Well, it’s that time of year again – time for tryptophan-induced food comas, marathons of football coverage on TV, and enough Turducken leftovers to last until Christmas. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and here at the Northeast Underground I’m celebrating the only way I know how – with music.
One of the great traditions of this time of year is the appearance of holiday-themed songs on the radio and in homes across the country. Yes, it’s true some stations have already started their around-the-clock playing of Christmas tunes. Hell, I even heard such material cropping up weeks ago. But for me Thanksgiving is best represented by two songs.
First, appearing in 1993 on the album They’re All Gonna Laugh At You!, the aptly-titled “The Thanksgiving Song” by Adam Sandler brings back memories of watching classic Saturday Night Live sketches featuring Chris Farley, Chris Rock, David Spade and the rest of the show’s early ‘90s cast. While also including offbeat references to Betty Grable and Sammy Davis Jr.’s eye, the track can also inspire a hankering for turkey no matter when it’s played.
Watch Adam Sandler perform “The Thanksgiving Song” with Kevin Nealon on an episode of Saturday Night Live here:
Next on my list of required Thanksgiving listening, the 1967 musical monologue that is “Alice’s Restaurant” by folk singer Arlo Guthrie. For over 18 minutes listeners are treated to a rambling account of a now infamous trash dump performed on Thanksgiving Day in Massachusetts, and the unexpected consequences that follow the incident. How such a song caught on as an annual holiday tradition I will never know? But I can honestly attest that I had never heard of such things as “Mother rapers, Father stabbers, and Father rapers” until hearing the track at a young age. All ensuing psychiatry bills are headed your way Arlo.
Listen to Arlo Guthrie’s classic Thanksgiving song “Alice’s Restaurant” here:
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!
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