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.”
Adam Sandler's Best Movies Ranked
Adam Richard Sandler is one of the funniest comedic actors of our time. Sandler was born in Brooklyn, New York, on September 9, 1966. He grew up in Manchester, New Hampshire, after moving there at the age of six. Sandler graduated from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts in 1988. A year prior, he played Theo Huxtable’s friend Smitty on The Cosby Show and was on the MTV game show Remote Control. His film debut was in the 1989 comedy Going Overboard.
Sandler also performed in comedy clubs, first taking the stage when he was 17. He was discovered by comedian Dennis Miller, who recommended him to Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels. Sandler was hired as a writer for SNL in 1990 and became a featured player the following year. By 1995, NBC hired Sandler and Chris Farley, but in 2019, he hosted the show and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award.
Career Success
In 1993, Sandler appeared in the Coneheads with Farley, David Spade, Dan Aykroyd, Phil Hartman, and Jane Curtin. In 1994, he co-starred in Airheads with Brendan Fraser and Steve Buscemi. Sandler’s comedic roles include Billy Madison (1995), Happy Gilmore (1996), The Waterboy (1998), The Wedding Singer (1998), Big Daddy (1999), Mr. Deeds (2002), 50 First Dates (2004), The Longest Yard (2005), Click (2006), Grown Ups (2010), Just Go with It (2011), Grown Ups 2 (2013), Blended (2014), Murder Mystery (2019) and Hubie Halloween (2020). He has also taken on dramatic roles such as in Punch-Drunk Love (2002), Reign Over Me (2007), The Meyerowitz Stories (2017), Uncut Gems (2019), and Hustle (2022), with the latter three ranked as his major career highlights.
Besides acting, Sandler is also a lover of basketball and often plays pickup basketball games across the country, sometimes with other celebrities like J. Cole and Timothee Chalamet. As for his personal style, in 2021, Vogue named Sandler as the year’s fashion icon for popularizing a “grocery-run look.” This is characterized by oversized T-shirts, XXL pants, and Nike sneakers. Speaking of the title with Esquire, Sandler said in deadpan, “It took a while. I was working that angle for years. For a while I was like, ‘Please accept me and the way I dress.’ And 30 years later, they finally came around.”
Take a look below at our top picks of Adam Sandler’s best movies, ranked.
Jeff Gorra is a Boston-based writer who has been with Beasley Media Group since the beginning of 2023. He writes about restaurants and food, as well as sports and rock music. His experience also includes show hosting and in-depth creative writing in rock and reggae dub music. Jeff’s an avid surfer, New York Giants, and Pearl Jam fan, however, if you make unforgettable pizza, he is sure to find you.
