"Good Times" is a disco soul song by American R&B band Chic from their third album Risqué (1979). It ranks 68th on Rolling Stones list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, 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.
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.
In a 2015 interview Rodgers stated that "Good Times" was partly inspired by the 1974 Kool & The Gang song "Hollywood Swinging".
Reception
Cash Box praised the "excellent production" and "bright, sassy female vocals." Record World said that "cuddly vocals, crystalline piano & production equal 'good times.'"
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. Along with the songs "My Forbidden Lover" and "My Feet Keep Dancing", "Good Times" reached #3 on the disco chart. 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. 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
Vocals: Alfa Anderson
Keyboards: Andy Schwartz
Bass Guitar, Vocals: Bernard Edwards
Strings: Cheryl Hong
Vocals: Fonzi Thornton
Strings: Karen Karlsrud
Strings: Karen Milne
Vocals: Luci Martin
Vocals: Michele Cobbs
Guitar: Nile Rodgers
Keyboards: Raymond Jones
Keyboards: Robert Sabino
Percussion: Sammy Figueroa
Drums: Tony Thompson
Vocals: Ullanda McCullough
Strings: Valerie Haywood
Writers: Bernard Edwards, Nile Rodgers
Producers: Bernard Edwards, Nile Rodgers
Engineer: Bob Clearmountain
Masterer: Dennis King
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Disco Montego version
"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. The song peaked at number 52 on the ARIA Singles Chart in December 2002 in its sixth week.
Track listing
CD single
"Good Times" "Good Times" (karaoke version) "Disco Montego Megamix" "Good Times" (extended mix)
Charts
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. 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 (the song used samples of the strings, and an interpolation of the bass line). He also stated that "as innovative and important as 'Good Times' was, 'Rapper's Delight' was just as much, if not more so." 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".