Good Time Charlie's Got the Blues

Danny O'Keefe's biggest hit, this song 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. "Charlie" is a fictional character, but O'Keefe was managed by Charlie Greene, who also managed Buffalo Springfield and had the ear of Ahmet Ertegun at Atlantic Records. After hearing O'Keefe perform the song on a steel guitar, Ertegun signed him and produced his 1970 debut album, with included the first version of this song.

The first version of this song was recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studios in Alabama, which is where Atlantic Records had many of their artists record (great musicians, few distractions, excellent rates). Another song from the album, "Covered Wagon," was chosen as a single but stiffed. "Good Time Charlie" was re-recorded for his second album, O'Keefe, which was released in 1972. This time, it was recorded at American Studios in Memphis with Arif Marden producing. This time, the song was released as a single and became a big hit. As the song was climbing the charts, O'Keefe was sent on the road on a bill with the Hollies and the Raspberries. Unfortunately, he didn't have a second single and was not a good fit for the tour. "It wasn't really a brilliant way of building me as an artist," Danny told us. "I didn't do the coffee house circuit until some years later."

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."