Fear not, readers. I’m not crazy like the rest of the United States sometimes seems to be. I acknowledge that it’s way too early to be listening to holiday music, but it isn’t too early to be listening to one particular holiday’s music — Thanksgiving. I know what you are thinking: How could you possibly narrow down all the Thanksgiving songs into one playlist? Suffice it to say, I managed.
I have compiled a list of harvest-ready songs that track a wide range of Thanksgiving experiences. Thanksgiving is about the warmth of coming home and eating really dank food, but most importantly, it’s the least commercialized, mainstream American holiday. This provides Thanksgiving with a certain “je ne sais quoi” that other mainstream American holidays lack.
Thanksgiving gives us a quick break before the heinous final push of the semester. It’s a time when we can pretend we have no work and instead enjoy time with family or friends. And don’t worry if you can’t make it home for Thanksgiving this year — we’ve got you covered with a couple of lonely tracks.
This playlist features Thanksgiving tracks that the whole family can listen to. It contains songs with family vibes, such as “Cousins” by Vampire Weekend and home-oriented classics such as “This Must be the Place” by Talking Heads. It also includes Thanksgiving bangers like the silky smooth “Thanksgiving” by YBN Cordae and “Jive Turkey” by Ohio Players.
May this Thanksgiving playlist be the soundtrack of the euphoric end of class Tuesday, the plane ride home, the hug from your mom, the inevitable family schism and the two-day post-Thanksgiving food coma.