THANKSGIVING: A Very Wainwright Holiday

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, and has been since I moved away to college. Home cooked meals and time with the family became special only when they became scarce, and now the fourth Thursday in November is the day I look forward to most. This is surprising, because no kid hated Thanksgiving more than me. I hated the bland food (no ketchup?). I hated the stupid questions adults think they have to ask you (yes, I do like video games and no, I don't have a girlfriend yet, I'm only seven. You, sir, are hilarious). Things change as we grow, however, and now I spend that special day giving thanks. Mostly, I am thankful I don't have any Native American friends, because I would feel really awkward around them all week.

There are a lot of Christmas songs, or general songs of wintry well-wishes. But songwriters have largely ignored Thanksgiving. Maybe it's one of those subjects that's just too tough to tackle without being too on-the-nose (I'm looking at you, Don Henley.) But I thought this week I should try and find some songs that properly express the sentiments of our greatest national holiday.

Our old friend Loudon Wainwright did take on the Thanksgiving songwriting challenge. In his own unique, bitterly funny way, he pulled it off. In "Thanksgiving," he sings, "Lord every year we gather here/ To eat around this table/ Give us the strength to stomach as much/ As fast as we are able." He's not talking about the food. The Wainwrights, as we've discussed, have a tradition of writing songs about how much they hate each other. "Thanksgiving" sees Loudon cursing his clumsy children, arguing with loved ones, and stating, without a hint of regret, that he barely ever sees these people.

But wait. I said I loved Thanksgiving. Loudon does have some nice things to say about it in his ode to dysfunction. In the song's final verse, he dreams of childhood Thanksgivings spent stargazing under a heavy blanket, loving parents, a time and a place where "nothing bad has happened." Loudon knows he's whitewashing this memory, but memories are better fuzzy, and it's a nice one.

TODAY'S RECOMMENDATION: "Thanksgiving" by Loudon Wainwright III
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