“Good Times Bad Times” by Led Zeppelin 

In sort of a roundabout way, what Led Zeppelin’s “Good Times Bad Times” seems to be centered on is the vocalist learning how to appreciate a woman by having his heart broken by one. Or in the very least, in terms of relaying the “good times [and] bad times” he has gone through, Robert Plant does so in a romantic context.

As far as the latter, he fell in love as a teenager with a girl who was obviously faster than he was, as she expeditiously proceeded to cut him off shortly after the two of them became involved. But in the outro, we find that in the here and now, the singer is dedicated to loving his lady “each and every day”, with the full vigor of his heart.

So conclusively, even though the vocalist wasn’t really sweating that girl who dumped him back in the day, he seemingly defines the “good times” and “bad times” in his life by how he is faring romantically.

Simply put, Plant recounts being left heartbroken in the past but also relishes the love he is enjoying in the present.

Release of “Good Times Bad Times”

“Good Times Bad Times” is the opening track and first single, released from Led Zeppelin’s 1969 self-titled album. The track, which is of the heavy rock genre, was officially issued in 1969.

The song was released to moderate success, peaking at number 80 on the Hot 100 in the US. And although the song entered the top-100 on the charts in multiple regions, it was unable to chart in the UK.

Credits for “Good Times Bad Times”

“Good Times Bad Times” was composed and produced by Jimmy Page, the group’s lead guitarist and co-founder. In composing this song, Page received assistance from fellow band members John Bonham and John Paul Jones.

Covers

This tune has been extensively covered throughout the years. One of the most-popular covers of the song is the 2007 version performed by Godsmack, an American rock collective. Prior to that, in 1988, another American group Nuclear Assault recorded their version of the track. This single has also been covered by:

• Cracker (in 1995)
• Carl Weathersby (in 1999)
• The Grassmasters (in 2010)

The “Led Zeppelin” Album

The band dropped “Led Zeppelin” on January 12 of 1969.  This debut project was made public through Atlantic Records. As noted earlier, “Good Times Bad Times” was released as a single from this album. And the said single was backed by “Communication Breakdown”, which is the seventh track on this set.

Despite not having many singles, this project performed very well in most regions. It peaked at number 10 and number 6, respectively, in the US and the UK. It also topped the main album charts in Spain and ranked inside the top-ten in these nations:

• Finland
• Denmark
• Australia

In addition to receiving a Diamond certification in Canada, “Led Zeppelin” has gone multi-Platinum in several countries. For instance, it has received 8-times Platinum certification from the RIAA in the US. In the UK and Australia, this project has been certified 2-times Platinum. It has gone Platinum in Spain and Italy.

In 2003, this record became the group’s highest ranked project on the list of “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”, compiled by famous entertainment magazine, Rolling Stone. It was ranked at number 29 on this list. It also appeared on the magazine’s compilation of 2020, ranking at number 101.

The project has also appeared on various compilations by other notable magazines. An example of this was in 1993 when British Newspaper The Times placed it at number 41 on their list of “The 100 Best Albums of All Time”.

Additionally, in 2004, “Led Zeppelin” received an induction into the Grammy Hall of Fame.