Thanksgiving Music: Ten Songs for Turkey Day

Thanksgiving Music: Ten Songs for Turkey Day - Ten songs to keep you singing and dancing this November.

10. "Thanksgiving" by Charles Earland
An instrumental Jazz piece by the man known as "The Mighty Burner." The only thing about this piece that obviously connects it to Thanksgiving is the title, but it's a good jazzy number full of saxophones and synthesizers that can get you dancing in the kitchen.

9. "Thanksgiving Day" by Ray Davies
For a British singer, Ray Davies really captures the spirit of the American holiday in his bluesy rock song about sad and isolated people coming together in the joy of Thanksgiving. Davies song reminds us that Thanksgiving is a time for families and togetherness.

8. "The President's Hymn" by William Augustus Muhlenberg and Joseph W. Turner
Back when George Washington declared a day of Thanksgiving, the holiday was surprisingly unpopular. It wasn't until 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln declared the first official Thanksgiving holiday, that it became a standard American tradition. To commemorate this new holiday, composers Muhlenberg and Turner wrote "The President's Hymn." The sheet music is available, so gather the family around the piano and celebrate history.

7. "50 Plates to Feed My Brother" by Bob Rivers
Rivers' holiday-themed parody of Paul Simon's "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" is a perfect tribute to that bottomless pit of a relative at your Thanksgiving table. And with as many names as he includes ("Heap on the squash, Josh, Slice up the Spam, Sam...") he's bound to mention a name in your family.

6. "Mashed Potato Time" by Dee Dee Sharp
The Mashed Potato was a dance craze in the early 1960s, but this song can also serve as an anthem for your favorite Thanksgiving side dish. You know Dee Dee Sharp's soulful vocals capture that great feeling you have as the potato bowl gets passed your way: "Aw baby, It's the greatest, come on honey, yeah yeah yeah yeah..."

5. "Pumpkin Pie" by Lemon Demon
Another food anthem, this time for your favorite Thanksgiving dessert. This fun song tells the tragic story of a merchant "in the days of old," who suffers the consequences of baking the tastiest pies in the kingdom. Not as tasty as your Aunt Mary's, of course. The flash videos for this song are just begging to go viral again this holiday season.

4. "Albuquerque Turkey" by Tia Shawnte
Not the one you might hear kids singing to the tune of "My Darling Clementine," but a catchy little feel-god tune by comedienne Tia Shawnte. Plus, she dedicates the song to World Peace, and what could be more in the Thanksgiving spirit than that? There are not many words that rhyme with turkey (who wants to hear about a murky turkey or turkey jerkey?) so Albuquerque is a fun fit. Shawnte sings that "he does the Turkey Trot." Like many cities, Albuquerque holds an annual Turkey Trot footrace, in which runners can win a turkey, chicken or game hen to take home to the table. The Turkey Trot is also a dance step. Can it be combined with the Mashed Potato?

3. "Over the River and Through the Woods" by Lydia Maria Child
You know the tune. If you don't, someone at your Thanksgiving table does. This is a classic American folk song about going to Grandmother's house for Thanksgiving. Keep this song alive by teaching it to all the family young'uns. This is a great song to curb the "are we there yet?" whining during a long car-ride to a relative's house.

2. "Alice's Restaurant" by Arlo Guthrie
Guthrie's famous mid-60s song tells the comic story of Guthrie and a friend being arrested on Thanksgiving Day. Many radio stations pull this one out of the archives just for Thanksgiving. The track runs 18 minutes and 20 seconds: another good one for those long car-rides. Or if you're looking for more, there's a whole film based on the song.

And now, can I have a drumstick- er, a drum-roll...

1. "The Thanksgiving Song" by Adam Sandler
It just isn't Thanksgiving without Adam Sandler's out-of-tune tribute to the alimental cornerstone of the holiday: turkey. "The Thanksgiving Song" is the ultimate testament to trytophan-induced delirium after a tasty and gluttonous Thanksgiving dinner. So sing along with Sandler, "I lo-ove turkey on Thanksgiving."

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!