When Chic first released their 1979 disco hit “Good Times”, they faced intense criticism for putting out vapid feel-good music as the rest of the United States struggled in the aftermath of the mid-1970s recession. But those who allowed the song to anger them weren’t listening closely enough to realize what Chic was actually saying.
In fact, the dance-floor anthem that had everyone singing “these are the good times, leave your cares behind” was actually inspired by the Great Depression (in more ways than one).
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Nile Rodgers Said Chic Always Looked For “Deep Hidden Meaning”
During a 2002 interview with the EMP Museum, now the Museum of Pop Culture, Chic frontman Nile Rodgers said that people who were upset about “Good Times” hadn’t picked up on the “deep hidden meaning,” or “DHM,” of the song. According to Rodgers, that was something he and co-writer Bernard Edwards put into every single one of their songs. “If the song didn’t have any DHM, we weren’t putting it out,” Rodgers said.
The DHM in “Good Times” was a not-so-subtle callback to Al Jolson, a famous minstrel performer from the 1920s. Jolson’s career reflected the deep disparities Black musicians faced at this time. Audiences were hungry for their music but refused to open their world to Black performers. Of the many ways this discrimination manifested, one was refusing them lodging or service at the hotels and venues where they played. Jolson was singing the same kind of music. But since he was white, he was accepted by the masses.
Those familiar with Jolson’s career might have recognized the lyrics Chic pulled directly from the popular song “About A Quarter To Nine”. “Straight up Al Jolson,” Rodgers told the EMP Museum. “‘The stars are going to twinkle and shine, this evening about a quarter to nine, and oh, la-la-la-la.’ That’s how we started. We went back, and we took that.”
His Political Background Prevented Those Rumors From Being True
For those unaware of Al Jolson, his songs, or the financially and socioeconomically destitute time period he came to represent, “Good Times” by Chic really does sound like a song about grooving, having a good time, and enjoying the here and now. Nile Rodgers said that his political background practically ruled out the possibility of these rumors being true.
“There was no way that I was ever just gonna write a song about partying and dancing,” Rodgers said in 2002. “I mean, I’m a Black Panther. What are you talking about? It was always about compromise.”
In a way, though, the rumors were a positive sign. It showed that Chic had done their job so effectively that their music could reach the peak of commercial platforms while still delivering a covertly impactful message. “We realized that we had done our job so effectively that all of our lyrics were shrouded in double-entendre.”
“This was all seriously thought-out stuff,” Rodgers said. “We didn’t just randomly write this. This was protest.”
Photo by Mike Prior/Redferns