Adam Sandler Debuted His Iconic ‘The Thanksgiving Song’ 31 Years Ago Today
“Turkey for me, turkey for you,” Adam Sandler sings at the start of the second verse. That would be within his infamous “The Thanksgiving Song.” On this day in 1992, Adam Sandler debuted “The Thanksgiving Song” on Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update.
At this point, Sandler was 26 years old and one of the up-and-coming comedic names on SNL. On this particular episode, it was season 18 of the show, and Sinbad was the host.
The segment starts with Weekend Update host, Kevin Nealon explaining the program’s hope to have an original Thanksgiving song performed on the show each year. Sandler was given the first nod, and from there, I’m not sure if another was ever attempted (or needed).
The Legend Of “The Thanksgiving Song” Lives On Forever
Roughly ten months later, Sandler released his debut comedy album in September of 1993. It was entitled, They’re All Gonna Laugh At You! Of the 22 tracks, five of them were original songs. The second song featured was “The Thanksgiving Song.” Due to the overwhelming support of Sandler’s 1992 SNL performance, “The Thanksgiving Song” was recorded at later performance in Los Angeles (and featured slight lyrical changes). If you are not aware, Sandler is actually a good guitar player.
Currently, Sandler is on tour. In fact, Sandler has returned to touring in this format quite a bit the past two years. It features Sandler performing solo, pulling out all his comedic stops, and then with special guest appearances. For example, Kevin James and Rob Schneider we part of the shows earlier this month, singing two duets with Sandler.
Unfortunately, the November tour dates did not include Sandler performing “The Thanksgiving Song.” Two years after debuting “The Thanksgiving Song,” Sandler would deliver another legendary original tune with “The Chanukah Song.” This, too, was performed on Weekend Update. “The Chanukah Song” still gets much of the recognition when it comes to Sandler’s songs making a lasting impression. But it was “The Thanksgiving Song” that started it all.
“Cause its turkey to eat, so good.”
