When it comes to holiday-specific songs, Thanksgiving can be a tough occasion to plan a playlist around. Fortunately, we’ve gathered ten of the most scrumptious songs about food that will serve up plenty of good vibes and better grooves for your holiday.
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Whether you’re planning a massive feast with a crowd or keeping things simple and solo at home, these food-themed songs will satisfy your appetite for a Thanksgiving playlist that doesn’t stink.
“Hungry Heart” by Bruce Springsteen
What would a holiday playlist be without a song that’s so on the nose it’s a little cringey? We kick off our Thanksgiving playlist with Bruce Springsteen’s 1980 classic “Hungry Heart.” Sure, Springsteen might not have been talking about turkey and stuffing when he first recorded the lead single off his fifth album, The River. But if it fits, it fits.
“Green Onions” by Booker T. & the M.G.’s
Now that we’ve properly whetted our appetites, we’ll continue our collection of Thanksgiving songs with tunes with direct mentions or titles of food. Up first is the iconic instrumental track, “Green Onions,” by Booker T. & the M.G.’s. Go ahead—put this one on in the kitchen while you’re cooking and see how long it takes you to start dancing while you work.
“Black Hot Soup” by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
It wouldn’t be a holiday without a healthy portion of existential pondering, and Australian psychedelic rock band King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard delivers with their 2021 track, “Black Hot Soup.” The band featured this track about black hot soup in the distance on their eighteenth studio album, Butterfly 3000. Psychedelics optional. How you celebrate your holidays is no business of ours, dear reader.
“Pork and Beans” by Weezer
Moving into the entree portion of our Thanksgiving songs playlist, we have Weezer’s “Pork and Beans.” Arguably one of the band’s most commercially successful tracks of their career, the track hit No. 1 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart upon its 2008 release. Weezer also won a Grammy Award for Best Music Video for the song, which you can put on the tube when fights over the football game become a bit too intense.
“Rang Tang Ring Toon” by Mountain Man
Speaking of beans, there is something so undeniably cozy about Mountain Man’s “Rang Tang Ring Toon” that you can practically feel the warm steam floating up off the pot of boiling beans on the stove. One of the more low-key selections of our Thanksgiving song selections, the 2018 track evokes feelings of warmly lit kitchens, laughter down the hall, and a friendly dog waiting by your side for rogue food scraps. Perfection.
“Let’s Turkey Trot” by Little Eva
What would a Thanksgiving playlist be without a song about turkey? Whether you bake, deep fry, smoke, or opt for a vegetarian version of this traditional holiday centerpiece, Little Eva’s ode to the once-popular dance move, the turkey trot, is the perfect addition to your holiday playlist. Pro tip: start a game with your fellow feast attendees by figuring out who can come up with the best new version of what a “turkey trot” looks like.
“Mashed Potato Twist” by B.B. King
While we’re on the topic of food-related dance songs, why not add B.B. King’s “Mashed Potato Twist” to the list? The raucous track from the early 1960s is an ideal accompaniment for keeping energy up in the kitchen—particularly if you’re mashing your potatoes by hand. And yes, you should absolutely add this to your dance competition playlist.
“Cherry Pie” by Warrant
Pumpkin pie not your thing? Maybe Warrant’s “Cherry Pie” can help. Easily the band’s most recognizable tune, the song embodies everything ridiculous about late 1980s and early 1990s hair metal. From the chorus shouts to Jani Lane’s squeals to the general tongue-in-cheekness of it all, “Cherry Pie” is equal parts absurd and good. Sure, it might be awkward to listen to this one with your family. But maybe that’s a good distraction from any other real-life tense convos happening.
“Peaches” by The Presidents of the United States of America
A beloved relic of mid-1990s alt-rock, the Presidents of the United States of America’s hit track, “Peaches,” offers a lighter fare in our dessert section of Thanksgiving songs. Whether you go for peaches from a tree or from a can that were put there by a man is entirely up to you. For those with more country sensibilities, John Prine’s “Spanish Pipedream” offers similar sentiments with a little more twang.
“Coconut” by Harry Nilsson
We finish our collection of food-related Thanksgiving songs with Harry Nilsson’s 1971 calypso tune, “Coconut.” The island groove and lyrical levity are the perfect palate cleanser after a massive feast of heavy foods, serving as a musical digestif as you relax on the couch. Or, if you’re on dish duty, this rhythmic song can make clean-up a little less boring.
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