"Good Times Bad Times" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, featured as the opening track on their 1969 debut album Led Zeppelin. The song was Led Zeppelin's first single released in the US, where it reached the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
| "Good Times Bad Times" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 German single picture sleeve | ||||
| Single by Led Zeppelin | ||||
| from the album Led Zeppelin | ||||
| B-side | "Communication Breakdown" | |||
| Released | 10 March 1969 | |||
| Recorded | 3 October 1968[1] | |||
| Studio | Olympic, London[1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:43 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Jimmy Page | |||
| Led Zeppelin singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio sample | ||||
Background and composition
editThe composition of the song began before the band's recording sessions at Atlantic Studios.[1] The original title was "A Man I Know".[1]
The main riff of "Good Times Bad Times" was written by John Paul Jones on a Hammond organ.[5] who later said it was the most difficult riff he ever wrote,[6] as well as one of the hardest riffs for him to perform.[7] Guitarist Jimmy Page played a Fender Telecaster that Jeff Beck had given him through a Tone Bender and a Supro amplifier.[5][8] Page's guitar solo was fed though a Leslie speaker to create a swirling effect.[9] Singer Robert Plant's vocals were largely double-tracked.[6]
Drummer John Bonham plays fast triplets on a single bass drum, which drew praise from Jimi Hendrix.[8] He attributed the idea to Carmine Appice of Vanilla Fudge, who had played a similar figure on the band's cover of the Beatles' "Ticket to Ride" (which appeared on the band's debut album Vanilla Fudge), though Appice had not played the triplets exclusively on the bass drum.[10]
Personnel
editAccording to Jean-Michel Guesdon and Philippe Margotin:[1]
- Robert Plant – vocals, vocal harmonies
- Jimmy Page – guitars, backing vocals (?)
- John Paul Jones – bass, backing vocals (?)
- John Bohnam – drums, backing vocals (?)
Live performances
editThis section needs additional citations for verification. (August 2018) |
"Good Times Bad Times" was rarely played live at Led Zeppelin concerts in its entirety.[11] In a few instances in 1969 it was used as an introduction to "Communication Breakdown" (as seen in Led Zeppelin (Deluxe Edition)). It also appeared in almost complete form within the "Communication Breakdown" medley performed at the LA Forum on 4 September 1970, where it included a bass solo by Jones (as can be heard on the Led Zeppelin bootleg recording Live on Blueberry Hill), and several "Whole Lotta Love" medleys in 1971. It was also the opening song for Led Zeppelin's reunion show at the O2 Arena, London on 10 December 2007. The version of "Good Times Bad Times/Communication Breakdown" released 15 April 2014, on iTunes, is from 10 October 1969 in Paris, on the European Tour of Autumn 1969.
Reception and charts
editCash Box said that "Combined power of a teen-rock vocal and a solid FM-ized instrumental set give Led Zeppelin a blistering single debut."[12] Billboard called it a "singles swinger that should hit the chart with solid sales impact" and said that it has a "solid beat in strong support."[13]
In a reassessment of Led Zeppelin in 2016, Andy Greene of Rolling Stone praised "Good Times Bad Times", writing that the song begins the album with a bang: "Jimmy Page's guitar pounces from the speakers, fat with menace; John Bonham's kick drum swings with anvil force; Robert Plant rambles on about the perils of manhood. Hard rock would never be the same."[14]
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[15] | 64 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[16] | 19 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[17] | 17 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[18] | 80 |
| US Cash Box[19] | 66 |
| US Record World[20] | 65 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[21] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Guesdon & Margotin 2018, p. 52.
- ^ "Led Zeppelin Biography". The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Archived from the original on 29 June 2016. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
launching pithy hard-rock rave-ups like "Good Times Bad Times" and "Communication Breakdown."
- ^ "55 Years Ago: Led Zeppelin's Debut Becomes a Hard Rock Paradigm". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
There's brutish, thunderous hard rock ("Good Times Bad Times")
- ^ Segretto, Mike (2022). "1969". 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Minute - A Critical Trip Through the Rock LP Era, 1955–1999. Backbeat. pp. 213–214. ISBN 9781493064601.
- ^ a b Guesdon & Margotin 2018, pp. 54–55.
- ^ a b Kiste 2018, p. 21.
- ^ Popoff 2018, p. 17.
- ^ a b Popoff 2018, p. 16.
- ^ Lewis 2010, eBook.
- ^ Guesdon & Margotin 2018, p. 54.
- ^ Case, George (2011). Led Zeppelin FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Greatest Hard Rock Band of All Time. Backbeat Books. ISBN 978-1-61713-025-0.
- ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 22 March 1969. p. 18. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
- ^ "Spotlight Singles" (PDF). Billboard. 22 March 1969. p. 71. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
- ^ Greene, Andy (25 July 2016). "10 Classic Albums Rolling Stone Originally Panned: Led Zeppelin, 'Led Zeppelin' (1969)". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
- ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 5981." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
- ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 25, 1969" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
- ^ "Led Zeppelin – Good Times Bad Times" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
- ^ "Led Zeppelin Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
- ^ "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending APRIL 26, 1969". Cash Box. Archived from the original on 26 August 2012.
- ^ "100 Top Pops" (PDF). Record World. 26 April 1969. p. 29. ISSN 0034-1622. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
- ^ "British single certifications – Led Zeppelin – Good Times Bad Times". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
Bibliography
edit- Guesdon, Jean-Michel; Margotin, Philippe (2018). Led Zeppelin All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track. Running Press. ISBN 978-0-316-448-67-3.
- Kiste, John Van der (2018). Led Zeppelin: Song by Song. Fonthill Media Limited. ISBN 978-1-78155-726-6.
- Lewis, Dave (2010). Led Zeppelin: The Complete Guide to Their Music. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0857121356.
- Popoff, Martin (2018). Led Zeppelin: All the Albums, All the Songs. Voyageur Press. ISBN 978-0-7603-6377-5.