Good Times (Chic song)

"Good Times" is a song by American R&B band Chic from their third album Risqué (1979). The disco song, ranked No. 229 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, has become one of the most sampled tunes in music history, most notably in hip hop music.

"Good Times"
Picture sleeve for the US 7-inch single, whose artwork would be later used for the parent article Risqué
Single by Chic
from the album Risqué
B-side"A Warm Summer Night"
ReleasedJune 4, 1979
Format
  • 7"
  • 12"
Recorded1979
GenreDisco
Length8:08 (LP version)
3:42 (7" 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)
Audio sample
"Good Times"
  • file
  • help
Alternative release
Side-A label for the US 12-inch single

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.[1]

In a 2015 interview Rodgers stated that "Good Times" was partly inspired by the 1974 Kool & The Gang song "Hollywood Swinging".[2]

Chart performance

The song hit number-one on August 18, 1979 before being ousted by The Knack's smash hit "My Sharona" the following week.[3] Along with the songs "My Forbidden Lover" and "My Feet Keep Dancing", "Good Times" reached #3 on the disco chart.[4] 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.[5] Billboard magazine 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

Personnel
  • Guitar – Nile Rodgers
  • Bass – Bernard Edwards
  • Acoustic piano – Rob Sabino
  • Fender Rhodes electric piano – Raymond Jones
  • Drums – Tony Thompson
  • String arrangements – Harold Wheeler or Nile Rodgers/Bernard Edwards

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[13] Gold 1,000,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Disco Montego version
"Good Times"
Single by Disco Montego featuring Selwyn, Katie Underwood, Peta Morris and Jeremy Gregory
Released4 November 2002 (2002-11-04)
FormatCD Single
Recorded2002
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 in November 2002. It was released as part of Australia's largest pop music festival Rumba which took place in November and December 2002, across Australia.[14][15]

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)[16] 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.[17] 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[18] (the song used samples of the strings, and an interpolation of the bass line).[19] He also stated that "as innovative and important as 'Good Times' was, 'Rapper's Delight' was just as much, if not more so."[20] Traditionally, Chic's live performances of "Good Times" incorporate a portion of "Rapper's Delight" including audience participation call-and-response.

References
  1. EMP Museum, "Happy Days Are Here Again" Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine, EMP Oral History Videos, Category: Black History Month. Nile Rodgers interviewed June 25, 2002, Seattle, Washington.
  2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkjJx6rYrOo
  3. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 116.
  4. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 56.
  5. George, Nelson (1988). The Death of Rhythm & Blues. New York, NY: Pantheon Books. p. 157. ISBN 0142004081. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
  6. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Chic" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  7. "Charts.nz – Chic – Good Times". Top 40 Singles.
  8. "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-10-31.
  9. "Offiziellecharts.de – Chic – Good Times". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  10. "Top 100 Singles (1979)". RPM. Retrieved 2017-07-29.
  11. Musicoutfitters.com
  12. "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 29, 1979". Archived from the original on July 13, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
  13. "American single certifications – Chic – Good Times". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
  14. "Rumba kicks off in Australia". Sydney Morning Herald. 4 December 2002. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  15. "RUMBA 2002 - RUMBA 2002". Frontier Touring. 2002. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  16. "The ARIA Report issue 668" (PDF). The ARIA Report. 17 January 2003. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  17. "The Story of Rapper's Delight by Nile Rodgers". RapProject.tv. Retrieved October 12, 2008.
  18. "Nile Rodgers interviewed by Peter Paphides". Twentyfirstcenturymusic.blogspot.com. November 10, 2011. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
  19. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkjJx6rYrOo
  20. Archived October 13, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
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