Choosing the perfect Thanksgiving Song Of The Day is not an easy task. In the past, I’ve done the obvious with the all-American standby, “Alice’s Restaurant” by Arlo Guthrie. It’s something I’ve listened to every year on Thanksgiving ever since I was a kid, and I will be spinning it again (on vinyl, of course.) One year I went total novelty and chose “Turkey Lurkey Time” from the Bacharach/David musical “Promises, Promises” which went over like picked over leftovers when posted. I was considering “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)” by Sly & The Family Stone for a while, with its theme of thanks and that whole family angle via The Family Stone, but decided to shift gears a little to look at the holiday differenty…at least musically. So this year, in the Midwest we’re gonna celebrate what we’re all gathering round the table for this week: dinner! And what better way to start the celebration than with They Might Be Giant’s “Dinner Bell” from the album “Apollo 18.” The song has always been a favorite of mine with its secret-weapon-of-a-counter-melody sung by John Linnell listing the things he either doesn’t want to eat, or what he would rather be having. It gets right down to the heart of the matter this year, which is families and friends coming together for a meal and perhaps a prayer…so here’s hoping that the “Dinner Bell” is ringing joyously around your table this Thanksgiving.
And here’s an amazing live version of the song for your jollies:
