Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues

by

Danny O'Keefe

Album: O'Keefe

Released: 1972

Charted:

Get the Ringtone

Get Song @ Amazon

Get the Sheet Music

View Lyrics

Send "Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues" Ringtone to your Cell phone

Songfacts®: You can leave comments about the song at the bottom of the page.

View Lyrics

This is the biggest hit that Danny O'Keefe performed. It struck a cord with restless young people who were stuck living dreary lives in dead-end small towns while their friends were moving away to better things. (thanks, Mike - Santa Barbara, CA)

There are two versions of this song. The first was released on Signpost Records (distributed by Atlantic), and the second was released on Rhino's "Have A Nice Day" Series, CD #17. The second version is longer, with different wording at the beginning. (thanks, Frank Luna - Tucson, AZ)

This song that tells the tale of a man the good life left behind and who takes "pills to ease the pain." In an interview with Mojo magazine July 2010 O'Keefe recalled the writing of this song: "It was very simple and got to the heart of the matter," he said. "It was written in not much over an hour. I think I hoped that a country artist would cover the song, but it made reference to pills and those references were taboo for country singers then."

O'Keefe told Mojo about the song's lyrical content: "Maybe it was about hipsters drawn to the high life. I lived in interesting times and there was a lot of experimentation with every kind of drug. There were a lot of damages and strange intersections of lives that provided much grist for a young songwriter's mill."

O'Keefe on the song's legacy: "The success of one's dreams is always exhilarating. Elvis cut the song with the same group of musicians I had, so there was a pride in continuity, but I didn't think he brought anything new to it. Over the years I've come to appreciate it more as part of the song's great legacy."

This was to be O'Keefe's only hit but he is known for penning "The Road," a song recorded by Jackson Browne on his 1977 album, Running On Empty.

Send "Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues" Ringtone to your Cell phone

More Danny O'Keefe songs
More songs with boys' names in the title
More songs about being young and confused

Comments (15):

come on....we all know who wrote the song...Peter Allen...stole it ...but he is a good man...should have sued you!

- Gary, Scotland, United Kingdom

My best friend, Charley, committed suicide last week. He was 47. Now I can't get this damned song out of my head. Too many of the lines are too chillingly applicable to his life. Rest in peace, Charley. I love you.

- Human, anywhere, DE

Here's a new link to a video montage with O'Keefe's "Ghosts of the Ascent". There is also an excellent explanation by O'Keefe about the song and the deep feelings that drove him to pen it.
http://tgstars.blogspot.com/2010/12/ghosts-of-ascent-mt-everest-deaths.html

- Terry, Colchester, VT

This song was popular when I was a teen. My parents both suffered from depression but it wasn't something anyone at the time knew much about. In hindsight, this song seemed to reflect the underlying feelings of our household at the time. It has bittersweet memories for me.

- Camille, Toronto, OH

One version (the "most played" one) has the beginning lyric "Everybody's gone away, said they're movin' to LA". It also has slightly lusher instrumentals including harmonica and some kind of hand drum.

The other version has the beginning lyric "Everybody's gone away, I believe this time they're gonna stay". (No harmonica or hand drum that I could hear.)

- Buck, San Francisco, CA

Chet Atkins and Earl Klugh did a gorgeous instrumental of this on the TV special "A Tribute to Chet Atkins." I the show is still available on DVD.

- Scotty, Cheyenne, WY

I have a brand new 2 month old granddaughter, Sat I was driving home and I heard Good Time Charlies Got the Blues and it stuck in my head, when I got home my grandchildren were there, and I was holding the baby and started singing this and she smiled and cooed like I hadn't seen her do before, I think she also likes the song or else it was for a brief time I was 18 again!

- Cindy, N Yarmouth, Albania

Don Meredith sang a bit of this song during a Monday Night Football telecast. Hilarious.

- MrCleaveland, Cleveland,

Wow! I haven't heard this song since high school and I'm 53! The song has always crept up in my brain, trying to recollect all the lyrics. Of course, the chorus, "Some gotta win, some gotta lose, good time charlie's got the blues" was easy, and the line "ya play around you lose your wife, you play too long you lose your life" came back. I haven't heard it until now, and I will probably listen a few more times. This is a great site!

- Timothy, Worcester, MO

This is one of my favorite songs (I guess I like sad pieces). The chorus, "Some gotta win, Some gotta lose, Goodtime Charlie's got the blues," classically expresses the feelings I hold about the U.S. economic system.

- ted, phoenix, AZ

Fred from Laurel,MD-----Was wondering if you have ever heard one he wrote called " The Road " ?
Jackson Browne covered it excellently on the Running on Empty album---if you get a chance, listen to it.

- Reed, New Ulm, MN

Hi there & Greetings from Tucson!:

.....aah, what memories this song brings ...both good and bad. I can see here that I'm not the only one who likes this song. For those of you who are looking for a copy, it's on Rhino's "Have a nice Day" cd series, vol.17 and also on some time-life compilations as well. This song was released on "Signpost" records. NOTE: there are Two (yes!) versions of this song. the 1st. (and the most played) is the LP version, which was also the single released. The second is what was released on the CD's I just mentioned. The differences between the two is the the second version has "more music" added to it and is longer than the 1st. version/Lp version. I'm lucky to have them both. If you get a chance to listen to them, try to listen to them both. It's amazing how different yet the same. Either way, this is a song that's always a treat to listen to. Enjoy!

- Frank Luna, Tucson, AZ

Fred: I found a free download of "Ghosts of the Ascent" at Danny's website. Here you go:

http://www.dannyokeefe.com/writes_ghost.html

- Jodi, London, ON

This is an excellent song, and he has quite a few more, some of them better. His album, Breezy Stories (1973), has several, including "Angel Spread Your Wings" (also covered by Judy Collins), "Magdelena," and "She Said, 'Drive On, Driver.'" While searching for some others of his songs, I happened upon the lyrics to "Ghosts of the Ascent," and was floored. I've never heard the song, and can't seem to find the album it's on, but I'd love to hear it. Anybody know where it is?

- Fred, Laurel, MD

This song is also on Dwight Yoakum's "Under the Covers"-excellent version.

- Jim, Gainesville, TX

You have to to post comments.