Be Thankful for What You Got

"Be Thankful for What You Got"
Single by William DeVaughn
from the album Be Thankful for What You Got
B-side"Be Thankful for What You Got, Part 2"
ReleasedMarch 1974[1]
Recorded1972
StudioSigma Sound, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Length
  • 7:12 (album version)
  • 3:25 (single edit)
LabelRoxbury Records
Songwriter(s)William DeVaughn
Producer(s)Frank Fioravanti, John Davis
William DeVaughn singles chronology
"Be Thankful for What You Got"
(1974)
"Blood Is Thicker than Water"
(1974)

"Be Thankful for What You Got" (also noted in some publications as "Be Thankful For What You've Got") is a soul song written and first performed by William DeVaughn. The record sold nearly two million copies on its release in spring of 1974, reaching #1 on the U.S. R&B charts and #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In 2021, it was listed at No. 374 on Rolling Stone's "Top 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".[2]

The song is noted for its repeated line: "Diamond in the back, sunroof top, diggin' the scene with a gangsta lean", which has been sampled and interpolated in many songs.

  1. ^ "Record Details". 45cat.com. 45cat. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  2. ^ "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. 2021-09-15. Retrieved 2022-07-05.