Gina Speed
Everyone needs/ loves a good holiday soundtrack that sets the mood and uplifts spirits. Our 5 Thanksgiving playlist essentials can serve as the foundation for cozying up and settling down. We’ve got everything from country, funk, jazz, soul, and good old Americana. Use our recommendations and build from there.
70s Country Down Home
Relaxed and inviting, 70s country hits speak of home and the hearth. Adding a few country favorites to your Thanksgiving playlist will help you appreciate simplicity. If you have a record player, pull a few country favorites out this month and display the album art in your home office. Vintage country record covers usually use warm color tones, which evoke feelings of happiness, optimism, and creativity.
Take Me Home, Country Roads – John Denver
Delta Momma Blues – Townes Van Zandt
Goin’ Home – Willie Nelson
Girl from the North Country – Bob Dylan & Johnny Cash
I Will Always Love You – Dolly Parton
Jazzy + Genial
Best for setting the stage in your hygge-essential home entertaining environment, jazz creates a wonderful background ambiance. You can add a slew of jazz greats to your Thanksgiving playlist and spark lively conversation. Also a terrific soundtrack for cooking Thanksgiving leftovers, we highly recommend adding a few jazz female greats who sing warmhearted lyrics with sultry voices.
Grazing in the Grass – Hugh Masakela
Cornbread – Lee Morgan
All That Meat and No Potatoes – Louis Armstrong
Autumn in New York – Billie Holiday
Tangerine – Paul Desmond
Soul Kitchen
Soul music from the 60s and 70s sets the stage for winding down in the evening. Put on your soul-inspired Thanksgiving playlist and light a few candles. Mix yourself a toasty rooibos tea latte, curl up with a good book of poetry and thank yourself in the morning. Soul artists harnessed incredible creativity out of atmospheres that were in extreme turmoil politically. Hint, hint.
Pork Chop – Jimmy Smith
Bring it on Home to Me – Sam Cooke
It’s Raining – Irma Thomas
Pass the Peas – The J.B.’s
Piece of My Heart – Erma Franklin
Americana
The genre we are generously dubbing “Americana” is simply an eclectic collection of singers and songwriters that contribute to vibes of thankfulness. Since Thanksgiving is an American holiday, we wanted to add a few songs that will make your Thanksgiving list complete. It’s nice to have a mix of genres (since variety is the spice of life) and as the list undoubtedly grows longer, you won’t get bored of it. Listen to yours on shuffle!
Dreams – Fleetwood Mac
Lucky – Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillat
Sunrise – Norah Jones
Hold On – Alabama Shakes
Fast Car – Tracy Chapman
Giving Thanks
An attitude of gratitude is always in good form. The goal of our Thanksgiving playlist choices is to promote humor, a little uplift, and make staying home a welcome choice. When putting your own playlist together, ensure the mood doesn’t droop and stays on the anti-anxiety end of the scale. If you feel your mood starts to decline, remove that track from the list immediately.