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Gavin Patrick
BY GAVIN PATRICK
Sports Editor
Nothing pairs quite like comedy and music.
“Saturday Night Live” would know. The legendary late-night sketch show just celebrated its triumphant 50th anniversary on Feb. 16, and there were so many moments to commemorate — none bigger than the music.
“SNL” is famed for introducing the world to new artists and embracing different styles of music. It was one of the first platforms to play hip-hop music, as acknowledged in the “50 Years of SNL Music” documentary. It was also the place where artists like Nirvana, Adele and many more achieved new levels of fame.
As a fan of “Saturday Night Live,” I’ve compiled what I think are the show’s ten best musically-based sketches based on raw humor and cultural impact. This is different from my favorite sketches. I tried to be as objective as possible with this list while considering my own reactions and those of people I’ve known. But cultural biases are natural, and everyone’s list will be different.
That being said, before we get started, I’m sad to admit that one of the show’s most renowned sketches did not make my list. I’m talking about the 1978 classic, “Blues Brothers: Soul Man.”
The older audience knows what’s up, and they may be trashing my judgement already, but I didn’t forget about it.
I considered it for a bit because it sure was culturally impactful; it’s just not funny enough to make this specific cut. Don’t get me wrong: I love the dance moves. But the premise of the sketch was not humor, and it didn’t even resemble what you’d expect a sketch to look like. That’s half the pie right there, and its impact couldn’t make up enough ground to crack my top 10.
Hopefully that explanation gives you a better idea of my thinking. So, without further ado, let’s have some fun down memory lane.
Jay Pharoh, Beck Bennett, Taran Killam, Bobby Moynihan and Donald Trump in “SNL” digital short “Hotline Bling Parody.”
Source: ‘SNL’ YouTube
10. “Hotline Bling Parody”
Airdate: Nov. 7, 2015
Link: Hotline Bling Parody - SNL
You really had to be there to know how big “Hotline Bling” was in 2015. The music video got a load of attention for how, let’s just say, silly Drake’s dance moves were, and thank God “SNL” was there to make fun of it.
The moves, while embarrassing on the surface, were actually strikingly relatable. The sketch portrayed this brilliantly by remaking the video with dads, physics teachers and tax guys “getting in on” the dance moves. It looked just like you’d expect. Jay Pharoah portrayed Drake and said he was proud of his dancing — because everyone else was doing it, too.
The biggest laugh came when then-presidential candidate Donald Trump, playing the ‘tax guy,’ showed off his singing (more like a moan) and told us how “you used to call me on the cell phone.” His dance moves were also on point, at least by Drake's standards.
As a 10-year-old at the time, this was one of the first “SNL” moments I ever heard about. I still come back to it every now and then when I need a laugh. It’s a memorable one, for sure, that anyone can relate to.
Taylor Swift sings her “SNL” monologue.
Source: ‘SNL’ YouTube
9. “Taylor Swift Monologue Song”
Airdate: Nov. 7, 2009
Link: Taylor Swift Monologue Song - SNL
Taylor Swift is known for her prolific songwriting, but her self-penned monologue song in 2009 should never be forgotten.
This was two months after her infamous VMAs incident with Kanye West and during speculation that she was dating “Twilight” star Taylor Lautner. Safe to say, people were dying to hear from her.
Swift’s delivery was just perfect. The jabs were as subtle as they were diabolical, singing about the things she’s most known for, like writing names of her exes into songs (*cough* John *cough* Mayer *cough*).
The audience got an even bigger kick out of her (what’s the opposite of subtle?) jab at Joe Jonas, the guy who dumped her over the phone in under 30 seconds in 2008. In her words, she was doing “real well.”
Swift was already a superstar, but this moment introduced her to yet another new audience. After the “SNL” gig, there was no stopping her. Not even Kanye, which she brilliantly exclaimed while tossing to commercial.
She was in her savage era.
Rihanna and Andy Samberg in “SNL” digital short “Shy Ronnie.”
Source: ‘SNL’ YouTube
8. “Shy Ronnie”
Airdates: Dec. 5, 2009, Oct. 30, 2010
Part 1: SNL Digital Short: Shy Ronnie - SNL
Part 2: Shy Ronnie: Ronnie & Clyde - SNL Digital Short
This list should be a prime example that whenever musical guests get in on a bit, it’s a sight to behold. In this one, pop superstar Rihanna teamed up with Andy Samberg (Shy Ronnie) to create music’s most dynamic duo, destined to “tak[e] over the whole world.”
Or… that was the idea. Instead, when they go out in public, Shy Ronnie shows every bit of his name and barely mutters every word he sings. This alienates Rihanna, and after her urges to speak up fall flat, she leaves the room.
It turns out, though, that Rihanna was the one making Ronnie nervous, because without her presence, he unleashes his fire rap. That point is driven home when the pop star comes back to grab something she forgot, and Ronnie instantly sinks back into the shell of himself.
The hilarious part about Ronnie’s rapping is him proudly taking ownership of his awkward quirks, especially in part two.
I love how, again, this sketch draws on a universal concept—that it’s normal to act differently around certain people—and does so over a killer beat. It was yet another hit from Lonely Island, who we certainly haven’t seen the last of on this list…
Eddie Murphy as James Brown in “SNL” sketch ‘James Brown Celebrity Hot Tub.’
Source: ‘SNL’ YouTube
7. “James Brown’s Celebrity Hot Tub Party”
Airdate: Nov. 5, 1983
Link: James Brown's Celebrity Hot Tub Party - SNL
This sketch isn’t based on the real celebrity. James Brown and hot tubs only became synonymous after the “SNL” sketch — and for good reason.
Eddie Murphy sold his exaggerated impression of Brown like no other could. He comes out wearing nothing but a speedo and a sparkly, velvet bathrobe, reading “Hot Tub Man #1” on the back, and sings about getting wet and sweaty in a hot tub.
At first, Brown is hesitant to get in the hot tub (“Too hot in the hot tub!”), but his band encourages him, and he eventually ditches the rope and climbs in. It was a simple idea; the execution is what brought it to life.
Murphy’s charm, smile, dancing and (actually good) singing made this an all-time memorable sketch. It wasn’t meant to be the funniest in the moment, but it was after the fact.
Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake star as Barry and Robin Gibb in recurring “SNL” sketch “The Barry Gibb Talk Show.”
Source: ‘SNL’ YouTube
6. “The Barry Gibb Talk Show”
Airdates: Oct. 11, 2003 - Jan. 27, 2024 (recurring)
Link: The Barry Gibb Talk Show: 70s vs 90s - Saturday Night Live
Loosely inspired by the Bee Gees walking out of an interview in 1997, BFFs Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake deliver a whirlwind of humor in this beloved skit, starting with a catchy theme song with parody lyrics of the band’s 1975 hit “Nights on Broadway.”
Fallon and Timberlake portray brothers Barry and Robin Gibb, who are hosting a political talk show, but their personalities are unrecognizable. Barry is constantly thrown into a fit by (what he sees as) contradictory and offensive comments from his guests, and he cuts them off with an explosion of violent, random and ridiculous threats, oftentimes aggressively dancing at them.
Barry naturally incorporates singing into his insults, too, and Robin always chimes in with harmony. To be fair, the guests were warned to start the show when Barry said he wouldn’t “take any crap from anybody.”
Once he’s done ranting, Barry turns to Robin and asks if he has anything to add, to which he responds, “No. No, I don’t,” every time. Fallon has successfully gotten Timberlake to break by pushing him to say something, but that was never in the cards.
The Bees Gees are known for their distinctively shrill falsetto, and Fallon pays homage by randomly breaking into it while he talks. The performance is off-the-rails masterful, perhaps the most in-character Fallon has ever been.
Kenan Thomspon stars in the recurring “SNL” sketch “What Up With That?”
Source: ‘SNL’ YouTube
5. “What Up With That?”
Airdates: Oct. 17, 2009 - Oct. 23, 2021 (recurring)
Link: What Up With That?: Samuel L. Jackson & Carrie Brownstein - SNL
Speaking of recurring talk show sketches that abuse their guests — yes, there’s more than one.
Perhaps the most defining sketch of Kenan Thompson’s 22-year (and continuing) “SNL” tenure, Thompson hosts what’s supposed to be a civilized talk show on BET. However, his guests are taken aback when he and the house band can’t go five seconds without playing music.
You ever had that friend who just can’t stop singing? That’s Thomspon in this sketch. He intervenes so much that two of the three guests don’t even get to talk, not that the first one had much of a chance. Once you hear that sizzle on the hi-hat, you know what’s coming.
The third guest is always Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham (played by Bill Hader). He never gets close to being interviewed, despite Thomspon teasing what he had prepared to say.
Thompson’s delivery is unmatched, but the star of the show may actually be Jason Sudeikis, who plays an overzealous backup dancer in a red jump-suit. Every time Thompson opens the chorus with an “ooo-oo-oo-wee,” Sudeikis absolutely launches himself from offscreen and into the picture. How his knees could handle that, I have no idea. The music gets repetitive, but Sudeikis is hilarious every time.
To some, What’s Up With That is the most annoying sketch in “SNL” history. But it wouldn’t have been brought back so many times if no one liked it. The sketch was done 11 times from 2009 to 2021, making it one of the show’s most recurring bits. Safe to say, it was stuck in a loop.
Andy Samberg and Chris Parnell in “SNL” digital short “Lazy Sunday.”
Source: ‘SNL’ YouTube
4. “Lazy Sunday”
Airdate: Dec. 17, 2005
Link: Lazy Sunday - SNL Digital Short
It was December 2005; YouTube had just launched, and Lonely Island had the perfect storm for the show’s first viral video.
It starts with Samberg awakening “in the late afternoon” on a Sunday, calling up Chris Parnell, and they spend the digital short rapping their way through various activities around New York City. (Man, those cupcakes look good.) Simply, it’s an anthem for regular guys just doing their thing. As long as you rap like Samberg and Parnell, anything can seem cool.
“Lazy Sunday” lands so high on the list because it changed the game for “SNL.” It was only the second digital short ever created, and it set a precedent that this kind of humor and video production could work on the show. It became a staple even, because Samberg and company were just getting started.
Adam Sandler singing “The Hanukkah Song” on “SNL”’s Weekend Update.
Source: ‘SNL’ YouTube
3. “The Hanukkah Song”
Airdate: Dec. 3, 1994
Link: Weekend Update: Adam Sandler on Hanukkah - SNL
Adam Sandler gave the world exactly what it needed in 1994: a Hanukkah song without a dreidel. This is probably Sandler’s finest moment on “SNL” and maybe the greatest Weekend Update bit ever done, which says quite a bit.
The ditty can be characterized by altering words to rhyme with Hanukkah (like “supersonukkah”), acknowledging fellow Jewish celebrities (even Harrison Ford, who’s “a quarter Jewish”) and getting huge kicks from the audience along the way. It’s so funny that Sandler almost cracks himself up numerous times, which just added to the aura if you ask me.
Sandler’s Hanukkah song became a seasonal tradition from that point on and, 30 years later, is still memorable as ever. The song transcends generations and can be universally appreciated. I can certainly see myself playing it one day for my kids, even though I was born 11 years after it happened.
“Not too shabby,” huh?
Andy Samberg and Justin Timberlake in “SNL” digital short “D*** in a Box.”
Source: ‘SNL’ YouTube
2. “D*** in a Box”
Airdate: Dec. 16, 2006
Link: D*** in a Box - SNL Digital Short
When Samberg and JT got together on “SNL,” it was trouble — and in the best way. D in a B is hands-down the pinnacle of their work (I can’t even say the name on this platform) because it was so unexpected and perfect for the moment.
The song was a joke about two guys stuck in the early ‘90s R&B era (hence the outfits, beards and basketball-hoop setting) who wanted to give their ladies a sentimental gift for Christmas, and not one they would expect. (They actually thought outside the box, so to speak.)
In the process, they taught us three easy (highly inappropriate) steps, and people actually did it.
Timberlake said in his 2018 book “Hindsight” that the fake bread, silk suit and box attached to the appendage was the most popular Halloween costume the following year. I can imagine.
Like Sandler’s Hanukkah song, D in a B became a yearly staple for all generations and marked the pinnacle of JT and Samberg’s popularity. I’ll also show this bit to my kids one day, but when they’re ready.
Will Ferrell, Christopher Walken, Jimmy Fallon, Chris Parnell, Horatio Sanz and Chris Kattan in “SNL” sketch “More Cowbell.”
Source: ‘SNL’ YouTube
1. “More Cowbell”
Airdate: April 8, 2000
Link: More Cowbell - SNL
And here we are: The sketch that needs no introduction — just more cowbell. Even if you’re not a die-hard “SNL” fan, you’ve probably heard about this sketch once or twice. And, yeah, it is that good.
The cowbell was just a footnote in society before Will Ferrell smashed it with his hairy belly hanging out. The skit was a play on Blue Oyster Cult’s recording of “(Don’t Fear) the Reaper” in 1976, a song that has a very faint cowbell in the back to push its momentum.
Well, that wasn’t enough for Christopher Walken (who played the song’s producer). He suggested Ferrell “explore the studio space” with his cowbell playing. Besides, there’s not “a whole lot of songs that feature the cowbell,” as Ferrell pointed out; so he went all-in, even if it was a little “selfish.”
Walken delivered the zinger and all zingers with the immortalized line, “I’ve got a fever—and the only precipitation—is more cowbell.” That fever may never be cured, though. It’s actually embraced — because no one could ever get enough cowbell after seeing this sketch.
Cows get most of the attention in this bit. For me, it’s the GOAT.
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