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Adam Sandler's Thanksgiving Song Became a Weekend Update Classic 32 Years Ago
♪♪ Turkey for me and turkey for you. Let's eat the turkey in my big brown shoe. ♪♪
When Thanksgiving rolls around on the last Thursday of every November, a few traditions must always take place. First up is the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, followed by the National Dog Show. And then, of course, it’s time to jam out to “The Thanksgiving Song” by Saturday Night Live alum Adam Sandler. Heck, it’s probably on your playlist.
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Sandler’s turkey song became a viral hit years before that phrase was even used, and it continues to be a classic family listen to every single year. Read on to revisit Sandler’s Thanksgiving song, which debuted on SNL on November 21, 1992 and how it took on a life of its own.
Adam Sandler’s original Thanksgiving song debuted on Weekend Update in 1992
He probably didn’t know it at the time, but Sandler started a Thanksgiving tradition with his Weekend Update appearance on SNL Season 18, Episode 7. He’d been a cast member for only two years, joining the show in 1990, and pretty quickly made television history with “The Thanksgiving Song.”
Written by Sandler, Ian Maxtone-Graham, and Robert Smigel, “The Thanksgiving Song” features lots of mentions of turkey and pop culture or historic references that just so happen to rhyme with the lyrics.
“I hope you’ll be entertained and a little moved,” Sandler tells Kevin Nealon, who hosted Weekend Update from 1991 to 1994, before he plucks his guitar and begins the song.
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“Love to eat turkey, love to eat tuuurkey. Love to eat turkey 'cause it’s good, love to eat the turkey like a good boy should. 'Cause it's turkey to eat. So good,” Sandler sings in a voice that immediately makes you think of Billy Madison.
Sandler goes on to sing lyrics about he “once saw a movie with Betty Grable,” a well-known actress in the 1940s and iconic pin-up girl during World War II. He then sings, “Eat that turkey all night long, 50 million Elvis fans can't be wrong,” a reference to the title of Elvis Presley's 1959 album.
Sandler also mentions how “Jimmie Walker used to say Dynomite” and how he “can't believe the Mets traded Darryl Strawberry,” whose number was actually retired by the MLB team in 2024.
After a few more lines, Sandler then asks Nealon to join him, “C’mon, Kevin!”
“Oh, no, that’s okay,” Nealon defers.
“Ohhhh, it’ll be fun,” Sandler responds, convincing him to sing perhaps the most memorable lyrics of the song: ““Turkey for me, and turkey for you. Let's eat the turkey in my big brown shoe.”
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SNL fans say Adam Sandler’s turkey song is a Thanksgiving tradition
More than three decades later, SNL fans are still listening to Sandler’s Thanksgiving ditty. In fact, some say they can’t even celebrate the holiday without it. As one wrote on YouTube, “Can't have Thanksgiving Dinner without hearing ‘The Turkey Song’ before you leave to go! I love this song!”
“Every. Single.Year. This is played in our house,” another said, while one fan commented that if they're “ever asked to say a prayer at Thanksgiving, I'm singing this song.”
“No song can capture the spirit of Thanksgiving like this song,” one more commented.
Adam Sandler’s Thanksgiving song was featured in a very ‘90s holiday special
Sandler’s turkey song really took on a life of its own after he performed it on Weekend Update with Nealon. The following year in 1993, Sandler returned to sing another Thanksgiving song, this time as “The Boss,” Bruce Springsteen. He still sang about eating turkey, played guitar, but also sported sideburns and added a some signature Springsteen grumbles and growls throughout the song.
Sandler continued to perform his turkey song and it’s even included on They're All Gonna Laugh at You!, his debut comedy album released in 1993. Sandler’s Thanksgiving song became such a ‘90s staple it was featured as a music video in the 1997 Beavis and Butt-Head Do Thanksgiving holiday special, along with Marilyn Manson, Fiona Apple, and Kurt Loder.
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Adam Sandler is behind many memorable SNL holiday songs
After the mega success of “The Thanksgiving Song,” Sandler made magic once again on Weekend Update with “The Chanukah Song” (also known as "The Hanukkah Song") in Season 20.
In a 2023 interview with Access Hollywood, Sandler said he’s “proud” to be part of the holiday all these years after he first performed in 1994.
“Man, I’m happy to be a part of Hanukkah. That was a good time of life to be associated with the song and the holiday. Very proud of that,” Sandler said, adding that he still sings it today. “I sing it alone, I sing it without the kids, I go into our basement, I rip it out, I do the soft-shoe to it. No, if it comes on the radio, and I hear it, I get excited, that’s still awesome.”
Watch A Saturday Night Live Thanksgiving on Wednesday, November 27 at 9/8c on NBC or stream it on Peacock, starting on Thanksgiving Day.
