A Thanksgiving playlist: 20 songs of gratitude and thanks

We’re coming up fast on Thanksgiving, a day Americans have set aside for not just eating turkey and drowning out family with televised sporting events but also giving thanks and taking stock, perhaps, in that for which we should be grateful, whether it’s that mound of extra whipped cream on your second piece of pumpkin pie or life itself.

With that in mind, here’s a playlist of songs expressing gratitude to get you in the spirit, from Louis Armstong to Joey Ramone, who happened to make the list with the same song.

The Kinks, 'Days'

This is as touching a tribute to friendship or love as the rock 'n' roll era has yet to produce, Ray Davies effectively setting the tone with a wistful delivery of “Thank you for the days / Those endless days, those sacred days you gave me / I'm thinking of the days / I won't forget a single day, believe me.” It’s not until the second verse that we learn that the person the song is addressing is gone yet with him every single day, the words open-ended enough that they could apply to the end of a special relationship or the death of a loved one, whatever the listener needs. But the tone is eternally grateful regardless of circumstance. And the melody is every bit as gorgeous as the lyrics. See also: the Elvis Costello recording of this song.

Flaming Lips, 'Do You Realize??'

“Do you realize that everyone you know some day will die?” That may not seem like cause for giving thanks at first. But let this existential daydream simmer in your soul a while as Wayne Coyne’s aching vocal turns the certainty of death into a celebration of the here and now and viewing every moment as the blessing it could be. "Instead of saying all of your goodbyes," he urges, "let them know you realize that life goes fast/It's hard to make the good things last/You realize the sun doesn't go down/It's just an illusion caused by the world spinning round.” It’s the sort of thing John Lennon would have wished he’d written had he lived to hear it.

Led Zeppelin, 'Thank You'

John Paul Jones takes this ballad to church on the Hammond organ while Jimmy Page rocks a 12-string guitar riff and Robert Plant comes through with strikingly romantic lyrics. “If the sun refused to shine, I would still be loving you,” he sings, “When mountains crumble to the sea, there will be you and me.” He never does say “Thank you” but he does say, “Thanks to you, it will be done / For you to me are the only one.” And the whole track kind of resonates with love and gratitude.

Big Star, 'Thank You Friends'

I somehow overlooked this song in my initial posting of this list. So thank YOU, Mitchell Hillman, for having made this all so probable. The second track on Big Star’s “Third/Sister Lovers” is a soulful gem with gospel-flavored backing vocals that starts with one of Alex Chilton’s most essential power-pop guitar riffs. What concerns us here, though, are, of course, the lyrics, in which Chilton tips his hat to “all the ladies and gentlemen who made this all so probable" after setting the tone with “Thank you, friends / Wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you.”

Sly & the Family Stone 'Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)'

Yes, he spells it funny. But there aren’t many things in this world more deserving of thanks than somebody letting you be yourself again. Unless, of course, it’s Larry Graham’s bassline on this very funky song. Sly also takes the opportunity to thank you for the party while acknowledging that he could never stay.

Dido, 'Thank You'

You know when you’re having a really bad day and someone makes it all worthwhile? This song is Dido’s way of saying thanks for making that the best day of her life. As she sings in the opening verse, “My tea's gone cold / I'm wondering why I got out of bed at all / The morning rain clouds up my window and I can't see at all / And even if I could it'd all be grey / But your picture on my wall / It reminds me that it's not so bad.” The first verse was memorably sampled in Eminen's "Stan," although that song is more about a deranged fan driving his car off a bridge with his pregnant girlfriend screaming in the trunk than giving thanks.

Queen, 'You’re My Best Friend'

John Deacon wrote this for his wife and it remains one of the most romantic expressions of eternal gratitude in the history of rock 'n' roll. Of course, those words are sung by Freddie Mercury. And yes, it would have been an even more romantic gesture if Deacon had sung it himself, but who among us wouldn’t opt to have our lyrics brought to life by Freddie Mercury if given half a chance?

Aretha Franklin, '(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman'

The Queen of Soul made the most of this Carole King ballad, with its stately, gospel-flavored opening, where Franklin sings, "Looking out on the morning rain, I used to feel so uninspired / And when I knew I had to face another day, Lord, it made me feel so tired." But that's before the day she met you. Even the strings sound happy at the mention of that fateful day. And when the chorus hits, that love feels like transcendence — a flawless recording of a perfect song. "I didn't know just what was wrong with me 'til your kiss helped me name it"? Soulful genius.

Sam & Dave, 'I Thank You'

This Memphis soul masterpiece is a profoundly joyful expression of undying gratitude for "kisses so good, I had to holler for help" that hangs its chorus hook on the notion that "You didn't have to squeeze me like you did / But you did, but you did / And I thank you." Several artists have gone on to cover this, including ZZ Top. But the original is definitely where it's at, from Sam Moore's stirring, gospel-flavored spoken introduction ("I want everybody to get off your seat / And get your arms together / And your hands together / And give me some of that old soul clapping") to those rousing Memphis horns.

Etta James, 'At Last'

There's a reason this became the song most people think of when you mention Etta James. From that opening flurry of strings to the way those same strings punctuate her vocal when she sings, "My lonely days are over and life is like a song," the production is flawless — lush but never schmaltzy. And where such other James classics as "All I Could Do Was Cry" found the young singer making the most of soul's unlimited potential for expressing pain and heartache, "At Last" is one of soul's most joyful moments.

Louis Armstrong, 'What a Wonderful World'

This song was written by record producer Bob Thiele, and many artists have recorded it. But Louis Armstrong did it first and his version remains the gold standard against which all subsequent versions must be judged. His delivery is brilliant, underscoring the joy and gratitude of every line, from the opening verse: “I see trees of green, red roses, too / I see them bloom, for me and you / And I think to myself / What a wonderful world.”

Joey Ramone, 'What a Wonderful World'

But you know whose recording comes closest to recapturing the joy and gratitude Armstrong brought to the original recording while taking the sound in a totally different direction? Joey Ramone, who approaches the song with the chugging guitars of the early Ramones (after cribbing the opening riff from a Sex Pistols song). The man knew he was dying when he cut this track and I can’t help but hear that knowledge seeping into his delivery as he signs off with a song about how wonderful this world can be.

Earth, Wind & Fire, 'Gratitude'

The opening line of this soulful funk classic is “Wanna thank you.” And where many of the artists on this list are thanking other people, these guys have more spiritual concerns in mind. As they say, “We just wanna give gratitude / Got plenty love we wanna give to you / With good music and we're tryin' to say / That the Good Lord's gonna make a way.”

Beastie Boys, 'Gratitude'

Here’s a more aggressive call for gratitude. As the overdriven fuzz-bass powers its way through a headbanging funk groove, the Beastie Boys rap about gratitude as its own reward. “What you think, that the world owes you?” they ask. “What's gonna set you free? / Look inside and you'll see / When you've got so much to say it's called gratitude / And that's right.”

D’Angelo, 'I Found My Smile Again'

This slinky slow jam finds the neo-soul messiah getting reacquainted with his smile thanks to a certain someone. “I don't know what it is that you're doing,” he sings. “All I know is baby, that you're sho nuff doin' it good / And you look at me, and my heart just starts the moving / I haven't felt like this in a while / Girl, I wanna thank you for helping me find my smile.”

Lucinda Williams, 'Stowaway in Your Heart'

Gritty country and Memphis soul collide on a track that finds the acclaimed singer-songwriter thanking her new love for letting her crash in his heart for a while without expecting him to follow through with a promise of heaven and/or paradise. “Thank you for giving me a place to keep my love,” she sings. “I don't need anything special, none of that stuff / I'm a stowaway in your heart and that's enough / Thank you for giving me a place to keep my love.”

Bob Marley & the Wailers, 'Give Thanks & Praises'

This simple prayer was featured on the reggae legend's "Confrontation" as a posthumous reminder of the spiritual good vibes on which so much of Marley's legend had been based. He starts by giving "thanks and praises to the Most-I (Jah!)" and references Noah's three sons in a second verse about how Jah had guided and protected him "when my soul was hurting deep within."

Chance the Rapper, 'Blessings'

Jamila Woods joins Chance the Rapper on this gospel-flavored highlight of "Coloring Book," setting the tone with "I'm gon' praise him/ Praise him 'til gone" and then following through with a friendly reminder that "When the praises go up, the blessings come down."  You can almost hear him smile as he celebrate the many blessings he’s enjoyed as the underground rapper most likely to conquer the mainstream on his own terms with "It seems like blessings keep calling in my lap."

Courtney Barnett, 'Anonymous Club'

Barnett wants to start an anonymous club with a special friend, sitting close in the dark and drinking wine all night after leaving you shoes at the door ("along with your trouble"). And she signs off with a thank you note that's perfect for the holidays, singing "Thank you for cooking for me/ I had a really nice evening, just you and me.'"

Diana Ross, 'Thank You'

No, thank YOU, Diana Ross. For everything, including this, the title track to your just-released 25th album, which practically sounds like it's channeling "You're All I Need to Get By" by your long-ago labelmates Marvin and Tammi. This is everything a new Diana single should be, from the Motown-worthy orchestration to the funky bass groove to the way she can't help slipping into spoken-word delivery on the chorus hook while singing "Thank you for, thank you for love."

Reach the reporter at ed.masley@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-4495. Twitter.com/EdMasley.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: A Thanksgiving music playlist: 20 songs of gratitude and thanks