This song was on The Car’s great debut album that just keeps giving. “Good Times Roll” was released as the third single from the album.
Ric Ocasek wrote and sang lead on this song. None of the songs were huge hits but 6 songs off of the album still get played on radio today. Rolling Stone also ranked the album No. 284 in its “500 Greatest Albums of All Time” list.
This song peaked at #41 in the Billboard 100 and #74 in Canada in 1979.
Ric Ocasek: “I just remember when we did ‘Good Times Roll’ in the studio in England on the first record, and we heard back the vocals. I told Roy that I thought it was way, way too much. … But you know, it grew on me later and it sounded so smooth. It was a nice process to do it because Roy, you know, was fortunate enough to have a 40-track machine … so he could do layering of vocals a lot.”
Good Times Roll
Let the good times roll
Let them knock you around
Let the good times roll
Let them make you a clown
Let them leave you up in the air
Let them brush your rock and roll hair
Let the good times roll
Let the good times roll
Let the good times roll
Let the stories be told
They can say what they want
Let the photos be old
Let them show what they want
Let them leave you up in the air
Let them brush your rock and roll hair
Let the good times roll
Let the good times roll-oll
Won’t you let the good times roll
Good times roll
If the illusion is real
Let them give you a ride
If they got thunder appeal
Let them be on your side
Let them leave you up in the air
Let them brush your rock and roll hair
Let the good times roll
Won’t you let the good times roll-oll
Let the good times roll
Let the good times roll
Won’t you let the good times roll
Well let the good times roll
Let ’em roll (good times roll)
Let the good times roll
Let the good times roll
Ooh let the good times roll
Let ’em roll (good times roll)
Let the good times roll
(Let the good times roll)
Let the good times roll
Good times roll
(Let the good times roll)
Let the good times roll
Let ’em roll
I love this band. I love them as much today as I did back in the day. I never got to see them in concert. One of my regrets.
LikeLiked by 1 person
They are one of my regrets also. I remember them coming to the Municipal Auditorium but didn’t see them.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think – can’t bet money on it, but seem to recall – they actually played my hometown in the 80s… the suburb, rather than Toronto itself. That was a rarity back then. But , didn’t see them. It was a very good album… kind of think they never matched it later on, but it was an impressive introduction.
LikeLike
I do wish I would have have seen them in the early 80s. I do remember them coming here quite a few times.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That was a great album. I used to work at a family-owned business, and one of the brothers had a band that would practice in a storage room after hours. They knew one song, “Just What I Needed.” I always think of that when I think of the songs from that album.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That is a great song also…it’s been joked that this album should be called “Car’s Greatest Hits”
LikeLike
I don’t dislike the song, but it’s a little slow-paced to my taste.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s pretty cool when you can have 6 songs that are not really hits but everyone knows them 40 plus years later.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That album has been jokingly referred to as “The Greatest Hits” album lol. It is a great album.
LikeLiked by 1 person
When you can go 6 singles deep that’s impressive to say the least.
Another one that comes to mind is Leppards Hysteria. The whole first side which is 6 songs were all singles which was crazy.
And a 7th single on the second side.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That is a good example…and they don’t have to be number 1s either…but just popular and still played…which most of that album is.
LikeLiked by 1 person
While I always liked their songs on the radio, for some reason, I never followed The Cars. It’s like you said, there are five or six tunes on this album, which got a good deal of radio play. I had no idea they were all from the same record. Getting so many songs out of one album is really remarkable.
LikeLiked by 1 person
They had two very big albums…one was this one and the other was in the 80s…I tend to side to the seventies sound.
It took me a while to really appreciate them. I wish I would have seen them
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s an OK song. Not my fave Cars song…but, good.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Not my favorite either…my favorite is probably My Best Friend’s Girl.
LikeLike