Best Thanksgiving Rock ‘n Roll Songs

In honor of Turkey Day, I decided to put together a list of great Thanksgiving rock songs.  I quickly realized that there were not a lot of tunes that fit the description so I was a bit liberal with what I considered to be a Thanksgiving song.  My main goal was not to stoop so low as to include Adam Sandler’s tune.  I succeeded!

So, before the tryptophan kicks in, here are the top 10 Greatest Thanksgiving Rock Songs – a cornucopia of diverse sounds all fitting our theme.
(Click/Tap the song titles to jump to the videos)

10. “Thanksgiving” – Poi Dog Pondering: An eclectic Hawaiian band with the first track on our list.  Truth be told, I enjoy the distinctive music stylings much more than the vocals and lyrics.

9. “Give Thanks & Praises” – Bob Marley: This one was one of the stretches, but any excuse to include a Bob Marley song is good in my book.  The lyrics are great, and the world would just be a little bit better if we all shared these thoughts every Thanksgiving.

8. “Almost Thanksgiving Day” – Gramm Parker: The former front man of The Rumor spins a relatively new look at Thanksgiving.  The British performer totally deviates from his legendary Brit-pop and delivers a song that sounds like a timely offering of Americana. 

7. “Macy‘s Day Parade” – Green Day: It’s a fairly depressing song, but still another nice offering from Billie Joe and Green Day.  We start out on Thanksgiving morning and spend the rest of the day thinking about the rough times ahead.

6. “Home,” Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros: Yeah, I took some liberties with this one too.  Not about Thanksgiving, but feels like it could be.  It’s a sweet duet from Alex Ebert and Jade Castrinos about home and love.  The song is also loaded with whistling. Nothing says Thanksgiving like whistling.  Right?

5. “The Thanksgiving Song” – Ben Rector: A nice slice of Americana from an under-appreciated singer-songwriter.  The track was written last year during the toughest stretch of our nation’s battle with COVID-19.  It’s a well-written track destined to become a holiday staple.

4. “Thanksgiving Day” – Ray Davies: Another excellent track from across the pond.  The Kinks front man captures the American Thanksgiving spirit in his unique style. The veteran rocker still offers a uniquely personal delivery of his lyrics.  Good stuff on a song that deserves more attention.

3. “Thanksgiving Prayer” – Johnny Cash: A heartfelt family song about Thanksgiving in Cash’s singular style.  He could read a phone book and turn it into a song that tugs your heart strings.  The proof is in the Thanksgiving pudding…   

2. “Alice’s Restaurant Masacree,” Arlo Guthrie: Just one of the weirdest songs ever. It’s eighteen minutes long, packed with 2500 words of lyrics on topics including a seeing-eye dogs, father-stabbers, 27 8×10 glossy photographs, and a little indiscretion at the local diner.  And, it’s pure genius.    

1. “Thanksgiving,” Stephen Kellogg: This is a masterpiece. It’s ten minutes that flies by; an epic ode to nostalgia; a musical journey that offers deep personal reflections, observations and desires.  It ebbs and flows through sadness, bitterness and hope. In 2013, I predicted this would supplant “Alice’s Restaurant” as the consummate Thanksgiving song.  I was wrong, but I shouldn’t have been…