Around this time of year, driveways and curbsides everywhere double as autumnal-funeral homes; where once proud and terrifying Jack-O-Lanterns are now mere shells of their former selves, slowly rotting away.
On the other hand, fall is also a time of great anticipation and feasting. So, sit back, relax, put down your umpteenth piece of pumpkin pie, and wedge your free hand down your pants. Take a load off, because here come a few extra helpings of Thanksgiving lullabies that are sure make your giblets giggle with infectious holiday spirit.
“Thanksgiving At My House” – Pat Godwin (Reindeer Games) As Americans we are taught from an early age that Thanksgiving is a time for self-reflection and great humility; in other words, we’re supposed to really reflect on what it is we’re most thankful for. Well, if your house is anything like mine, then I’m sure you look forward to the airing of grievances and countless other familial traditions that are dusted off and renewed each and every year around this special time. After all, what would Thanksgiving be without the incessant nagging and overall weight gain? Comedian Pat Godwin has penned an exact portrait of what Thanksgiving is all about. Well, at least what it’s all about if you’re carving up Tom Turkey in a dysfunctional house while self-medicating.
“I’ve Got Plenty To Be Thankful For” – Bing Crosby (Holiday Inn) Ahhh…Bing Crosby, the charismatic-crooner whose vocals have filled our holiday-hearts and warmed our Christmas-wreathed hearths with the timeless renderings of many holiday classics. In fact, if your house is without any of Mr. Crosby’s wintry-wunderkinds, then you might not even recognize his sound; Buh-buh-buh-boo…well, at least that’s what Bing Crosby almost sounds like. Then again, if you asked his children they’d probably say it was more like Buh-buh-Buh-Boom; Mr. Crosby had a flair for throttling his offspring with a sack full of Valencia oranges after downing a few too many White Christmases.
Be it in films or song, Mr. Crosby is sure to croon the stuffing right out of your turkey with lyrics that recall a post-World War I America: “I haven’t got a great big yacht to sail from shore to shore/No private car, no caviar, no carpet on my floor/How could anybody ask for more/My needs are small, I buy ’em all at the five & ten cent store/Still, I’ve got plenty to be thankful for…” apparently Bingo never lived in Boca.
“Thank U” – Alanis Morissette (Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie) The Canadian songbird may indeed not be on the tip of your tongue when thinking of songs for the upcoming holiday season. However, with lyrics like “…how about stopping eating when I am full,” Mr. Morissette may have unknowingly penned a potential holiday track. Well, at least in the lyrical sense, the overall theme of the song is self-effacing and introspective. But, then again, if you’ve ever over-stuffed your turkey or had relatives overstay their welcome, you might find yourself “unabashedly balling your eyes out.” Thank you Ms. Morissette.
“Thank You For Sending Me An Angel” – Talking Heads (Once In A Lifetime) Despite an avant-garde New York quartet not exactly being the first thing on your mind whilst trying to conjure up possible Thanksgiving tracks, Talking Heads has affectionately made this list as the lone romantic contribution. Front man and artistic-wunderkind, David Byrne, lends his unique styling to this up-tempo, short, new-wave jam of flirtatious sorts with his uniquely original lyrics and pining. Whether you’ve been naughty or nice this year, this song is sure to score some extra points with that significant other, other than yourself. You might just find yourself cuddling next to that special someone for a long winter’s nap.
“Alice’s Restaurant” – Arlo Guthrie Famed-folkie, Arlo Guthrie, is often credited as having been the first musician to include Thanksgiving in one of his songs. Realistically, this song will most likely be known by all of your parents, as it was first released some time back in the early seventies. However, don’t write this track off just yet, after listening to it a few times through, you’ll be sure to appreciate its epic spinning of Thanksgiving lore. Or, at the very least, you’ll be able to share a moment or two, or three, or four, with your parents – the total playing time of this Thanksgiving classic comes in at just under nineteen minutes. Just remember, “You can get anything you want at Alice’s Restaurant.”
Thanksgiving Day has long since been known for far more than just gorging ourselves with turkey breast, great heaping mounds of mashed-values, and sweet-potato-capitalism. In fact, Turkey Day, as it’s affectionately called by suburbanites everywhere, is a day in which we celebrate our great historic meeting between the white man and current casino-owners of this country we call home. All in all, when you actually think about it, everyone got what they wanted – we got a new homeland and in return the Native Americans received gifts that keep on giving…alcoholism and gambling.
Happy Thanksgiving!
