"Good Times" is a song recorded by
Eric Burdon & the Animals
The Animals (also billed as Eric Burdon and the Animals) are an English rock music, rock band, formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in the early 1960s. The band moved to London upon finding fame in 1964. The Animals were known for their gritty, blues ...
and released on the 1967 album ''
Winds of Change'', with music and lyrics by
Eric Burdon
Eric Victor Burdon (born 11 May 1941) is an English singer. He was previously the lead vocalist of R&B and rock band the Animals and funk band War. He is regarded as one of the British Invasion's most distinctive singers with his deep, powe ...
,
John Weider
John Weider (born 21 April 1947) is an English rock musician who plays guitar, bass, and violin. He is best known as the guitarist for the Animals from 1966 to 1968. He was also the bass player for Family from 1969 to 1971.
Biography
Early c ...
,
Vic Briggs
Victor Harvey Briggs III (14 February 1945 – 30 June 2021) was a British blues and rock musician, best known as the lead guitarist with Eric Burdon and The Animals during the 1966–1968 period. Briggs, a convert to Sikhism, later played ...
,
Danny McCulloch
Daniel Joseph "Danny" McCulloch (18 July 1945 – 29 January 2015) was an English musician best known as the bassist of the 1960s psychedelic rock group The Animals, Eric Burdon and The Animals.
History
Early career
Danny McCulloch was born i ...
and
Barry Jenkins
Barry Jenkins (born November 19, 1979) is an American filmmaker. After making his filmmaking debut with the short film ''My Josephine'' (2003), he directed his first feature film ''Medicine for Melancholy'' (2008) for which he received an Indep ...
.
The lyrics tell the story of someone who regrets having wasted too much time doing useless things instead of aspiring to become someone successful. Musically, the song has a dark and depressed feeling with a light-hearted break just before the final verse.
The song features a string quartet, which is heard in the second portion of the song.
The single reached number 20 on the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
. It was the B-side to "
San Franciscan Nights
"San Franciscan Nights" is a 1967 song performed by Eric Burdon and The Animals. Words and music were composed by the group's members, Eric Burdon, Vic Briggs, John Weider, Barry Jenkins, and Danny McCulloch. A paean to San Francisco, it was the ...
" in the U.S. The B-side "Ain't that So" was included as part of the soundtrack to the film ''
Stranger in the House'' (1967). Every band member, except Burdon, appeared at the premiere.
In 1987 it was released as a single again, while it was the soundtrack to the movie ''
Die Katze'' starring
Götz George
Götz George (; 23 July 1938 – 19 June 2016) was a German actor, the son of actor couple Berta Drews and Heinrich George. His arguably best-known role is that of Duisburg detective Horst Schimanski in the TV crime series ''Tatort''.
Early lif ...
. This version reached #53 in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
.
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...
covered the song for his album ''Under Cover'', 2005.
It was also featured on Burdon's live album ''The Official Live Bootleg #2'' (2000) by Eric Burdon's I band.
Most recently, it was featured in the 2017 film ''
Small Town Crime
''Small Town Crime'' is a 2017 American neo-noir thriller film directed by Eshom Nelms and Ian Nelms. It stars John Hawkes as an alcoholic ex-cop who discovers a woman left for dead on the side of a road and finds himself compelled to locate the ...
''.
1967 singles
Songs written by Eric Burdon
The Animals songs
Ozzy Osbourne songs
Song recordings produced by Tom Wilson (record producer)
MGM Records singles
1967 songs
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