Thanksgiving Music Trivia — 15 Holiday Song Questions

'Alice's Restaurant Massacree.' The 18-minute folk-comedy classic tells the true story of Guthrie's 1965 Thanksgiving arrest for littering in Stockbridge, MA, and how the resulting criminal record got him rejected from the Vietnam draft.

'The Thanksgiving Song.' Sandler performed the song on SNL's November 21, 1992 episode and released it on his 1993 album 'They're All Gonna Laugh at You!' It humorously lists everything associated with Thanksgiving.

1932. The first live entertainment floats appeared in 1932. Radio City Music Hall Rockettes began performing in the parade in 1957. Today over 1,000 performers march or ride.

'Linus and Lucy' by Vince Guaraldi. The 1964 jazz composition by Vince Guaraldi became the Peanuts theme and plays throughout the 1973 Thanksgiving special. It's one of the most recognized holiday TV themes in history.

'The Sound of Silence' (1964/1965). While not explicitly a Thanksgiving song, its October release and themes of disconnection made it an autumn radio staple. Their album 'Sounds of Silence' (1966) became the soundtrack of the season for a generation.

No bands performed — the 1924 parade featured live animals, Macy's employees in costume, and floats. The Central Park Zoo provided lions, bears, camels, and elephants. The first floats with entertainment came years later as the parade evolved.

'Stardust.' Willie Nelson's landmark 1978 covers album includes 'September Song,' which evoked autumn and harvest themes for country audiences. Nelson's 'Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground' (1981) also became a fall radio staple.

'I Am the Walrus' (1967). Lennon wrote it in autumn 1967, partly inspired by Carroll's 'The Walrus and the Carpenter,' which features oysters and autumn seafaring imagery. It appeared on the 'Magical Mystery Tour' album.

Tony Bennett. Bennett performed in or headlined the Macy's Parade more times than any other solo artist — 17 appearances between 1962 and 2021, the year before his death.

'Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight.' Released in 1972, Taylor's New England sensibility and acoustic sound made him a Thanksgiving-season favorite. His song 'Something in the Way She Moves' (1968) was the first song George Harrison heard him perform.

George Strait. Country music has a long tradition of Thanksgiving-themed compilations. Strait, along with Alabama and Kenny Rogers, recorded tracks for holiday country albums throughout the 2000s.

Aaron Copland's 'Appalachian Spring' (1944). Copland's quintessentially American orchestral work, written for Martha Graham's dance company, includes the Shaker hymn 'Simple Gifts' and is frequently performed at Thanksgiving concerts.

'Come, Ye Thankful People, Come.' Written by Henry Alford in 1844 and set to music by George Elvey, it became the standard Thanksgiving hymn in American Protestant churches.

1994. Carey's performance promoting 'Merry Christmas' — which includes 'All I Want for Christmas Is You' — helped cement the album as a perennial seller. The song has since earned over $100 million in royalties.

'Jingle Bells' — written by James Lord Pierpont in 1857 (not Child). The commonly misattributed 'One-Horse Open Sleigh' (later renamed 'Jingle Bells') was written for a Thanksgiving celebration at a church in Savannah, Georgia, and first performed at Thanksgiving — making it technically America's first Thanksgiving song before it became a Christmas standard.