“Family, togetherness, and thankfulness.”
I’d like to pull my best Linus van Pelt, blue blanket in tow, and be able to say, “Now that’s the true meaning of Thanksgiving, Charlie Brown.” But I have to be able to look at my bloated self in the mirror come Friday morning, and maybe I’m just not buying it. Family. Yeah, love ‘em. Togetherness. Eh, we’re still working on that part. Thankfulness. That it’s only once a year? You bet.
But if your family Thanksgiving gatherings are as dysfunctional as, say, our CoS staff’s recent Thanksgiving dinner, then you know the only consolation for an evening in the company of loved ones is consuming enough calories to make the Man v. Food guy blush. Let’s be honest. We love spending time with granny, but Thanksgiving is more about spending time with a slice or three of granny’s homemade pumpkin pie. So, in the true spirit of Thanksgiving, here are our favorite songs about, well, food.
From all your friends at Consequence of Sound, have a safe and ravenous holiday!
–Matt Melis
Senior Editor
Food Fight! A Thanksgiving Playlist
The Replacements – “Beer for Breakfast”
It goes great with… a stressful morning. “Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey. Oh… you forgot to go shopping.”
A Tribe Called Quest – “Ham & Eggs”
It goes great with… a hearty breakfast. Ham and eggs may be high in cholesterol but compared to the unholy amount of carbs in a bagel, this is by far the more sensible breakfast choice.
Descendents – “I Like Food”
It goes great with… a bag full of blue jeans from the Salvation Army, perfect after putting on the “freshman 15” from going to college and hanging out with Milo.
Bob Dylan – “Turkey Chase”
It goes great with… the hustle and bustle of finding the main event two hours before everyone’s coming over.
Detroit Grand Pubahs – “Sandwiches”
It goes great with… canned cranberry sauce and leftover mashed potatoes. Or, whatever else you can scrape together at midnight following a day’s worth of binging. A choice cut of wonky Detroit-techno, “Sandwiches” is sure to cure that tryptophan daze so you can hit up your local club, or just have enough energy to fight for those Black Friday savings.
Flaming Lips – “She Don’t Use Jelly”
It goes great with… your annoying cousin who keeps calling and asking if literally everything is gluten-free.
“Weird Al” Yankovic – “Eat It”
It goes great with… your dad’s attempt to make everyone laugh by using a turkey leg as a microphone.
D’Angelo – “Chicken Grease”
It goes great with… that creepy uncle who still has a crush on his brother’s wife, aka your mother.
The Rutles – “Cheese and Onions”
It goes great with… clumsy exchanges between the in-laws prior to dinner.
The Presidents of the United States of America – “Peaches”
It goes great with… a nice sing-along while everyone’s passing around plates.
Ween – “Bananas and Blow”
It goes great with… HOO-HA! Is there a more perfect way to fight tryptophan’s sleepy hangover than a double shot of potassium and cocaine?
The Beach Boys – “Vegetables”
It goes great with… uninvited cult leaders and sandbox stuffing.
Pissed Jeans – “Cafeteria Food”
It goes great with… all the smart-ass comments about how awful the turkey is. “You kiddin’? I could get a slice of turkey better at 7-11.” ::slap::
The Smiths – “Meat Is Murder”
It goes great with… that tantrum your politically charged, vegan sister–you know, the one who after only a semester of college changed her name to Sunflower and started dating a guy with a ponytail–will throw after your mother lays out a Thanksgiving spread with six types of meat to choose from. Funny, she won’t mind when mom does those five bags of laundry, though.
Beck – “Nicotine and Gravy”
It goes great with… those post-meal kisses from your lazy-eyed, Israeli auntie who swears she gave up smoking but keeps sneaking away from the table every 15 minutes.
Tom Waits – “Filipino Box Spring Hog”
It goes great with… tempted to say a jockey full of bourbon, but what doesn’t that go with?
Frank Zappa – “Lonesome Electric Turkey”
It goes great with… your friendly robotic server. Electric sheep would definitely keep that electric turkey company. It’d also make for the complete android Thanksgiving experience. I got invited to an android thanksgiving, but you know what they say: You can’t go from people to non-people.
Xiu Xiu – “Chocolate Makes You Happy”
It goes great with… a dollop of whipped cream and a life’s worth of existential agony.
James Taylor – “Sweet Potato Pie”
It goes great with…pumpkin pie — isn’t that ironic?
Ella Fitzgerald – “Savoy Truffle” (The Beatles cover)
It goes great with… cool cherry cream, nice apple tart, a ginger sling with a pineapple heart. If that doesn’t satisfy your ravenous cravings for psychedelic confections, the Montpellier nougat is quite nice. Feeling a bit glum? The Beatles have just the thing: “coconut fudge really blows down those blues.”
Warrant – “Cherry Pie”
It goes great with… all the liquor you’re about to vomit.
Das Racist – “Middle of the Cake”
It goes great with… Ritalin and steak, obviously.
L7 – “Diet Pill”
It goes great with… excitement!
Arlo Guthrie – “Alice’s Restaurant Massacre”
It goes great with… a nice, cozy fire that’s slowly burning the living room rug.
Titus Andronicus – “Food Fight!”
It goes great with… pumpkin pie, blueberry pie, apple pie, cherry pie. Any pie, really. Oh, and lots and lots of whipped cream. FOOD FIGHT!