Friday on My Mind: Happy Thanksgiving!

It’s time again for Friday on My Mind. Our weekly blog post where we look at videos centered around one common theme. This is a collaborative effort between KEXP and King 5 News. Thanksgiving is around the corner and it’s time to prepare for feasting. Did you know that the average American eats anywhere between 16 - 18 pounds of turkey every year? I believe half of that in sandwich form the day after the holiday. Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November here in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday in October. But in their defense, America celebrates hockey all the time. Even in Florida! The Plymouth pilgrims were the first to celebrate Thanksgiving. The Pilgrims sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to reach North America. Governor William Bradford, leader of the pilgrims, organized the first Thanksgiving feast in 1621. When he announced that the Cowboys would be battling the Lions for entertainment, it created much confusion since cowboys didn't exist yet and there were no lions in America. He invited the neighboring Wampanoag Indians to that first Thanksgiving lasted a whole three days. Day 1 was a great celebration; Day 2 was a whole lot of sandwiches; Day 3 was just that awkward post-Thanksgiving, should I buy Christmas gifts or just hang here at home day. The pilgrims didn't use forks; they ate with spoons, knives, and their fingers. Just like Uncle Bob! And now here are a few songs to be thankful for this Thanksgiving...

Louis Armstrong - What a Wonderful World A song that clearly expresses gratitude is Louis Armstrong’s 1967 single “What a Wonderful World”. The song saw a resurgence in popularity and even charted in 1988 due to its inclusion on the Good Morning Vietnam original soundtrack. The song was originally offered to Tony Bennett, but now it’s hard to imagine anyone but Satchmo singing this song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2VCwBzGdPM

Andrew Gold - Thank You For Being a Friend Andrew Gold signed his first record deal with Polydor at the young age of 16. His parents were both in the music industry. His father, Ernest Gold, composed the score to the film Exodus. His mother, Marnie Nixon, was a well-known Broadway singer who provided the singing vocals for film actresses who weren’t really singers such as Natalie Wood in West Side Story and for Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady. “Thank You for Being a Friend” was featured on Gold’s third album from 1978 All this and Heaven Too. “Thank You for Being a Friend” gained popularity in the 80's when Cindy Fee sang a rendition of the song as the theme music to the show Golden Girls.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN3E9Yyd1HA Sly and the Family Stone - Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) Our next song choice is from Sly and the Family Stone. Released in December of 1969, “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)” was one of Sly and the Family Stone’s three number one hits during their career. Here is footage of the band performing the song during an episode of Soul Train.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ptrc2cWRxU

Honorable Mention:

Talking Heads - Thank You For Sending Me an Angel (live) This song is from their 1978 album, More Songs About Buildings and Food. Here is the band's performance of the song during the 1984 concert film Stop Making Sense. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhQU3fgCMXA