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" | |||
| Released | March 1974 | |||
| Recorded | 1972 | |||
| Studio | Sigma Sound, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | |||
| Length |
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| Label | Roxbury Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | William DeVaughn | |||
| Producer(s) | Frank Fioravanti, John Davis | |||
| William DeVaughn singles chronology | ||||
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"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".
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.