Posted by Nate Jones on 11/09/2012 at 8:25 PM Lyrics, News

The Popdust Files: Ark Music Factory, between the lines, Friday, holidays, it's thanksgiving, lyrics, nicole westbrook

It’s only been ten hours since we were introduced to the amazingness of Nicole Westbrook’s “It’s Thanksgiving,” the latest creation to come off of the Ark Music Factory assembly line, but in that short time span we’ve already listened to the song, oh, about 6300 times. There have been many purported successors to Rebecca Black’s “Friday,” but in Westbrook we finally have a suitable bizarre claimant to Black’s crown.

Given the similarities between the two tracks, we figured it was worth it to give “It’s Thanksgiving” a run through our exhaustive lyrics-analysis regimen, to see if we can get a sense of the house style at Ark. What would we learn? Find out below!

Oh oh oh
Oh oh oh
Oh oh oh, oh yeah
Oh oh oh
Oh oh oh
Alright
Come on

We talk a lot about “filler” on Popdust, but when we do we’re usually talking about dashed-off album tracks, horrible B-sides, or a bunch of other things that still required hours of work to bring into this world. Maybe we should save the word, and only use it to describe the intros to various Ark Music Factory songs, which are so packed full of wordless sounds, atonally crooned (“Friday,” if you’ve forgotten, starts out with “Oh ooh oh, yeah yeah, yeah yeah”) that they literally serve no purpose but to pad out a song’s runtime.

I’m wide awake
And I should take
A step and say thank you, thank you

We should mention up top how genius we find Ark’s idea to assign Westbrook a Thanksgiving anthem. Think about it—how many other Thanksgiving songs are out there? Can you name one? If all goes well, Nicole Westbrook will own the long weekend for the next five years. And unlike other holidays suffering from a musical drought, Thanksgiving is relatively easy to write a song about. You don’t have to research trees or some obscure saint, just include some vague lyrics abut gratitude like we see here and you’re all set.

For the things you’ve done, and what you did
Oh yeah, ooh yeah

Who is this song addressed to? Parents? Friends? It doesn’t really matter, Nicole Westbrook wants to thank us anyway!

December was Christmas
January was New Year’s
April was Easter
And the Fourth of July but now it’s Thanksgiving

We’re not sure if this bridge is a deliberate homage to the days-of-the-week verse in “Friday,” but regardless it’s clear these countdowns are something of a lyrical crutch for Ark CEO Patrice Wilson. When you’re writing songs as quickly as he does, it’s an easy way to fill space; once you’ve come up with the first line, the next three write themselves.

Also, we should note that Easter sometimes happens in March, and also they just sort of jammed the Fourth of July in there. That’s the kind of shoddy work that separates Ark from the Max Martins of the world.

Oh oh oh, it’s Thanksgiving
We we we, we’re gonna have a good time
Oh oh oh, it’s Thanksgiving
We we we are gonna have a good time

Compare and contrast: “Friday, Friday, gotta get down on Friday” and “Oh oh oh, it’s Thanksgiving, we we we are gonna have a good time.” Ark’s particular brand of pop-music simulacra relies heavily on this sort of generic repetition. People get down, they party, they have a good time, they repeat themselves. Next time someone tells you that mainstream pop is formulaic, show them an Ark song; they’ll be guaranteed to come out with greater appreciation for the likes of Ke$ha and One Direction.

With the turkey (ey!)
And mashed potatoes (ey!)
We we we are gonna have a good time
We need the turkey (ey!)
And mashed potatoes (ey!)
It’s Thanksgiving
It’s Thanksgiving

Patrice Wilson loves counting so much he even counts down Thanksgiving foods! And of course, people may have forgotten what holiday the song’s about. Best to repeat it twice at the end of the chorus to keep it in their heads.

You know school is out
I can’t wait
I can shout thank you, thank you, thank you
No matter what you do, no matter what you say
This is my favorite day

Is Thanksgiving really worth of being someone’s favorite day? Let’s count down the reasons outlined in this song:

1) No school.
2) You eat turkey and mashed potatoes
3) You have a good time
4) You get to shout “Thank you!”

We’ll give it to her.

Yo, it’s Thanksgiving-givin’ and I’m tryin’ to be forgivin’
Nothing is forbidden, you know we gotta have it

Of course, it wouldn’t be an Ark song without an awkwardly shoehorned rap verse, but to the song’s decided benefit, they’ve assigned it this time not to Patrice or Baby Trigga but to Westbrook herself, and she spits it with aplomb. We’re less enthused, though, with these lines’ implication that Thanksgiving is some sort of hedonistic pleasurefest.

Can’t be hateful, gotta be grateful
Gotta be grateful, can’t be hateful

We’re torn. Taking a line and repeating it backwards to fill out a verse is the ultimate in cookie-cutter songwriting, but something about that couplet just does it for us. We are this close to making it a hashtag. #CBHGBG! #GBGCBH!

Mashed potatoes on my, on my table
I got ribs smelling’ up my neighbors’ cribs
Havin’ good times, we be laughin’ ’til we cry

Finally, an explanation for why Nicole’s friend brings her ribs in the music video: It’s part of the lyrics! Still though, who eats ribs for Thanksgiving? We guess they just needed something to rhyme with “cribs.” Next time maybe try to rhyme “sweet potatoes” with “neighbo’s.” Anyone else have better suggestions for Thanksgiving food/neighborhood rhymes?

It’s Thanks, Thanks, Thanksgiving
Come on
It’s Thanks, Thanks, Thanksgiving
Give ‘em thanks, y’all

We’re calling it: On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, college kids all over America are going to be drunkenly singing this song in their crapy hometown bars. Ark Music, everybody!

Here are the full lyrics. You can play the song at the bottom of the post!

Oh oh oh
Oh oh oh
Oh oh oh, oh yeah
Oh oh oh
Oh oh oh
Alright
Come on

I’m wide awake
And I should take
A step and say thank you, thank you
For the things you’ve done, and what you did
Oh yeah, ooh yeah

December was Christmas
January was New Year’s
April was Easter
And the Fourth of July but now it’s Thanksgiving

Oh oh oh, it’s Thanksgiving
We we we, we’re gonna have a good time
Oh oh oh, it’s Thanksgiving
We we we are gonna have a good time
With the turkey (ey!)
And mashed potatoes (ey!)
We we we, are gonna have a good time
We need the turkey (ey!)
And mashed potatoes (ey!)
It’s Thanksgiving
It’s Thanksgiving

You know school is out
I can’t wait
I can shout thank you, thank you, thank you
No matter what you do, no matter what you say
This is my favorite day

December was Christmas
January was New Year’s
April was Easter
And the Fourth of July but now it’s Thanksgiving

Oh oh oh, it’s Thanksgiving
We we we, we’re gonna have a good time
Oh oh oh, it’s Thanksgiving
We we we, are gonna have a good time
With the turkey (ey!)
And mashed potatoes (ey!)
We we we, are gonna have a good time
With the turkey (ey!)
And mashed potatoes (ey!)
It’s Thanksgiving
It’s Thanksgiving

Yo, it’s Thanksgiving-givin’ and I’m tryin’ to be forgivin’
Nothing is forbidden, you know we gotta have it
I gotta give thanks to you, and you, and you
Can’t be hateful, gotta be grateful
Gotta be grateful, can’t be hateful
Mashed potatoes on my, on my table
I got ribs smelling’ up my neighbors’ cribs
Havin’ good times, we be laughin’ ’til we cry

It’s Thanks, Thanks, Thanksgiving
Come on
It’s Thanks, Thanks, Thanksgiving
Give ‘em thanks, y’all

Oh oh oh, it’s Thanksgiving
We we we, we’re gonna have a good time
Oh oh oh, it’s Thanksgiving
We we we, are gonna have a good time
With the turkey (ey!)
And mashed potatoes (ey!)
We we we, are gonna have a good time
WIth the turkey (ey!)
And mashed potatoes (ey!)
It’s Thanksgiving
It’s Thanksgiving