Adorno - Matt Costa, Good Times

While reading On the Fetish Character, I was reminded of this song by Matt Costa, called "Good Times." In it, the lyrics betray what the song does not, for the lyrics are rather sad while the melody is quick, joyful, and celebratory. Costa sings, "Finally those good times are coming / those good times are coming / good times are coming... to an end," letting listeners sing along to the lines about good times before realizing that they are, in fact, coming to an end. Another lyric is "Everyone smiles for a sad song / especially when they're riding high," which conveys a sense in which listeners are not actually listening to the song, they're listening to the surface.

Adorno writes, "This often goes on so far that the listener seems to care more about treatment and 'style' than about the otherwise indifferent material, but with the treatment validating itself only in its particular enticing effects." Listeners of this song likely enjoy it because of its upbeat, charming, pop-inspired melody, for it is the melody and style of the song that first captures our attention. The lyrics come later, and are perhaps where the song is genuinely coming from, from the artist. Even upon learning that the lyrics are more sad than the melody, we perhaps only care about the melody, continuing to sing along, take pleasure in, and smile for a sad song.