Does anyone’s Thanksgiving ever really look like it’s supposed to? We’re raised with the idea that each year we’ll sit around a table surrounded by our favorite people, eating a delicious meal cooked and plated by someone else, while giving thanks for life’s many blessings, after which some magical fairy will do the cleanup.
For most of us, reality falls far short of those lofty expectations. Between the cooking, the cleaning, the extra pounds, and Cousin Larry’s drunken political rantings, Thanksgiving often brings more anxiety than nearly any other holiday. But don’t fret! We’re here to help! Music has a way of making everything better. It has been shown to boost cognitive function, decrease stress, and build feelings of connection with other individuals (very helpful when dealing with family members you may see only once a year).
This year, make a playlist of songs focused on family, friendship, and connection, and blast those tunes all day long on the holiday. Shondaland put together 12 tracks to get you started.
“We Are Family” by Sister Sledge
Written and produced by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of Chic, this 1979 track — which you have undoubtedly heard at nearly every wedding you’ve been to — was sung by sisters Debbie, Joni, Kim, and Kathy Sledge. With its catchy chorus of “We are family/I got all my sisters with me,” the song is an upbeat anthem of familial love. But its power has reverberated far beyond its early days as a disco hit. In the weeks after 9/11, Rodgers brought together 200 musicians and other celebrities to rerecord the song, and soon after he launched the We Are Family Foundation, which continues to support youth programs around the globe.
“Good Times” by Chic
Also written and produced by Rodgers and Edwards, this 1979 disco track from Chic’s third album, Risqué, is full of good vibes. Considered one of the greatest songs of all time by Rolling Stone, it also happens to be one of the most sampled — its first appearance in hip-hop was in the Sugarhill Gang’s classic “Rapper’s Delight.” But it’s the original that we’re recommending for Thanksgiving. With its repeated reminder that “These are the good times/Leave your cares behind,” you’ll be dancing around the kitchen in no time.
“All Night Long (All Night)” by Lionel Richie
This track from Lionel Richie’s second solo album, Can’t Slow Down, hit No. 1 on the charts and seemed to stay there forever. Richie was already a massive success thanks to his years with the Commodores, and his career exploded with this 1983 single and its (very ’80s) video, which played on heavy rotation on MTV. With his soulful voice, he reminds us, “The time has come/to raise the roof and have some fun/Throw away the work to be done/Let the music play on.” Who can argue with that? (Fun fact: The “all night” refrain was sung by a young Richard Marx.)
“With a Little Help From My Friends” by Joe co*cker
Anyone who watched TV in the late ’80s or early ’90s will be familiar with Joe co*cker’s version of this song, which played during the opening credits of The Wonder Years. Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, a more subdued version of the song appeared on the Beatles’ 1967 album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, with drummer Ringo Starr performing lead vocals. But it’s co*cker’s growly blues and gospel-tinged version (featuring guitar by the legendary Jimmy Page) that really brings the song to life. Asking “What would you do if I sang out of tune? Would you stand up and walk out on me?” he goes on to sing, “I get by (with a little help from my friends)/All I need is my buddies (Try with a little help from my friends).” Crank this one up if your friends will be joining you at the Thanksgiving table.
“Garden of Simple” by Ani DiFranco
Another one appropriate for Friendsgiving is this track from Ani DiFranco’s 2001 double album Revelling/Reckoning, which she wrote in honor of her friend, pop icon Prince. As she tells it in this fantastic story from a 2016 concert (scroll to the 4:54 mark), she formed a friendship with the legendary musician when he showed up at one of her shows in Minneapolis. He invited her to play guitar on his song “Eye Love U, but Eye Don’t Trust U Anymore,” after which he sang backup on her song “Providence.” As a thank you for his contribution, she wrote “Garden of Simple” for him. In it, she acknowledges his use of a symbol as his stage name, singing, “In the garden of simple/where all of us are nameless/you were never anything but beautiful to me,” and later adding, “What I mean to say is mwah/which means I’m thinking of you.”
“Let ’Em In” by Wings
On this 1976 song from Paul McCartney’s post-Beatles band Wings, a whole slew of people keep knocking on the door and ringing the bell, and he just lets ’em all in. The names in the song — “Sister Suzy, Brother John/Martin Luther, Phil and Don/Brother Michael, Auntie Jin” — are the names of various friends, family members, and famous figures. Sister Suzy is a reference to McCartney’s wife Linda, who also sings backup on the song, while the rest of the gang includes McCartney’s Aunt Jin (shortened from Jane), musicians Phil and Don Everly, and Martin Luther King Jr. The others are a bit of a mystery, as McCartney has said John could either be his brother-in-law John Eastman or perhaps John Lennon, while Michael could be a reference to his brother or Michael Jackson, who at the time was in the Jackson 5. Regardless, it’s a song about loved ones and welcoming them in with open arms.
“Harmonize” by Rising Appalachia
Sisters Leah Song and Chloe Smith formed their Appalachian folk band in 2005 and have since released seven studio albums, each showcasing their gorgeous harmonies and socially aware lyrics. “Harmonize,” off their 2019 album Leylines, is a song about finding the best in another, even when you might not see eye to eye. “Tell me what makes you weary,” the sisters sing. “Tell me what lights up your eyes/I’ll meet you there in the middle/We’ll lay down and harmonize.” What a fantastic message for an anxiety-fueled Thanksgiving, or any other day.
“Gather Round” by Renee Stahl (featuring Lisa Loeb)
If you have little ones at your Thanksgiving Day feast, you might want to play this song from Renee Stahl’s not-just-for-the-kiddos album Simpatico. Though Renee, who also performs with Jeremy Toback under the name Renee & Jeremy, primarily sings children’s music, the tunes are often just as enjoyable for adults. In addition to her kid-friendly covers of pop and rock hits (everything from Led Zeppelin and Guns N’ Roses to Pixies and Red Hot Chili Peppers), she sings original numbers. One great example is this track, in which Stahl sings with Lisa Loeb about all the things one might bring to the table, metaphorically and otherwise: “I got the candle/you bring the light/The bread’s in the oven/You say you might/bring your guitar/We’ll sing through the night/What can you bring to the table?”
“Trouble Me” by 10,000 Maniacs
Natalie Merchant, then-frontwoman for 10,000 Maniacs, wrote the lyrics to this song for her father when he was ill and in the hospital. Included on the band’s 1989 album Blind Man’s Zoo, “Trouble Me” is an offering, from one loved one to another, to share any concerns or anxieties. “Disturb me with all your cares and your worries,” Merchant sings. “Trouble me on the days when you feel spent.” In a time when there is so much negativity in the world, this is a nice reminder that our loved ones can be there for us in even the darkest of moments.
“Keep It Together” by Madonna
The late ’80s and early ’90s were a very busy time for Madonna. She went through a highly publicized divorce from actor Sean Penn, released a hugely successful (and scandalous) album, embarked on her Blond Ambition World Tour, and premiered the Madonna: Truth or Dare documentary, which chronicled the tour. It’s no wonder that through it all she’d want her family close by. In “Keep It Together,” a single from her album Like a Prayer, she sings, “When I get lonely and I need to be/loved for who I am, not what they want to see/Brothers and sisters, they’ve always been there for me/We have a connection/Home is where the heart should be.” The song has often been referred to as her take on Sister Sledge’s “We Are Family,” particularly thanks to its important reminder to “Keep it together in the family/They’re a reminder of your history.”
“Home” by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
This catchy tune has been used in countless TV shows, movies, and advertisem*nts since its release on Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros’ 2009 debut full-length album, Up From Below. Sung by frontman Alex Ebert and his then-girlfriend and bandmate Jade Castrinos, “Home” is, Ebert has said, a “love song about friendship.” With its mix of spoken word and sung lyrics, joyful whistling, and a horn section, the song will undoubtedly have you and your Thanksgiving guests singing along with the repeated refrain that “Home is wherever I’m with you.”
“Drinking Song” by the Gits
If your Thanksgiving tends to be more rambunctious than restrained, you might find this song to your liking. Sung by the late, great Mia Zapata, the song was included on the Gits’ 1994 album, Enter: The Conquering Chicken, which was released nine months after Zapata’s untimely death. It’s a fast-paced punk rock tune about friendship, and its chorus simply gives thanks to loved ones, with Zapata singing, “Here’s to ’em/to all of my friends.” Later in the song, she salutes them, saying, “So, with this pint I toast to you/To all of my friends/Keep healthy and good.” Cheers to that! And happy Thanksgiving, however you may celebrate.
Sandra Ebejer is a New York-based writer who has contributed to The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, Greatist, Flood Magazine, and The Girlfriend from AARP. Find her on Twitter @sebejer.
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