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1979 single by Chic
This article is about a disco song. For the American TV sitcom, see Good Times.
"Good Times" is a discosoul 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", 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.
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.
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.
Impact and legacy
In 1998, DJ Magazine ranked "Good Times" number 70 in their list of "Top 100 Club Tunes". In 2005, Stylus Magazine included its bassline at number three in their list of "Top 50 Basslines of All Time", while Mixmag featured it in their "The Best Basslines in Dance Music" in 2020. Same year, Slant Magazine ranked it number 60 in their list of "The 100 Best Dance Songs of All Time". In 2024, Rolling Stone ranked "Good Times" number 68 in their "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".
"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.
The bass line of "Good Times" was 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 said that he was originally upset with the song, but later declared 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.
Queen's John Deacon reportedly used the song's bass line as inspiration for his own bass line for the band's 1980 single "Another One Bites the Dust". The lines were so similar that the press accused Chic of ripping off the line from Queen even though "Good Times" was recorded and released earlier. Both Rodgers and Edwards said that Deacon was hanging around them when "Good Times" was recorded. Years later, Queen guitarist Brian May acknowledged Chic's influence on Deacon's playing, saying, "It's very Nile Rodgers. John absolutely adored him — we all do. John was very influenced by him, without a doubt. What an amazing guy Nile Rodgers is."
Side one of US 12-inch single
