Whether you’ve just been told to scurry out of the kitchen or you’re baking sweet potato pie, the biggest stressor of Thanksgiving is figuring out what music to accompany the cooking fervor. Halloween and Christmas are saturated with quality music, but where’s the good music for November? These five songs are guaranteed to help alleviate this playlist plight.
“Alice’s Restaurant Massacree” by Arlo Guthrie
Coming in at just over 18 minutes, this anti-war song is a staple for the holiday. With a repetitive guitar riff and audible audience participation, it takes the old folks back to their roots and educates the young kids about true American history. It’s truly a masterpiece. Guthrie’s storytelling prowess is the main highlight of the song. His cadence and natural sense of hilarity makes the song feel like a two-minute power ballad despite it being a nearly 19-minute live track.
Related: [COLUMN: Depop deep dive: The trend of overconsumption and hiked pricing in thrifting]
“Let’s Have A Kiki / Turkey Lurkey Time” by the Glee Cast
“Let’s Have A Kiki / Turkey Lurkey Time” is by far my favorite Thanksgiving tune, featuring none other than Sarah Jessica Parker. The scene featuring this mashup-cover is one of my favorites from the “Glee” series, with “RuPaul’s Drag Race” queen Shangela dancing in the background. It’s rather silly but necessary to ease your grandparents into your college lifestyle while still entertaining your little cousins.
“Kill the Turkey” by the Bob’s Burgers Cast
For a show originally about cannibals, this silly yet heartwarming song provides a great refrain to remember the true meaning of Thanksgiving: “Thank you for being here / Thank you for loving me.” The show’s castconstantly have a great deal of fun recording and creating content for the series, and their Thanksgiving EP is one of the best products of this camaraderie. I can’t stress how essential this song is for keeping the mood lighthearted and loving —; what Thanksgiving truly should be.
“It’s Thanksgiving” by Nicole Westbrook
This underground artist has just over 3,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. Released in 2012, this song will take you back to the world of “Friday” by Rebecca Black — a simpler time for the whole family. The weirdly amazing production keeps spirits high and is emphasized by high-energy adlibs during the chorus. After all, it’s time for turkey (yeah!) and mashed potatoes (yeah!).
Related: [COLUMN: Run the Jewels hosts Latin American producers, artists on ‘RTJ CU4TRO’]
“Stretchy Pants” by Carrie Underwood
“Stretchy Pants” is an anthem for devouring the delectable Thanksgiving food where Underwood emphasizes the need for stretchy pants on this food-based holiday. While she does lightly shame others for wearing skinny jeans, she normalizes the desire to eat everything on the plate in a world of toxic diet culture.
Find the playlist here. There are plenty of serious Thanksgiving songs, but where’s the joy in taking things seriously? Have a blast with these lighthearted Thanksgiving themed tunes.
Support the Indiana Daily Student to beat Purdue's student newspaper, the Exponent, through making a donation to the IDS Legacy Fund! Whichever publication raises more money before the Purdue v. IU football game Nov. 26 "wins" the challenge, but all donations go to support student journalism at the respective publications. To help IU beat Purdue and support the IDS, follow this link to donate.
