What if The Cars’ 1979 hit ‘Good Times Roll’ was never supposed to make you feel good?

The Cars’ 1979 single ‘Good Times Roll’ sounds like a celebration, but Ric Ocasek intended it as a parody of rock’n’roll’s supposed good times. Its catchy, polished sound helped obscure lyrics that point to the humiliation and illusion beneath the glamour of youth culture.

Ocasek described the song’s meaning in a 2019 interview, saying it was “not about good times at all”. Producer Roy Thomas Baker built dense vocal harmonies around the refrain at AIR Studios in London, despite Ocasek initially feeling there were too many. The single reached number 41 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has endured as both a party track and a critique of the culture it depicts.