The Best Songs Sung By Adam Sandler, Ranked
David Craig When he's not acting in movies or cracking jokes, Adam Sandler also harbors an interesting musical career.
Adam Sandler might be known as a comedian and a Hollywood superstar, but he is also an amusingly good singer. While most of his singles and songs (in movies and comedy specials) reflect his goofy, observational humor, he has had his fair share of emotional and heartwarming tracks too.
So be it his Netflix special 100% Fresh or an early movie like The Wedding Singer, Sandler has never shied away from showing off his singing chops along with some good, old acoustic guitar strumming. So far, Sandler has also released five albums and two exclusive singles.
"We Need A Hero" - Adam Sandler: 100% Fresh
As a part of his 2018 comedy special on Netflix, Sandler whipped out a couple of his original comedic songs including “We Need A Hero." The song’s narrative is divided into three different scenes, set in a crashing plane, a runaway train, and a family restaurant that witnesses an old woman choking on her food.
In all of the three scenarios, Sandler decides to be a hero and gets praised for his efforts. But despite the heroism, he has no idea of what he’s doing. So, despite all the dramatic buildup, he ends up creating more harm instead. To add to the heroic overtones, Sandler incorporates one of his throaty voices that is reminiscent of his movie characters when they are outraged.
"Ode To My Car" - What The Hell Happened To Me
Also known as the “Piece of S*** Car” song, “Ode To My Car” is a song from Sandler’s sophomore 1996 album What The Hell Happened To Me. While it is titled as an ode, the song is more of a rant towards a car that hardly works.
Throughout the song’s entirety, Sandler goes on to describe every aspect of the horrendous vehicle, including the cracked windshield, puke-filled back seat, and broken seatbelts. It is a hilarious number that showcases Sandler’s bouts of over-the-top rage that would be explored further in his cinematic career.
A Christmas Song - Saturday Night Live
Sandler is one of those mainstream actors who started his career as an SNL cast member. After leaving the show in 1995, he still made appearances on SNL for special musical performances. A case in point is “A Christmas Song,” which allows him to channel the maximum potential of his man-child persona.
The song is written in the context of the holiday season as Sandler apologizes to Santa for being on his naughty list. The reasons for him being a bad boy this year range from his attempts at drowning his sister to sending death threats to the Vice-President.
"The Thanksgiving Song" - Saturday Night Live/They’re All Gonna Laugh At You
Continuing his tradition of parodying festivals, Sandler debuted “The Thanksgiving Song” on the Weekend Update segment of SNL back in his days as a cast member. Later on, in 1997, he even released it as a single for his debut album “They’re All Gonna Laugh At You."
The song is a silly yet hilarious display of Sandler’s childlike semi-falsetto voice as he rhymes anything and everything with the word “turkey”. He went on to perform the song next Thanksgiving, this time in the style of Bruce Springsteen.
"Somebody Kill Me" - The Wedding Singer
Despite his funniness, Sandler can channel some concerning rage and sadness in his angst-filled vocals. One of Adam Sandler's best movies, The Wedding Singer, is a classic example as his character gets emotionally unstable after a breakup. This prompts him to reflect his anger in his music too, ruining several weddings in the process.
If a loud rendition of J Geils Band’s “Love Stinks” wasn’t enough, Sandler ends up singing “Somebody Kill Me," an original song documenting his failed relationship. The latter is however more impactful than the former as Sandler’s Robbie performs it exclusively for Drew Barrymore’s Julia. Despite showing her his vulnerabilities, it is wholesome to find Robbie eventually falling for her.
"Stan The Man" - Shhh..Don’t Tell
“Stan The Man” is perhaps one of Sandler’s most serious songs as it is a moving tribute to his father Stanley Sandler. While his old man was an electric engineer, the comedian sees him as a hero in his own right. And a song like this is the perfect dedication to the role he played in his life.
Instead of any funny impersonations or crude jokes, Sandler rejoices in the small memories of childhood that he has shared with “Stan." He even gives a profile of his father, touching upon his favorite singers and sportspersons. The most emotional part is the ending when he reveals that the titular man is no more. “Well 'Stan the Man' is gone… but will always live on”, Sandler croons.
"Forgetful Lucy" - 50 First Dates
While 50 First Dates might have polarized critics, it continues to be one of the most beloved Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore movies. The effortless chemistry between the two leads is brought out in a particular scene where Sandler’s Henry sings a song on the ukulele for his muse Lucy (played by Barrymore).
In “Forgetful Lucy," Sandler almost sums up the plot of the movie as he touches upon how much he loves her despite her strange case of amnesia that makes her forget his existence with every passing day. Much like The Wedding Singer’s “Grow Old With You," this song unleashes a warmer side of Sandler’s voice.
"The Chanukah Song" - Saturday Night Live/What The Hell Happened To Me?
One of his most popular musical hits, “The Chanukah Song” debuted on SNL and then became a regular part of Sandler’s early stand-up routines. A play on the words “Christmas” and “Hanukkah," Sandler’s song pokes fun at Jewish children feeling alienated during a predominantly Christian festival like Christmas.
Along with offering his own funny thoughts on the situation, he also namedrops a slew of Jew celebrities like Kirk Douglas, James Caan, and Leonard Nimoy’s Star Trek character Mr. Spock. To make the song even more random, he also mentions OJ Simpson and quickly calls him “not a Jew”, and Tom Cruise by saying that “his agent is Jewish”). When released as a single, “The Chanukah Song” was so popular that Sandler even managed to enter the Billboard Top 100 with the song charting at #80.
"Farley Tribute" - Adam Sandler: 100% Fresh
Chris Farley and Adam Sandler have starred together in several Saturday Night Live sketches. But even behind the camera, the two comedians-actors were close friends. So, naturally, Farley’s death came as a big shock to Sandler who expands on his emotions in this moving tribute.
Sandler starts off by talking about his first meeting with this “one-man party” and then expands upon their tenure at SNL. Towards the end, Sandler grows teary and jokes about how Farley and he could have done Grown Ups 3 together. Finally, he asks the audience to make some noise loud enough for Harley to listen up from heaven. This song represents Sandler at his most vulnerable.
"Grow Old With You" - The Wedding Singer
The Wedding Singer has its fair share of “growl-y” songs but Sandler’s Robbie melts in the third act. Eager to win back Julia who is leaving town, Robbie reaches her airplane and performs a heartwarming love ballad for her on the guitar. The song’s hook reveals his wish to “grow old” with her.
At the same time, “Grow Old With You” delves into cute, little details of a relationship such as sharing the remote control or getting medicine when one of them is sick. Sandler might have done plenty of rom-coms but with this song alone, he shows his most romantic self.
