Thanks a Lot (song)

This article is about the Johnny Cash song. For the song by Raffi, see Baby Beluga.

"Thanks a Lot" is a song originally recorded by Johnny Cash. It was written for him by Charlie Rich.^[2]

"Thanks a Lot"
Single by Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two
A-side	"Thanks a Lot" "Luther Played the Boogie"
Released	February 15, 1959 (1959-02-15)
Recorded	July 10, 1958
Genre	Country
Label	Sun 316
Songwriter(s)	Charlie Rich[1]
Audio
"Thanks a Lot" on YouTube

The song was recorded by Cash on July 10, 1958^[3] during his final sessions for Sun Records.^[2] It would be released as a single (Sun 316, with "Luther Played the Boogie", another song from the same session,^[4] on the opposite side) on February 15 of the next year,^{[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]} when he already left the label for Columbia.^[2]

Before that, the song appeared on Sun Records' album Greatest! Johnny Cash,^[7] that came out in January 1959.

Cash would receive a BMI award for this single.^[13]

Composition

“Thanks a Lot” was another strong Charlie Rich composition about a guy who sarcastically thanks his lover for all the pain she's putting him through. We feel the singer's hurt as he watches his lover leave him for somebody new.

— John M. Alexander. The Man in Song: A Discographic Biography of Johnny Cash^[2]

Charts

Chart (1959)	Peak position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[14]	12

Covers

• 1979: Ernest Tubb and Loretta Lynn — Cachet Records 12" vinyl, track 3

References

1. "Luther Played The Boogie". Discogs. Retrieved 2019-01-16.
2. John M. Alexander (16 April 2018). The Man in Song: A Discographic Biography of Johnny Cash. University of Arkansas Press. pp. 41–. ISBN 978-1-61075-628-0.
3. John L. Smith (1 January 1999). Another Song to Sing: The Recorded Repertoire of Johnny Cash. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-3629-7.
4. John Edwards Memorial Foundation (1974). JEMF Quarterly. John Edwards Memorial Foundation.
5. Colin Escott; Martin Hawkins (1 March 2011). Good Rockin' Tonight: Sun Records and the Birth of Rock 'n' Roll. Open Road Media. pp. 411–. ISBN 978-1-4532-1314-8.
6. Colin Escott; Martin Hawkins (1975). Catalyst: The Sun Records Story. Aquarius Books. ISBN 9780904619003.
7. John L. Smith (1 January 1999). Another Song to Sing: The Recorded Repertoire of Johnny Cash. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-3629-7.
8. Colin Escott; Martin Hawkins (1980). Sun Records: The Brief History of the Legendary Recording Label. Quick Fox. ISBN 978-0-8256-3161-0. Luther Played the Boogie Thanks a Lot.
9. Tim Neely (1 May 2004). Goldmine Records & Prices. Krause Publications. ISBN 978-0-87349-781-7. Luther Played the Boogie Thanks a Lot.
10. Joel Whitburn (2005). Joel Whitburn's Top Country Songs: 1944-2005, Billboard. Record Research. ISBN 978-0-89820-165-9.
11. Joel Whitburn (2002). Top Country Singles, 1944 to 2001: Chart Data Compiled from Billboard's Country Singles Charts, 1944-2001. Record Research. ISBN 978-0-89820-151-2.
12. George Albert (1 January 1984). The Cash Box Country Singles Charts, 1958-1982. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-1685-5.
13. Peter Lewry (2001). I've Been Everywhere: A Johnny Cash Chronicle. Helter Skelter. ISBN 978-1-900924-22-1.
14. "Johnny Cash Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-01-16.