Jump to content

Thank God I'm a Country Boy

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 174.62.92.172 (talk) at 02:55, 10 April 2016 (→‎In popular culture). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

"Thank God I'm a Country Boy"
Song
B-side"My Sweet Lady"
"Thank God I'm a Country Boy"
Song

"Thank God I'm a Country Boy", also known as "Country Boy" is a song written by John Martin Sommers[1] and recorded by American singer/songwriter John Denver.

The song was originally included on Denver's 1974 album Back Home Again.

A version recorded live on August 26, 1974 at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles was included on his 1975 album An Evening with John Denver.

The live version was released as a single and went to No. 1 on both the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles [2]and Billboard Hot 100 charts.[3] The song topped both charts for one week each, first the country chart (on May 31), and the Hot 100 chart a week later.

"Thank God I'm a Country Boy" was one of six songs released in 1975 that topped both the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard Hot Country Singles charts. Denver's two-sided hit "I'm Sorry"/"Calypso" also received that distinction.

Background

The song was written by John Martin Sommers, a guitar/banjo/fiddle/mandolin player in Denver's backup band, on December 31, 1973 (Denver's thirtieth birthday) when he was driving from his home in Aspen, Colorado to Los Angeles.[4]

Content

Sommers recalls that at the time he was feeling “peaceful, happy and content” with his lot in life, and started scribbling some notes about his blissful state along the way. They served as the inspiration for the song.

Structure

The song can be felt in a fast 4/4 time signature or in cut (2/2) time that is typical of two-step. If felt in 4/4 time, both the verse and chorus comprise eight measures of 4/4 with a measure of 2/4 added on the end of each. Emotionally, this creates an intended slight stall. Alternatively, if felt in cut (2/2) time, the verse and chorus will each have four measures of two, with an added measure of one beat.

Chart performance

John Denver version

Chart (1975) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 1
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks 5
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks 1
Canadian RPM Top Singles 1
Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks 1
Canadian RPM Country Tracks 1

Billy Dean version

Chart (2004) Peak
position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[5] 27

Cover versions

* The single is sampled in Soulja Boy's song "Country Boy".

References

  1. ^ John Sommers website: Biography page
  2. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 103.
  3. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 173.
  4. ^ http://www.pressboxonline.com/story.cfm?id=2189 Pressboxonline.com: Story behind the lyrics
  5. ^ "Billy Dean Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  6. ^ Gill, Ben (2006-02-12). "New Party Ben Mix-Type Items That Hopefully Aren't as Bad as "Wipeout Taffy!"". Party Ben Information Systems. Retrieved 2010-05-31.
Preceded by RPM Country Tracks number-one single
May 24 - May 31, 1975 (two weeks) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Billboard Hot Country Singles
number-one single
May 31, 1975 (one week)
Preceded by Billboard Hot 100 number-one single
June 7, 1975 (one week) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
none
 RPM Country Tracks number-one single of the year
1975 		Succeeded by
none
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Thank_God_I%27m_a_Country_Boy&oldid=714493060"