Sandler debuted the song in 1992, and the comedic turkey homage became a staple for fans across the country.

• Adam Sandler first performed “The Thanksgiving Song” during a 1992 episode. Saturday evening live

• He later included the song on his 1993 debut album, They will all make fun of you!, and he started receiving radio broadcasts

• In the decades since, the track has become a comedy classic, and the music has become a key part of Sandler’s comedy.

In November 1992, Adam Sandler sitting behind Saturday evening livefrom the “Weekend Update” office and changed his life. Sitting next to the anchor Kevin Néalonhe sang, for the first time, “The Thanksgiving Song”, accompanying himself on the guitar.

Sandler’s song included lyrics like “I love to eat turkey / ‘Cause it’s good / I love to eat turkey / Like a good boy should” and “Turkey for me / Turkey for you / Let’s eat the turkey / In my big brown shoe.” His lyrics also included references to pop culture moments, past and present, as Sandler, 58, would do again in 1994 with “The Hanukkah Song”. Nealon, 71, also joined in and sang with Sandler at the end.

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Sandler’s comedy during his SNL his tenure has been defined in many ways by his original songs, and in a rare 2019 interview with NPRTHE Merry Gilmore The star explained how music became an essential part of his comedy.

He started playing guitar in bands in middle school, and when he went to New York University, he thought he’d start a new one. “And then I saw these guys play. And everyone was literally 20 times better than me. I was wondering: what is going on in this school? Everyone was Eddie Van Halen,” he recalls.

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He had also started doing stand-up comedy in high school and decided to pursue that. But he said: “I was so scared on stage and I was so nervous when I didn’t have a guitar. And I would forget my lines. I would forget my jokes, that kind of thing. And then, when I started playing guitar on stage and singing funny songs, I felt more confident than usual. At least I could… I knew I could play the guitar a little bit, and I already knew the lines to the song. I was like, okay, I memorized that, so let me try this.

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It worked and eventually Sandler was picked up by SNLwhere he continued his musical humor.

Sandler wrote “The Thanksgiving Song” with comedians Ian Maxtone-Graham and Robert Smigel. Maxtone-Graham would also co-write “The Chanukah Song” and Sandler and Smigel became frequent collaborators.

In 1993, Sandler released his first comedy album, They will all make fun of you!. He included a live version of “The Thanksgiving Song.” Sandler said Rotation in 2013, “I didn’t know if people would like the album or not…Having ‘The Thanksgiving Song’ being played on the radio helped a lot; it gave some awareness. “The Thanksgiving Song” was a little dirty, and then people picked up the record and we hit them pretty hard with some really dirty stuff. Over the years, I’ve had a few moms yell at me about their kids listening to the album in the basement.

In 1993, Sandler also performed “The Thanksgiving Song” for the second time on SNL — but this time in the style of Bruce Springsteen and with more Springsteen-style rhymes.

Sandler was ultimately fired from Saturday evening live in 1995, but “The Thanksgiving Song” has endured. In 1996, “The Chanukah Song” became a hit on the rock charts (and charted on the Hot 100), so “The Thanksgiving Song” was released as a single the following year. It reached number 40 on the Adult Top 40 and still receives radio play each year.

Sandler also returned to SNL scene with a new song with which he sang Andy Samberg — “That’s when you break.” — for the show’s 40th anniversary celebration.

Sandler’s comedic music also continued to be a part of his personality. The wedding singer — a hit 1988 film starring Sandler and Drew Barrymore, now frequent collaborator – also featured him singing several humorous numbers and perhaps the sweetest song in his discography, “I Wanna Grow Old with You.” In 2023, it also starred in the animated musical Lion.