Thank God for Kids
{{Infobox song
| name = Thank God for Kids
| cover =
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = The Oak Ridge Boys
| album = Christmas
| B-side = "Christmas Is Paintin' the Town"{{cite book|last=Whitburn|first=Joel|title=Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008|publisher=Record Research, Inc|date=2008|page=303|isbn=978-0-89820-177-2}}
| released = November 20, 1982
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = Country
| length = {{Duration|m=2|s=33}}
| label = MCA
| writer = Eddy Raven
| producer = Ron Chancey
| prev_title = I Wish You Could Have Turned My Head (And Left My Heart Alone)
| prev_year = 1982
| next_title = American Made
| next_year = 1983
}}
"Thank God for Kids" is a song written by Eddy Raven. It was released as the b-side to his 1976 single "The Curse of a Woman".Whitburn, p. 340 It was later included on the 1984 MCA Records album of the same name.
It was later recorded by American country music band The Oak Ridge Boys, whose version was the only single from their 1982 Christmas album. The song spent sixteen weeks on the Hot Country Songs charts and peaked at number three.
In 2004, Kenny Chesney covered the song for his Christmas album All I Want for Christmas Is a Real Good Tan. His version spent one week at number 60 on the country singles charts in January 2004.Whitburn, p. 92 In 2011, John Rich covered the song for his extended play, For the Kids.
Content
The song is about the relationship between a father and a child. According to Eddy Raven, he wrote it in 1973 after his son said that he wanted to help his father write a song about Mickey Mouse or Big Bird;{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/183093547/ | title=Raven's Cajun heritage spices up country music | work=Courier-Post | date=April 12, 1989 | accessdate=April 23, 2019 | first=Joe | last=Edwards | pages=7D}} both characters are referenced in the song ("We'd all live in a quiet house/Without Big Bird or Mickey Mouse...").
Chart performance
=The Oak Ridge Boys=
class="wikitable sortable"
!align="left"|Chart (1982-1983) !align="center"|Peak |
align="left"|U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles
|align="center"|3 |
align="left"|Canadian RPM Country Tracks
|align="center"|24 |
=Kenny Chesney=
class="wikitable sortable"
!align="left"|Chart (2004) !align="center"|Peak |
{{single chart|Billboardcountrysongs|60|artist=Kenny Chesney|artistid=49903}} |
References
{{Reflist}}
{{The Oak Ridge Boys}}
{{Eddy Raven}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:The Oak Ridge Boys songs
Category:American Christmas songs
Category:Songs about parenthood
Category:Songs written by Eddy Raven