Good Times Roll

For other songs with the lyrics "Let the good times roll", see Let the Good Times Roll.
"Good Times Roll"
Single by The Cars
from the album The Cars
B-side "All Mixed Up"
Released February 20, 1979 (1979-02-20)
Format 7"
Recorded AIR Studios, London, February 1978
Genre Rock, new wave
Length 3:44
Label Elektra 46014
Writer(s) Ric Ocasek
Producer(s) Roy Thomas Baker
The Cars singles chronology
"My Best Friend's Girl"
(1978)		 "Good Times Roll"
(1979)		 "Let's Go"
(1979)
The Cars track listing

"Good Times Roll" is a song by American rock band The Cars. It is the first track from their 1978 debut album The Cars. With its slow, lumbering rhythm, the track became a modest hit when it was released as a single in 1979.[1] It has since appeared on many of The Cars' compilation albums.

Background

The track was produced by Roy Thomas Baker. Written and sung by Cars lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Ric Ocasek, it was released as the album's third single.[2]

"Good Times Roll", along with the rest of the tracks from The Cars, was recorded in just two weeks. However, the album's chart success was so long-lived that the release of its follow-up, 1979's Candy-O, was delayed.[2]

The song begins with electronic drums and a guitar riff, soon joined by Ocasek's lead vocals and synthesizers by keyboardist Greg Hawkes. Despite the up-tempo-sounding title, "Good Times Roll" is a mid-tempo song, with a beat described as "languid," "psychedelic" and "creepy." The lyrics are similarly described as "withering" and Ocasek's vocal style as "clinical."[3]

Release

The song was released as the third and final single from The Cars in February 1979, backed with "All Mixed Up". It reached number 41 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, performing slightly worse that its predecessors "Just What I Needed" and "My Best Friend's Girl."[2]

Of the nine tracks on The Cars, "Good Times Roll" was the only song for which no demo recording could be found during the compilation of the 1999 The Cars: Deluxe Edition package. Instead, a live version of "Good Times Roll" is included alongside demo versions of the other eight tracks.[4]

"Good Times Roll" has been featured on several Cars anthologies, including 1985's Greatest Hits, 1995's Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology, and 2002's Complete Greatest Hits.[3]

Reception

"Good Times Roll" has generally received positive reviews from critics. Greg Prato of AllMusic described the track as one of the "familiar hits" on The Cars and called it a highlight.[5] Donald Guarisco, also of AllMusic, said the track "provides a solid reminder of the Cars' ability to mix pop hooks with thoroughly trenchant irony."[3] The Billboard review of The Cars noted "Good Times Roll" as one of the best cuts, while Jaime Welton, author of 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, described the track as a "new wave gem".[1]

Covers and other appearances

Chart performance

Chart (1979) Peak
position
Canadian Singles Chart 74
French Singles Chart 5
US Billboard Hot 100[7] 41

References

  1. 1 2 "'The Cars' reviews". superseventies.com.
  2. 1 2 3 "The Cars". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 26, 2010.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Guarisco, Donald A. "The Cars: Good Times Roll". AllMusic. Retrieved September 26, 2010.
  4. ↑ Schreiber, Ryan (April 20, 1999). "Pitchfork: Album Reviews: The Cars: The Cars: Deluxe Edition". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved September 26, 2010.
  5. ↑ Prato, Greg. "The Cars". AllMusic. Retrieved February 17, 2012.
  6. ↑ "It's Alive: Overview". AllMusic. Retrieved September 26, 2010.
  7. ↑ "The Cars - Charts & Awards - Billboard Singles". AllMusic (Rovi Corporation). Retrieved 2009-11-04.

External links

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