Music

Top 10 Thanksgiving Day Songs

by Barry Taylor

Happy Thanksgiving America! Thanksgiving Thursday is a glorious day of football, food, and family. A time to share with loved ones and prepare for the inevitable tramplings that come with Black Friday.

To celebrate this day of feast you’re going to need some tunes. 10 of them.

#10 “Thanksgiving Day Song” by Adam Sandler

Up until 1992 there was a giant void in music when it came to Thanksgiving Day and Chanukah songs. Fortunately Adam Sandler came along and wrote a couple of classics.

#9 “She Don’t Use Jelly” by the Flaming Lips

Mint jelly is like the uncle that no one likes: it comes out at Thanksgiving, sometimes Christmas too, and then you never see it again for the rest of the year.

The other day I was talking to Wayne Coyne and asked what his wife liked to serve with their turkey dinner and he was like, “Well, she don’t use jelly.” And then I was like, “Oh yeah, does she use vaseline?” And Wayne was like, “No.”

#8 “Harvest Moon” by Neil Young

A perfect song for the harvest and subsequent feast. Keeping with the holiday spirit, Neil Young will be part of the upcoming Christmas album Gift Wrapped II: Snowed In.

He and wife Pegi will be featured on the Ben Keith cover of Les Trois Cloches. Other artists on the album include Oasis, Tegan and Sara, Foxy Shazam and the Flaming Lips.

#7. “Ode to My Family” by the Cranberries

Thanksgiving is all about spending time with family. And cranberry sauce. There was no way this song wasn’t making the list.

#6 “Pie Song” by Quincey Coleman

Every Thanksgiving Day list needs a pie song. Cherry Pie by Warrant is an awesome jam and American Pie by Don McLean is timeless but this little diddy from Quincy Coleman features the lyric, “Gonna bake a pie from heaven above. Gonna be filled with banana cream love.” Winner.

#5 Any song by Thursday

How often do you get to celebrate a Thursday? This is the New Jersey band’s time to shine.

#4 “Eat It” by Weird Al Yankovic

Weird Al’s latest release is a digital only EP titled Internet Leaks that was nominated for a Grammy. If you knew that before reading this you should probably take a time out and reevaluate things.

#3 “Thank You” by Led Zeppelin

Representing the token Thank You song on the list, Led Zeppelin. Honorable mentions to the Slackers, Sly and the Family Stone, and Sam & Dave.

#2 “Thanksgiving” by the Stuffing

In 2010 all you need to take a run at the under served Thanksgiving Day Music Market is a copy of garage band and a Youtube channel. Just ask the Stuffing.

#1 “Free Bird” by the Eagles

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 45 million turkeys are cooked and eaten in America on Thanksgiving. It’s a virtual turkey genocide.

However, the goods news for the gobble-heads is that there is an afterlife. And as the millions of fowl march towards the bright light and eternal bliss, this song plays.