Amid country songs about lost love, heartbreak, and other popular topics, there are several songs that celebrate the good things in life. These three country songs from the 80s are all about gratitude. They are perfect not just for Thanksgiving, but for any day of the year.
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“Thank God For Kids” by the Oak Ridge Boys
“Thank God For Kids” by the Oak Ridge Boys is actually considered a Christmas song, but it still celebrates all of the good things in life. Written by Eddy Raven, who first released it, “Thank God For Kids” came out in 1982 by The Oak Ridge Boys on their Christmas album.
“Thank God For Kids” says, “Thank God for kids, there’s magic for a while / A special kind of sunshine in a smile / Do you ever stop to think or wonder why / The nearest thing to heaven is a child?“
Interestingly, the Oak Ridge Boys didn’t originally intend for “Thank God For Kids” to even be a Christmas song.
“We released it as a single around Thanksgiving of 1982. And it just started going right up the charts as a Christmas song,” Duane Allen tells Taste of Country. “But then Christmas came and went, and the little song just kept going.”
“Love Is Alive” by The Judds
The Judds released “Love Is Alive” in 1985, on their freshman Why Not Me album. Written by Kent Robbins, the song is all about finding contentment in the simple things in life.
“Love Is Alive” says, “Love is alive / And at our breakfast table / Every day of the week / Love is alive / And it grows every day and night Even in our sleep / Love is alive / And it’s made a happy woman out of me / Oh, love is alive / And here by me.”
“Love Is Alive” is The Judds’ fourth consecutive No. 1 single.
“Thanking The Good Lord” by Merle Haggard
Merle Haggard includes “Thanking the Good Lord” on Chill Factor, Haggard’s 44th studio album. Released in 1987 and written solely by Haggard, “Thanking The Good Lord” was never a single. Still, it remains one of Haggard’s more popular tunes.
“Thanking The Good Lord” says, “Yeah, I’m thanking the good Lord for you / I’m thanking the good Lord for you / Let the power that made you / Help me to prosper and be fair in all things that I do / The love I’ve been needing, I just found in your heart / And I’m thanking the good Lord for you.”
Interestingly, Haggard only has one song that hit No. 1 on Chill Factor. “Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Star” is the debut single from the record, and the last chart-topping single of Haggard’s career.
Photo by CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images
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