Chic’s “Good Times”

This classic song is arguably the band’s most popular and influential. It has been widely sampled and has inspired at least two other equally well-known songs: Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust” and The Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight,” both of which remodeled its distinctive bassline. In fact, “Rapper’s Delight” was so similar to “Good Times” that Chic founders Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers were awarded co-writing credits for it.

At Chic concerts today, “Good Times” is saved for the finale, while the group’s other signature song, “Le Freak,” usually opens the set. “Le Freak” is connected to an anecdote that Nile Rodgers often shares: One night, he and his musical partner Bernard Edwards were invited to New York City’s Studio 54 nightclub by Grace Jones. When they were mistakenly turned away at the door, they improvised a song to let go of their frustration. As a refrain, they used the doorman’s words, “f*** off.” To soften this and make the song suitable for radio play, the duo later changed the wording to “freak out.”

Having already enjoyed great success with Chic, Edwards and Rodgers began producing albums for other artists, too. The first album they produced, Sister Sledge’s “We Are Family,” became a massive chart success and the group’s signature song. Another successful project was Diana Ross’ album “Diana,” which included the hits “I’m Coming Out” and “Upside Down.”

Even after disco music went out of fashion and Chic disbanded in 1983, Rodgers continued to produce number one hits. Notable collaborations included David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance,” Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” and Duran Duran’s “Notorious.” More recently still, Rodgers contributed the hit singles “Get Lucky” and “Lose Yourself to Dance” to Daft Punk’s album “Random Access Memories.”

In recent years, Chic’s live setlists have increasingly drawn on the repertoire that Rodgers produced for other artists. No Chic live act today would be complete without a rendition of Sister Sledge’s “Thinking of You,” in commemoration of Bernard Edwards, who died unexpectedly after a concert in Tokyo in 1996.