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Good Times (Chic song)
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Wikipedia article
"'Good Times'" is a song by American R&B band Chic from their third album 'Risqu' (1979). It ranks 68th on 'Rolling Stone's 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.
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.EMP Museum, [http://www.empsfm.org/programs/index.asp?articleID=613 "Happy Days Are Here Again"] , 'EMP Oral History Videos', Category: Black History Month. Nile Rodgers interviewed June 25, 2002, Seattle, Washington.
In a 2015 interview Rodgers stated that "Good Times" was partly inspired by the 1974 Kool & The Gang song "Hollywood Swinging".Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211205/UkjJx6rYrOo Ghostarchive] and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20150825215433/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkjJx6rYrOo Wayback Machine]:
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' magazine named "Good Times" the number one soul single of 1979. 'Cash Box' praised the "excellent production" and "bright, sassy female vocals."
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
* 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[http://twentyfirstcenturymusic.blogspot.com/2011/11/nile-rodgers-interviewed-by-peter.html "Nile Rodgers interviewed by Peter Paphides"]. Twentyfirstcenturymusic.blogspot.com. November 10, 2011. Retrieved November 13, 2011. (the song used samples of the strings, and an interpolation of the bass line).Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211205/UkjJx6rYrOo Ghostarchive] and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20150825215433/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkjJx6rYrOo Wayback Machine]: He also stated that "as innovative and important as 'Good Times' was, 'Rapper's Delight' was just as much, if not more so."[http://www.blender.com/guide/articles.aspx?id=1992] 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
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