"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
Recorded1978
StudioPower Station, New York City
GenreFunk, disco
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 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 tunes 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

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

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

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.

Track listing and formats

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

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[2]
2004 reissue 		Silver 200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[29] Gold 1,000,000^

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

Disco Montego version

"Good Times"
Single by Disco Montego featuring Selwyn, Katie Underwood, Peta Morris and Jeremy Gregory
ReleasedNovember 4, 2002 (2002-11-04)[30]
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.[31][32] The song peaked at number 52 on the ARIA Singles Chart in December 2002 in its sixth week.

Track listing

CD single

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

Charts

Chart (2002) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[33] 52

Sampling and motifs

The backing track of "Good Times" was notably 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.[34] Rodgers admitted that he was originally upset with the song, but would later declare it to be "one of his favorite songs of all time" and his favorite of all the tracks that sampled Chic[35] (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."[36] Traditionally, Chic's live performances of "Good Times" incorporate a portion of "Rapper's Delight" including audience participation call-and-response.

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".

References

  1. ↑ "Chic, 'Good Times'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  2. 1 2 "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. 1 2 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. ↑ "Chic – Good Times" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  11. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2956." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  12. ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. September 8, 1979. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  13. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Good Times". Irish Singles Chart.
  14. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Chic" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  15. ↑ "Chic – Good Times" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  16. ↑ "Chic – Good Times". Top 40 Singles.
  17. ↑ "Chic – Good Times". Singles Top 100.
  18. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  19. ↑ "Chic — Billboard Hot 100 Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  20. ↑ "Chic — Billboard Hot 100 Adult Contemporary Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  21. ↑ "Chic — Billboard Hot 100 Hot Soul Singles Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  22. ↑ "Chic — Billboard Hot 100 Dance Club Songs Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  23. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Chic – Good Times" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  24. ↑ "Chic – Good Times" (in French). Les classement single.
  25. ↑ "Top 100 Singles (1979)". RPM. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
  26. ↑ Musicoutfitters.com
  27. ↑ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 1979". Billboard. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  28. ↑ "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 29, 1979". Archived from the original on July 13, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
  29. ↑ "American single certifications – Chic – Good Times". Recording Industry Association of America.
  30. ↑ "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.
  31. ↑ "Rumba kicks off in Australia". Sydney Morning Herald. December 4, 2002. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
  32. ↑ "RUMBA 2002 - RUMBA 2002". Frontier Touring. 2002. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
  33. ↑ "Issue 668" ARIA Top 100 Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  34. ↑ "The Story of Rapper's Delight by Nile Rodgers". RapProject.tv. Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved October 12, 2008.
  35. ↑ "Nile Rodgers interviewed by Peter Paphides". Twentyfirstcenturymusic.blogspot.com. November 10, 2011. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
  36. ↑ Archived October 13, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
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