Good Times (1979)

"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 was both written and produced by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers, and peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 on August 18, 1979. In Europe, the song peaked at number five on the UK Singles Chart and was a top-20 hit in Belgium, the Netherlands and Sweden. "Good Times" 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.

It encourages listeners to don their roller skates and "participate", which alludes to the roller disco trend that peaked in 1979.

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 US 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" No. 70 in their list of "Top 100 Club Tunes". In 2000, VH1 ranked it No. 44 in their list of "100 Greatest Dance Songs". In 2003, English music journalist Paul Morley included it in his list of "Greatest Pop Single of All Time". In 2005, Stylus Magazine included its bassline at No. 3 in their list of "Top 50 Basslines of All Time", while Mixmag featured it in their "The Best Basslines in Dance Music" in 2020. In 2009, "Good Times" was ranked No. 41 on Entertainment Weekly's "The 100 Greatest Summer Songs", saying, "The sinfully infectious bass line alone was enough to fill a sweltering dance floor in 100-degree weather." In 2020, Slant Magazine ranked it No. 60 in their list of "The 100 Best Dance Songs of All Time". In 2022 and 2024, Rolling Stone ranked it No. 3 and No. 68 in their lists of "200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time" and "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". In 2024, Forbes ranked "Good Times" No. 18 in their list of "The 30 Greatest Disco Songs of All Time". In March 2025, Billboard magazine ranked it No. 10 in their list of "The 100 Best Dance Songs of All Time", writing, "It remains a song that brings people to the dancefloor no matter the occasion or format."

Personnel

Vocals: Alfa Anderson

Piano: Andrew Barrett (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

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.

Sampling and motifs

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.