About The Song
“Good Time Charlie’s Got the Blues” is the signature hit by American singer-songwriter Danny O’Keefe, a melancholy slice of early-’70s pop-country that caught on with radio listeners well beyond the folk scene. Written by O’Keefe, the single was issued in August 1972 on the Signpost label with “The Valentine Pieces” on the B-side. It became his calling card as an artist, the rare introspective ballad that felt equally at home on late-night FM and daytime Top 40 playlists.
The road to the hit was unusually long. O’Keefe first cut the song in 1967 (that version went unreleased), then The Bards issued it as a B-side in 1968. He recorded it again for his self-titled debut album in 1971, but the breakthrough came with a slower, starker re-recording for his second LP, O’Keefe (1972). That take—leaner and more resigned—was the one lifted as a single, and it immediately resonated with listeners who heard their own restlessness and drifting hopes in its plain-spoken lines.
On the album level, O’Keefe arrived in early 1972 and was produced by Atlantic’s Arif Mardin, who captured a warm, uncluttered sound with Memphis session aces at American Sound Studio. The arrangement around “Good Time Charlie” is economical—acoustic guitar, softly insistent rhythm section, and bittersweet fills—so the lyric sits front and center. That production choice also set the tone for the rest of the record, which included sturdy originals like “The Road” (later covered by Jackson Browne) and helped introduce O’Keefe to a wider audience.
Lyrically, the song sketches a life in transit: friends leaving town, plans falling through, small comforts that don’t quite add up. Instead of grand metaphor, O’Keefe relies on conversational detail and resigned wisdom. The result is a portrait of a man who’s had just enough fun to recognize the cost. It’s adult storytelling delivered without adornment—one reason the song became a standard for artists across genres who recognized its emotional clarity.
The charts confirmed the connection. “Good Time Charlie’s Got the Blues” climbed to No. 9 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, hit No. 5 on Adult Contemporary, and even grazed the Country chart at No. 63. In Canada it reached No. 19, and it later registered at No. 53 in Australia. The single spent 14 weeks on the Hot 100 and was certified gold by the RIAA in June 1973, marking a career milestone for O’Keefe and cementing the song’s place in the early-’70s pop canon.
“Good Time Charlie” has also enjoyed a rich second life through cover versions. Waylon Jennings cut it in 1973, Elvis Presley included it on his 1974 album Good Times, and Willie Nelson, Leon Russell, Jerry Lee Lewis, Conway Twitty, Dwight Yoakam, and others have all put their stamp on it. The sheer range of interpreters—country outlaws, soul crooners, roots guitarists—speaks to the song’s sturdy bones and the universality of its sentiment.
Five decades on, the record still reads like a masterclass in less-is-more: a durable melody, a handful of indelible images, and a performance that never oversells its sorrow. For Danny O’Keefe, it opened doors as both writer and performer; for listeners, it remains a companion for nights when the party’s over and clarity settles in. That combination of craft and candor is why “Good Time Charlie’s Got the Blues” endures—quietly, insistently—long after its first spin.
Video
Lyrics
Everybody’s goin’ away
Said they’re movin’ to LA
There’s not a soul I know around
Everybody’s leavin’ town
Some caught a freight, some caught a plane
Find the sunshine, leave the rain
They said this town’s a waste of time
I guess they’re right, it’s wastin’ mine
Some gotta win, some gotta lose
Good time Charlie’s got the blues
Good time Charlie’s got the blues
Ya know my heart keeps tellin’ me
“You’re not a kid at thirty-three”
“Ya play around, ya lose your wife”
“Ya play too long, you lose your life”
I got my pills to ease the pain
Can’t find a thing to ease the rain
I’d love to try and settle down
But everybody’s leavin’ town
Some gotta win, some gotta lose
Good time Charlie’s got the blues
Good time Charlie’s got the blues
Good time Charlie’s got the blues
(whistling to end)