Thanksgiving is coming, so I thought I’d link to some thanks songs. All cuts are in my physical music collection.
Thank You Girl – The Beatles, #35 pop in 1964, as the B-side to Do You Want To Know A Secret (#2 pop). Written by Lennon and McCartney, “eyeball to eyeball.”
Thank The Lord For The Night Time – Neil Diamond, #13 pop in 1967. Written by Neil and arguably my favorite song by him.
I Thank You – Sam and Dave, #4 RB, #9 pop in 1968. Sam says, “I want everybody to get off your seat. And get your arms together, and your hands together, and give me some of that OLD SOUL CLAPPING.” Written by Isaac Hayes and David Porter.
Thank You – Led Zeppelin, from the group’s second album (1969). Written by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant.
Sylvester Stewart
Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) – Sly and the Family Stone, #1 pop, #1 RB for five weeks in 1969. Written by Sly Stone. Its first album appearance is on the greatest collection along with Everybody Is A Star (the B-side of Thank You) and Hot Fun In The Summertime. It namechecks other songs by the group.
Dance to the music
All night long
Everyday people
Sing a simple song
Mama’s so happy
Mama start to cry
Papa still singin’
We can make it if we try
Thank You For Talkin’ To Me, Africa – Sly and the Family Stone. A reworking of the previous song, also written by Sly Stone, appears on the 1971 album There’s A Riot Goin’ On.
Thank God I’m A Country Boy – John Denver, #1 pop and country in 1975. Written by John Martin Sommers.
Thank You For Being A Friend – Andrew Gold, #25 pop in 1978. Written by Gold and Brock Walsh. It was also used as the theme for The Golden Girls, sung by Cynthia Fee in 1985.
Thank You – Boyz II Men, #17 RB, #21 pop in 1995. Written by Dallas Austin and the group, Michael McCary, Nathan Morris, Wanya Morris, and Shawn Stockman.
What a great idea! Songs of Thanksgiving. This should be a thing, instead of–or maybe in addition to–the launching of Christmas music on November 1 every year. (Which doesn’t bother me as much as it does many others, but still, we SHOULD give Thanksgiving more of an emphasis, I think…specifically on the actual giving of thanks. (We also desperately need to de-mythologize it with all that “Nice Puritans meeting generous Natives” stuff, which is somehow more cringe every year.)