FEATURE:
Saturday Night Live at Fifty
Selections from the Best Musical Guests
_________
ONE of the…
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION CREDIT: Matthew Cooley, Images in illustration by Will Heath/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images, 3; Alan Singer/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal, 3
longest-running shows in T.V. history is celebrating fifty years. Saturday Night Live is hosted by a celebrity guest and features sketches and musical numbers. With nearly a thousand episodes broadcast since it first aired on 11th October, 1975, there has been a lot of celebration around this terrific series. There is also a new documentary coming up that shines a spotlight on the music guests. Before getting to that, here is some background and history of the iconic Saturday Night Live:
“Saturday Night Live (SNL) is an American late-night live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The show's premiere was hosted by George Carlin on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title NBC's Saturday Night. The show's comedy sketches, which often parody contemporary American culture and politics, are performed by a large and varying cast of repertory and newer cast members. Each episode is hosted by a celebrity guest, who usually delivers the opening monologue and performs in sketches with the cast, with featured performances by a musical guest. An episode normally begins with a cold open sketch that is usually based on political events and ends with someone breaking character and proclaiming, "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!", properly beginning the show”.
It is not only about the musical guests. However, Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music does have a particular focus on those great musical spots. I am really interested to see what comes from it. Billboard reported on an upcoming documentary that fans of Saturday Night Live and those who are casual viewers will enjoy:
“Saturday Night Live is currently celebrating its 50th anniversary, and the festivities continue with a brand new documentary NBC announced on Thursday (Dec. 19).
Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music will feature interviews with artists, cast members, writers and producers who have contributed to SNL‘s iconic legacy. The three-hour documentary will also “feature untold stories behind the culture-defining, groundbreaking and newsmaking musical performances, sketches and cameos of the past 50 years,” per a press release description.
The broadcast is directed by Questlove and Oz Rodriguez, and produced by Two One Five Entertainment, RadicalMedia and Broadway Video. Questlove also serves as executive producer alongside Lorne Michaels, Zarah Zohlman, Erin David, Dave Sirulnick, Jon Kamen, Meredith Bennett, Alexander H. Browne, Shawn Gee and Tariq Trotter. Rodriguez serves as producer.
Bad Bunny, DJ Breakout, Elvis Costello, Miley Cyrus, Billie Eilish and Finneas, Dave Grohl, Debbie Harry and Chris Stein, Mick Jagger, Dua Lipa, Darryl DMC McDaniels, Tom Morello, Kacey Musgraves, Olivia Rodrigo, MC Sha-Rack, Paul Simon, Chris Stapleton, Justin Timberlake, Lee Ving and Jack White are all the musicians set to appear in the documentary. The show will also feature cast members including Jimmy Fallon, Bowen Yang, Fred Armisen, Conan O’Brien, Bill Hader, Eddie Murphy, Andy Samberg, Kenan Thompson, Maya Rudolph and many more.
“Everyone knows the most famous SNL appearances, whether it’s Elvis Costello, Prince or the Beastie Boys, but they’re the tip of a huge iceberg,” Questlove said in a press statement. “The process of going back through the incredible archival footage was like being in a time machine, DeLorean or other. I’m so happy I went on the trip and now get to share it with everyone.”
Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music will premiere Jan. 27 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC and stream the next day on Peacock. The documentary is part of a collection of celebratory programming, including a four-part SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night Peacock docuseries on Jan. 16 and a live primetime special on Feb. 16 on NBC and Peacock”.
In November, Rolling Stone ranked the fifty-best musical performances on SNL. There is some tough competition! From Radiohead through to Taylor Swift and a great combination of George Harrison and Paul Simon, there have been some wonderful and scene-stealing performances from a variety of artists. Even though Saturday Night Live is a comedy show, the musicians add something different to the mix. Based on Rolling Stone’s top fifty ranking, I have selected artists from that list. Songs that they performed on Saturday Night Live. I have chosen the versions that were on the original studio albums. This is a musical guests mix to celebrate…
AN American institution at fifty.