Jump to content

Good Times (Chic song)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about a disco song. For the American TV sitcom, see Good Times.

"Good Times"
Side one of US 12-inch single
Single by Chic
from the album Risqué
B-side"A Warm Summer Night"
ReleasedJune 4, 1979 (1979-06-04)
Recorded1978
StudioPower Station, New York City
Genre
Length
  • 8:08 (LP version)
  • 3:42 (7-inch edit)
LabelAtlantic (3584)
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Bernard Edwards
  • Nile Rodgers
Chic singles chronology
"I Want Your Love"
(1979) 		"Good Times"
(1979) 		"My Forbidden Lover"
(1979)
Music video
"Good Times - Chic" on YouTube

"Good Times" is a disco soul song by American R&B band Chic, released in June 1979 by Atlantic Records as the first single from their third album, Risqué (1979). It ranks 68th on Rolling Stone's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time",[1] and has become one of the most sampled songs in music history, most notably in hip hop music. Originally released with "A Warm Summer Night" on the B-side, it was reissued in 2004 with "I Want Your Love" on the B-side, a version which was certified Silver in the UK.[2]

Lyrics and inspiration

[edit]

The lyrics include a reference to Milton Ager's "Happy Days Are Here Again". It also contains lines based on lyrics featured in "About a Quarter to Nine" made famous by Al Jolson. Nile Rodgers has stated that these Great Depression-era lyrics were used as a hidden way to comment on the then-current economic conditions in the United States.[3]

In a 2015 interview Rodgers stated that "Good Times" was partly inspired by the 1974 Kool & The Gang song "Hollywood Swinging".[4]

Reception

[edit]

Cash Box praised the "excellent production" and "bright, sassy female vocals."[5] Record World said that "cuddly vocals, crystalline piano & production equal 'good times.'"[6]

Chart performance

[edit]

The song hit number-one on the Billboard Hot 100 on August 18, 1979, before being ousted by The Knack's smash hit "My Sharona" the following week.[7] Along with the songs "My Forbidden Lover" and "My Feet Keep Dancing", "Good Times" reached #3 on the disco chart.[8] It reportedly sold more than 5 million copies, making it, at the time, the best-selling 45 rpm single in the history of Atlantic Records.[9] Billboard named "Good Times" the number one soul single of 1979.

Impact and legacy

[edit]

In 1998, DJ Magazine ranked "Good Times" number 70 in their list of "Top 100 Club Tunes".[10] In 2005, Stylus Magazine included its bassline at number three in their list of "Top 50 Basslines of All Time",[11] while Mixmag featured it in their "The Best Basslines in Dance Music" in 2020.[12] Same year, Slant Magazine ranked it number 60 in their list of "The 100 Best Dance Songs of All Time".[13] In 2024, Rolling Stone ranked "Good Times" number 68 in their "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".[1]

Track listing and formats

[edit]
  • 7" vinyl single
A. "Good Times" – 3:42
B. "A Warm Summer Night" – 6:08
  • 12" vinyl single
A. "Good Times" – 8:10
B. "A Warm Summer Night" – 6:08
  • Promo 12" vinyl single
A. "Good Times" – 8:08
B. "Good Times" – 3:42
  • 12" 2004 reissue
A. "Good Times" – 8:15
B. "I Want Your Love" – 6:53

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[2]
2004 reissue 		Silver 200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[33] Gold 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Personnel

[edit]

Disco Montego version

[edit]
"Good Times"
Single by Disco Montego featuring Selwyn, Katie Underwood, Peta Morris and Jeremy Gregory
ReleasedNovember 4, 2002 (2002-11-04)[34]
Recorded2002
Length4:01
LabelWarner Music
Songwriter(s)
Disco Montego singles chronology
"Magic"
(2002) 		"Good Times"
(2002) 		"U Talkin' to Me"
(2002)
Selwyn singles chronology
"Like This, Like That"
(2002) 		"Good Times"
(2002) 		"Boomin'"
(2004)
Katie Underwood singles chronology
"Magic"
(2002) 		"Good Times"
(2002) 		"Danger"
(2003)
Peta Morris singles chronology
"The Sound of Breaking Up"
(2001) 		"Good Times"
(2002) 		"Sunshine Eyes"
(2005)
Jeremy Gregory singles chronology
"Good Times"
(2002) 		"That's What's Goin' Down"
(2003)

"Good Times" was covered by Australian musicians Disco Montego, Selwyn, Katie Underwood, Peta Morris, and Jeremy Gregory and released on November 4, 2002. It was released as part of Australia's 'Rumba' music festival, which took place in November and December 2002 across Australia.[35][36] The song peaked at number 52 on the ARIA Singles Chart in December 2002 in its sixth week.

Track listing

[edit]

CD single

  1. "Good Times"
  2. "Good Times" (karaoke version)
  3. "Disco Montego Megamix"
  4. "Good Times" (extended mix)

Charts

[edit]
Chart (2002) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[37] 52

Sampling and motifs

[edit]

The bass line of "Good Times" was recreated in the Sugarhill Gang's 1979 single "Rapper's Delight", a key track in the development of hip hop. Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards threatened legal action over copyright, which resulted in a settlement and them being credited as co-writers.[38] Rodgers said that he was originally upset with the song, but later declared it to be "one of his favorite songs of all time" and his favorite of all the tracks that sampled Chic[39] (the song used samples of the strings, and an interpolation of the bass line).[4] He also stated that "as innovative and important as 'Good Times' was, 'Rapper's Delight' was just as much, if not more so."[40] Traditionally, Chic's live performances of "Good Times" incorporate a portion of "Rapper's Delight" including audience participation call-and-response.[citation needed]

UK garage group Da Click's 1999 debut single "Good Rhymes" interpolated the song's bassline and chorus along with vocals from Luther Vandross' "Never Too Much".

Queen's John Deacon reportedly used the song's bass line as inspiration for his own bass line for the band's 1980 single "Another One Bites the Dust". The lines were so similar that the press accused Chic of ripping off the line from Queen even though "Good Times" was recorded and released earlier. Both Rodgers and Edwards said that Deacon was hanging around them when "Good Times" was recorded. Years later, Queen guitarist Brian May acknowledged Chic's influence on Deacon's playing, saying, "It's very Nile Rodgers. John absolutely adored him — we all do. John was very influenced by him, without a doubt. What an amazing guy Nile Rodgers is."[41]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Chic, 'Good Times'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "British single certifications – Chic – Good Times/I Want Your Love". British Phonographic Industry.
  3. ^ EMP Museum, "Happy Days Are Here Again" Archived September 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, EMP Oral History Videos, Category: Black History Month. Nile Rodgers interviewed June 25, 2002, Seattle, Washington.
  4. ^ a b Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Nile Rodgers Discusses Legendary Bassline of "Good Times," Sampling & FOLD! Festival". YouTube.
  5. ^ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. June 16, 1979. p. 20. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  6. ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. June 16, 1979. p. 1. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  7. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 116.
  8. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 56.
  9. ^ George, Nelson (1988). The Death of Rhythm & Blues. New York, NY: Pantheon Books. p. 157. ISBN 0142004081. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
  10. ^ "For those of you that thought good music died in the 90s, this is for you… part one [April 1998]". 909originals.com. April 15, 2018. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  11. ^ "Stylus magazine's Top 50 Bassline of All Time". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on August 29, 2015. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  12. ^ "The Best Basslines In Dance Music, According To You". Mixmag. May 7, 2020. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  13. ^ "The 100 Best Dance Songs of All Time". Slant Magazine. June 15, 2020. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  14. ^ "Chic – Good Times" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  15. ^ "RPM 100 Singles - Volume 31, No. 24". Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  16. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. September 8, 1979. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  17. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Good Times". Irish Singles Chart.
  18. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Chic" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  19. ^ "Chic – Good Times" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  20. ^ "Chic – Good Times". Top 40 Singles.
  21. ^ "Chic – Good Times". Singles Top 100.
  22. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  23. ^ "Chic — Billboard Hot 100 Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  24. ^ "Chic — Billboard Hot 100 Adult Contemporary Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  25. ^ "Chic — Billboard Hot 100 Hot Soul Singles Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  26. ^ "Chic — Billboard Hot 100 Dance Club Songs Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  27. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Chic – Good Times" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  28. ^ "Chic – Good Times" (in French). Les classement single.
  29. ^ "Top 100 Singles (1979)". RPM. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
  30. ^ Musicoutfitters.com
  31. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 1979". Billboard. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  32. ^ "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 29, 1979". Archived from the original on July 13, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
  33. ^ "American single certifications – Chic – Good Times". Recording Industry Association of America.
  34. ^ "The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 4th November 2002" (PDF). ARIA. November 4, 2002. p. 30. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 22, 2008. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  35. ^ "Rumba kicks off in Australia". Sydney Morning Herald. December 4, 2002. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
  36. ^ "RUMBA 2002 - RUMBA 2002". Frontier Touring. 2002. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
  37. ^ "Issue 668" ARIA Top 100 Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  38. ^ "The Story of Rapper's Delight by Nile Rodgers". RapProject.tv. Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved October 12, 2008.
  39. ^ "Nile Rodgers interviewed by Peter Paphides". Twentyfirstcenturymusic.blogspot.com. November 10, 2011. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
  40. ^ [1] Archived October 13, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  41. ^ Reed, Ryan (August 22, 2020). "When Queen Dabbled in Disco on 'Another One Bites the Dust'". ultimateclassicrock.com. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Good_Times_(Chic_song)&oldid=1254160024"