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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-oll
Let the good times roll
Let the stories be told
Let them 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
Oh, let the good times roll
Ooh, let the good times roll
Let 'em roll
Good times roll
Well, let the good times roll
Let the good times roll
Well, let the good times roll
Good times roll
Let the good times roll
Let the good times roll
Let 'em roll
Sounded highly rational to me.
Yep, I remember how different their sound was from anything else I was hearing on the fairly eclectic station I tuned to in those days. A breath of fresh, and quirky, air. : )
"Let the good times roll
Let them knock you around"
— The Cars, Good Times Roll
WTF?
Not irrational. This song is big. It's so quintessentially '80s, despite its 1978 release.
I'd say it's quintessential turn-of-the-decade, new wave arriving right before the 80s got swamped by drum machine beats.
Not irrational. This song is big. It's so quintessentially '80s, despite its 1978 release.
Moral of the story then is that U2 was too good to be an opener for the Cars in 1980. Good to know ;-)
I love U2. Have for decades. My post history on these boards bears that out.
That said, they were a very little known band in 1980 and the Cars were a colossus with 3 platinum albums to their name. Their music was everywhere. There is no question that they were the headliner in that match up at that time.
As opposed to Big Fun by Inner City, which managed to achieve the same thing unironically. (Probably a UK only comment.)
They put about as much effort into these lyrics as they did naming the band.
Don't pick a depressing sounding song and call it "let the good times roll".
For the correct interpretation of good times rollin', see B.B. King.
They may not have thought this song was "depressing sounding" when they were writing it, or maybe it was some sort of some sort of contradictory irony they were going for.
Saw the Cars around 1983 (their prime ?!?!?) at the Richmond Coliseum and they were fantastic on stage. They were nothing like robots - plenty of presence!! They shook the place UP and let the Good Times Roll.
Wang Chung opened up for them. Everybody had Fun that Night.
Ha, I caught that tour, that year too, with the Chung warming the stage for Ric and the boys. Great stuff.
But I knew his music well, and that's more than enough to miss him and feel true sorrow at his passing..

I remember this album being a standard at house parties during my teen years.
Thank you for the good times, Ric. They did indeed roll in no small part to you!
But I knew his music well, and that's more than enough to miss him and feel true sorrow at his passing..
Indeed. Farewell Ric.


Saw the Cars around 1983 (their prime ?!?!?) at the Richmond Coliseum and they were fantastic on stage. They were nothing like robots - plenty of presence!! They shook the place UP and let the Good Times Roll.
Wang Chung opened up for them. Everybody had Fun that Night.
I saw them on that same tour when it came to Austin and have to agree...they were rockin'.
The first song I ever listened to on a Sony Walkman. I thought technology had peaked. An irrational 8 from me.
Saw the Cars around 1983 (their prime ?!?!?) at the Richmond Coliseum and they were fantastic on stage. They were nothing like robots - plenty of presence!! They shook the place UP and let the Good Times Roll.
Wang Chung opened up for them. Everybody had Fun that Night.
Moral of the story then is that U2 was too good to be an opener for the Cars in 1980. Good to know ;-)
Thank God U2 opened for them - which could explain why The Cars seemed so dull since U2 blew the place away.
Saw the Cars around 1983 (their prime ?!?!?) at the Richmond Coliseum and they were fantastic on stage. They were nothing like robots - plenty of presence!! They shook the place UP and let the Good Times Roll.
Wang Chung opened up for them. Everybody had Fun that Night.
"Depressing" may be in the ear of the beholder.
A reserved intensity should not be confused with a lack of emotion. This was a hallmark of New Wave at the time.
I definitely did NOT have this experience at the Richmond Coliseum in the spring of '84 when they were touring Heartbeat City. Fantastic show. Great album. Iconic band.
...and if I was lucky enough to see the Cars (in their prime) and U2 (on the rise) on the same bill, I doubt I would have come away crying about either. Half full/half empty, I guess.
h8....was the 1984 show in Richmond the one where Wang Chung opened? I was at that one but can't remember the exact time period. I do remember there were massive sound problems during the Wang Chung set...only heard about half of it. The Cars were stiff but very good, once the once the sound was fixed !!
Don't pick a depressing sounding song and call it "let the good times roll".
For the correct interpretation of good times rollin', see B.B. King.
I saw the Cars live at the US Festival in 1982 thanks to Steve Wozniak. They were notorious for being a little stiff and mechanical on stage (which they were) and therefore not putting on the best show. But by today's standards, I would go to one of their shows in a heartbeat and love it more than almost any band touring today!
Saw The Cars around 1980 (their prime ?!?!?) at the Beacon Theatre in NYC and they were like robots on the stage - no presence at all !!!
Thank God U2 opened for them - which could explain why The Cars seemed so dull since U2 blew the place away.
Yeah, I had the same experience. I think they just wanted to be a studio band. It seemed like they made some nasty compromise to get the record out. Not much else explains their total lack of emotion onstage, though I have to admit they sounded great. Just seemed like you may as well have skipped the concert and just played the album. At least you could imagine them getting into it, and not have them destroy the illusion in front of you.
Outstanding first effort, though. Great pop band there for a while.
A reserved intensity should not be confused with a lack of emotion. This was a hallmark of New Wave at the time.
I definitely did NOT have this experience at the Richmond Coliseum in the spring of '84 when they were touring Heartbeat City. Fantastic show. Great album. Iconic band.
...and if I was lucky enough to see the Cars (in their prime) and U2 (on the rise) on the same bill, I doubt I would have come away crying about either. Half full/half empty, I guess.

Everybody in my mushrooming multitude of elevators loves this song, and this whole classic album... we be dancing like bowlegged gypsy muleskinners... time flies when we're having fun... love sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll...
Saw The Cars around 1980 (their prime ?!?!?) at the Beacon Theatre in NYC and they were like robots on the stage - no presence at all !!!
Thank God U2 opened for them - which could explain why The Cars seemed so dull since U2 blew the place away.
Yeah, I had the same experience. I think they just wanted to be a studio band. It seemed like they made some nasty compromise to get the record out. Not much else explains their total lack of emotion onstage, though I have to admit they sounded great. Just seemed like you may as well have skipped the concert and just played the album. At least you could imagine them getting into it, and not have them destroy the illusion in front of you.
Outstanding first effort, though. Great pop band there for a while.
Saw The Cars around 1980 (their prime ?!?!?) at the Beacon Theatre in NYC and they were like robots on the stage - no presence at all !!!
Thank God U2 opened for them - which could explain why The Cars seemed so dull since U2 blew the place away.
Not in 1978?! Cutting edge, but you may be too young to know so you get a pass...
Exactly,,, has to be viewed in the context of time and place,,,
doesn't sound like anything is rolling let alone the good times
Not in 1978?! Cutting edge, but you may be too young to know so you get a pass...
I was nowhere near enough to the stage for the "show" to matter but it sounded great. I had a good time. I can see them being not very engaging but it's not as though they were lousy musicians. I remember a little too much synth-wankery from Greg Hawkes but that's a different thing.
My latest favorite term...synth-wankery.
I'll have to use it the next time I hear Howard Jones and/or The Thompson Twins playing on the crappy music track at my local sandwich shop.
I say give more nerds synthesizers! Good times...

Reminds me of the Summer of '79

Wow, the exact same thing happened at my high school (I graduated in '79). It came down to a vote between "Won't Get Fooled" and "Good Times" and the Cars won out.
I actually wanted Todd Rundgren's "Just One Victory" but that was a bit too obscure.

I've seen hundreds of concerts and I'd agree that the Cars are one of the worst live acts I've ever seen.
I was nowhere near enough to the stage for the "show" to matter but it sounded great. I had a good time. I can see them being not very engaging but it's not as though they were lousy musicians. I remember a little too much synth-wankery from Greg Hawkes but that's a different thing.
Have to agree! Love their songs but one of the most lifeless bands ever. They were like cardboard cut-outs of themselves. No stage presence whatsoever! Could have stayed home with headphones on, fired up a J, and had better visuals in my head!

I've seen hundreds of concerts and I'd agree that the Cars are one of the worst live acts I've ever seen. Gotta love that first album, though.
fantastic...
It was the 70's.
The 80s were the 70s... with more cynicism and bigger hair. And parachute pants.

Maybe it's because they were in the "Mistake By the Lake" and it got them down.
Saw them elsewhere on that tour and they were fantastic.
It was the 70's.
Are you an Otologist, by any chance? Or is it just a general ear fetish?
None of the above... I just like music that is good for the ears... like this song...
This song is soooo gooood for the ears...
Are you an Otologist, by any chance? Or is it just a general ear fetish?
This song is soooo gooood for the ears...
Yes, it's soooo cooool. I looooove it.
I got the last word, however. I placed a voodoo curse on Rik, condemning him to a life of eternal ugliness and musical purgatory. It seems to have worked.
Worked so well that Pauline Porizkova popped into his life and married him.
Can you please place a voodoo curse on me? Please? Please!!
Same here. The Summit in Houston. Even gave them a second chance on the Panorama tour. Same result. Oh, well.
This song is soooo gooood for the ears...
The Bottom Line, NYC's famed club. One night only. Just when their first album came out, their first tour, God they rocked it that night, 300 people stood and cheered the entire show.
Makes me wonder if we were at the same show together. If I didn't know better I'd have thought all their "Let the good times roll" was sarcastic in a Talking Heads way. Boring show. No life in it. No attempt at connecting to the audience.
If you're still in Clevetown, say howdy for me. Been a while since I've been home.
D.
That's odd. I saw them twice and both times they played their asses off. Both times they played long encores and Rick and the others talked out to each other and the audience. Rick and Elliot Easton ranged all over the stage during both shows and were obviously having fun. The last show sad to say was when their popularity was waining and the crowd was too small for the concert hall. As a result Rick told everyone to move come forward and I got to get as close as I've ever been in a large format venue to the stage. Ended up with a pick from Easton and had a brief conversation with Greg Hawkes.
I think we must have seen two different bands.
