heartwarming in spots, and underrated, considered mediocre by most; I’d recommend seeing it. And “It’s Good To Know I’m Alive” is such a fun, upbeat, feel-good song, which one could hardly choose a more suitable young singer to belt. The version of it on Jennifer’s self-titled Atlantic Records album is full and unedited, and also fades out before its very end, whereas when the movie credits version reaches the same point, it does not fade, but rides out a nice giggly ending.

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Have notes to add? Let me know!

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YT:

full version

Lyrics

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(Oooh, la, la la, oooh, la, la la, oooh, oooh, oooh) / You make me smile / Everybody needs a little sometimes / And when I do, you’re always there with my surprise / It’s good to know that I’m alive (la, la la, oooh, la, la la) / You make me sing / Everybody’s looking for an answer / With a metaphysical ring, you take me out there / It’s good to know that I’m alive (la, la la, oooh, la, la la) / Caught up in the middle of a lonely, lonely day / And did you ever get the blues and think they’d never go away / And then you’re like this big fat booty dude who just stopped by to say* / There’s a lesson to be learned and everybody’s gotta play / You make me smile (you make me smile) / Everybody needs a little sometimes / And when I do, you’re always there with my surprise / It’s good to know that I’m alive (la, la la, oooh, la, la la) / You make me sing (you make me sing) / Everybody’s looking for an answer / With a metaphysical ring, you take me out there / It’s good to know that I’m alive (la, la la, oooh, la, la la) / Now you got your crazy wisdom to life, solve the night / You’ve been walking that high-wire, babe, without a man in sight / And you believed in reincarnation, but that was in another life / But like your father said, be happy, it’s okay to change your mind / You make me smile (you make me smile) / Everybody needs a little sometimes / And when I do, you’re always there with my surprise / It’s good to know that I’m alive (la, la la, oooh, la, la la) / You make me sing (you make me sing) / Everybody’s looking for an answer / With a metaphysical ring, can you take me out there / It’s good to know that I’m alive (la, la la, oooh, la, la la) / You make me smile / Everybody needs, needs a little somethin’ / It’s good to know that I’m alive, I’m alive (la, la la, oooh, la, la la) / You make me sing (you make me sing) / Everybody needs, needs a little somethin’ / It’s good to know that I’m alive, I’m alive (la, la la, oooh, la, la la) / You make me smile (you make me smile)/[fade]

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*Official source or lyric wanted!

first release: Jennifer Love Hewitt (1996/09/03)

audio treated sample