"The Thanksgiving Song" (also known as "Happy Thanksgiving") is a song performed by

Adam Sandler Adam Richard Sandler (born September 9, 1966) is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, producer and singer. He was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1990 to 1995, before going on to star in numerous Hollywood films, those of whi ...

discussing Thanksgiving. The song was written by Sandler, Ian Maxtone-Graham and Robert Smigel.

History

It was first performed during the

Weekend Update ''Weekend Update'' is a ''Saturday Night Live'' sketch and satirical news program that comments on and parodies current events. It is the show's longest-running recurring sketch, having been on since the show's first broadcast, and is typica ...

segment of the season 18 episode of '' Saturday Night Live'' on November 21, 1992, as a duet between Sandler and Weekend Update anchor

Kevin Nealon Kevin Nealon (; born November 18, 1953) is an American comedian and actor. He was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1986 to 1995, acted in several of the Happy Madison films, played Doug Wilson on the Showtime series '' Weeds'', and ...

; it was originally intended to be a recurring Thanksgiving tradition with other cast members debuting their own original songs, but the next year, it was again Sandler, doing another version of the same song in the style of Bruce Springsteen. A live performance of the original song was recorded at ''The Strand'' in Redondo Beach, California on July 25, 1993. It was also featured on

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

's '' Beavis and Butt-Head Do Thanksgiving'' in 1997 The version at ''The Strand'' was included on Sandler's debut album ''

They're All Gonna Laugh at You! ''They're All Gonna Laugh at You!'' is the debut album by American actor and comedian Adam Sandler, released in 1993. The title comes from a repeated line in the track "Oh Mom...", which is itself a parody of a scene in the film '' Carrie''. Sever ...

'' and was released as a single.

Song details

The song, which Sandler sings in a childlike, semi- falsetto voice, primarily revolves around the repetition of the word " turkey" in various two-line rhymes, many of which are non sequiturs; for instance, "Turkey with gravy and cranberries/Can't believe the Mets traded Darryl Strawberry!" Celebrity and pop culture references include: *

Betty Grable Elizabeth Ruth Grable (December 18, 1916 – July 2, 1973) was an American actress, pin-up girl, dancer, model, and singer. Her 42 films during the 1930s and 1940s grossed more than $100 million; for 10 consecutive years (1942–1951) she reign ...

*''

50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong ''50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong: Elvis' Gold Records, Volume 2'' (or simply known as ''Elvis' Gold Records, Volume 2)'' is the fourth compilation album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, issued by RCA Victor in November 1959 ...

'' * Turkey-related drowsiness * Jimmie Walker's portrayal of J. J. Evans and his catch phrase "Dyn-o-mite!" * Darryl Strawberry's departure from the New York Mets (Sandler erroneously refers to Strawberry being traded; in fact, Strawberry left as a free agent and signed with the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brookl ...

). * Mike Tyson raping Desiree Washington *

Lake Winnipesaukee Lake Winnipesaukee () is the largest lake in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, located in the Lakes Region at the foothills of the White Mountains. It is approximately long (northwest-southeast) and from wide (northeast-southwest), covering ...

(''SNL'' version only) *

Cheryl Tiegs Cheryl Rae Tiegs (born September 25, 1947) is an American model and fashion designer. Frequently described as the first American supermodel, Tiegs is best known for her multiple appearances on the covers of the ''Sports Illustrated'' Swimsuit I ...

posters (1993 recordings onward; a reference to Sandler's Canteen Boy character, who had a crush on Tiegs) * Sammy Davis, Jr. having only one eye * Corduroy pants *

Moped A moped ( ) is a type of small motorcycle, generally having a less stringent licensing requirement than full motorcycles or automobiles. The term used to mean a similar vehicle except with both bicycle pedals and a motorcycle engine. Mopeds typic ...

Legacy

The song is a predecessor to Sandler's more popular holiday song, "

The Chanukah Song "The Chanukah Song" is a novelty song written by comedian Adam Sandler with ''Saturday Night Live'' writers Lewis Morton and Ian Maxtone-Graham and originally performed by Sandler on ''Saturday Night Live''s Weekend Update on December 3, 1994. San ...

" (also co-written by Maxtone-Graham and Sandler). When "The Chanukah Song" became a hit on the rock charts (and a minor hit on the Hot 100) in 1996, "The Thanksgiving Song" was released as a follow-up the next year; it too became a hit, charting at #40 on the Adult Top 40 chart and #29 on the

Mainstream Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock is a music chart in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched in M ...

chart in 1997. The song continues to receive extensive radio airplay around Thanksgiving, on various formats, both with other holiday-themed songs and without. Various radio cuts remove or edit one verse which states "my brother likes to

masturbate Masturbation is the sexual stimulation of one's own genitals for sexual arousal or other sexual pleasure, usually to the point of orgasm. The stimulation may involve hands, fingers, everyday objects, sex toys such as vibrators, or combinatio ...

with baby oil" but it is otherwise identical to the live performance at ''The Strand''. The edits also leave in a portion of the performance where Sandler has to stop in the middle of a song due to becoming distracted with the audience's rhythmic clapping.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thanksgiving Song, The 1993 songs Adam Sandler songs Thanksgiving songs Songs written by Adam Sandler Novelty songs Saturday Night Live in the 1990s