Project 1001: May 23, 2024; Risqué by Chic
Leave your cares behind / These are the good times
A rumor has it that it's getting late Time marches on, just can't wait The clock keeps turning, why hesitate? You silly fool, you can't change your fate
These lyrics show that disco, in the hands of the right artist, was just as deep and meaningful as any other form of music.
Chic are one of the most important bands of the late 70s. We see still see their influence five decades on. Chic was a major part of junior high life for me and many of my friends. I don’t think any party at that time was absent some Chic music. Happy times. What are some of your memories of Chic and other disco legends?
Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers went on to work with and influence so many artists that a 10-part docuseries might not be enough time to cover them all. To name a few: Queen, Duran Duran, Diana Ross, Johnny Mathis, David Bowie, Madonna, The Smiths, Daft Punk, and Lady Gaga.
Rolling Stone ranked Rodgers the 7th greatest guitarist of all time saying this: “There’s “influential,” then there’s “massively influential,” then there’s Nile Rodgers. The story of pop music over the past 50 years is basically the story of Rodgers’ guitar. The manic-staccato funk jangle he invented with Chic, in Seventies disco hits like “Le Freak” and “Good Times” — that’s been the heartbeat of global pop ever since. His warp-speed guitar on the 1980 Diana Ross classic “I’m Coming Out” was still the toughest sound on the radio almost two decades later, when Biggie turned it into “Mo Money Mo Problems.” Now that’s staying power.”1
The Songwriters Hall of Fame asserts that Edwards’ bass line from “Good Times” has hugely influenced musicians of all genres and has been sampled many times by artists of many genres.2
My Rating:
Here is a terrific feature on Chic by The Professor of Rock: Band Made Up F-Bomb Song as a JOKE...It Hit #1 Three DIFFERENT Times in 1978! | Professor of Rock
The playlist is… spectacular. My favorites: all of them. (I own copies of them all.) Favorites of the favorites? Probably September, Le Freak, and Bad Girls.
Enjoy and listen without prejudice. Cheers!
If you want to see these songs performed live, head on over to my YouTube playlist:
You're Welcome 76; Risqué by Chic