Good Times (Chic song)

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"Good Times"
Good Times by Chic US 12-inch Side-A.png
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
Studio Power Station, New York City
Genre
Length
  • 8:08 (LP version)
  • 3:42 (7-inch edit)
Label Atlantic (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]

Contents

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.

Impact and legacy

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

A. "Good Times" – 3:42
B. "A Warm Summer Night" – 6:08
A. "Good Times" – 8:10
B. "A Warm Summer Night" – 6:08
A. "Good Times" – 8:08
B. "Good Times" – 3:42
A. "Good Times" – 8:15
B. "I Want Your Love" – 6:53

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [2]
2004 reissue
Silver200,000
United States (RIAA) [33] Gold1,000,000^

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

Personnel

Disco Montego version

  1. 1 2 "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. "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. 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.
"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
Label Warner Music
Songwriter(s)
Disco Montego singles chronology
"Magic"
(2002)
"Good Times"
(2002)
"U Talkin' to Me"
(2002)