- List of Saturday Night Live musical sketches
-
Saturday Night Live has featured many recurring characters that appear in sketches with a musical theme. In addition there are characters listed here who predominantly featured music, but may not have exclusively featured it.
Character lists: Alphabetical and Chronological
Character categories:
The Blues Brothers
Main article: The Blues Brothers.
See also Mighty Mack Blues
Nick The Lounge Singer
Main article: Nick The Lounge SingerNick (whose last name changed with nearly every appearance) was a typical 1970s lounge singer portrayed by Bill Murray. He sang current songs, typically in a drawn-out fashion, including originally instrumental music like the Star Wars theme with made-up lyrics, and with musical accompaniment by Paul Shaffer on piano.
Candy Slice
Candy Slice was a character played by Gilda Radner on Saturday Night Live. An intense but troubled rock and roll artist, Candy Slice recorded an album in a sketch on December 9, 1978, in an installment Eric Idle hosted. [1]
She also performed in the Rock Against Yeast on February 17, 1979, while Rick Nelson was hosting. [2] Her song was dedicated to Mick Jagger and was solely about how Candy Slice was his "biggest funked-up fan". In that sketch, she also hobnobbed with the likes of Olivia Newton-John (Laraine Newman), Bob Marley (Garrett Morris) and Dolly Parton (Jane Curtin).
Slice's act consisted of two songs: the punkish "If You Look Close (You Can See My Tits)," and her musical homage to the Rolling Stones, "Gimme Mick," which concluded with "rock me 'n' roll me 'til I'm sick." At this point, Slice would belch into the microphone and pass out onstage, thus ending her set.
Candy Slice was based loosely on punk rock pioneer Patti Smith.[3]
Episodes featuring Candy Slice
- December 9, 1978 host: Eric Idle
- February 17, 1979 host: Rick Nelson
References
Buckwheat
The Our Gang character of Buckwheat, portrayed as an adult by Eddie Murphy, sang current hits in garbled speech. His first appearance was in a commercial parody for an album titled, Buh-Weet Sings. Right before each song, subtitles on the screen would list the name, spelled phonetically exactly as Buckwheat would say it (example: Looking for Love became Wookin' Pa Nub and Three Times a Lady became Fee Tines a Mady). One song, Bette Davis Eyes is so poorly pronounced that the superimposed title is "???". Those who wanted to purchase the album were instructed to send money to "Bah Firty Fee, New Nork, New Nork".
The character was also the central focus of a series of sketches called "Who Shot Buckwheat?", which parodied the then-recent TV coverage of assassinations and attempted assassinations of public figures, such as the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan and the murder of John Lennon.
Pudge & Solomon
In this 1980s sketch, two grizzled barflies were played by Joe Piscopo and Eddie Murphy. Piscopo's character played the piano.
Derek Stevens
In this 1980s sketch, an English singer/songwriter (played by Dana Carvey) is meeting with his record producers to go over his demo, which they soon discover he has failed to record. He insists, however, that he has written songs and he can play the songs for them live, and when they ask him to do so, he quickly makes up a song called "The Lady I Know". He then sits at the piano and begins sloppily faking his way through the song, which ultimately becomes an endless refrain of the chorus, "Choppin' broccoli" in various vocal styles and intonations. Upon hearing it, the producers appear to be awestruck by his lyrics, and are ecstatic about recording the song.
This song was originally in a Dana Carvey stand-up comedy routine about the vapidness of popular music.
Stevens returns in a later sketch, in which his producers try to convince him that his premature death might help the sales of his album. A fearful Stevens responds by hyping a new song, with the same tune as "The Lady I Know", but featuring different, though equally repetitive, lyrics and a similar endless refrain ("My pretty little lady! My pretty little gir-rl!") The producers are unimpressed.
The Sweeney Sisters
The Sweeney Sisters, a recurring sketch from the 1980s, are a duo of party singers, Candy Sweeney (played by Jan Hooks) and her sister Liz (played by Nora Dunn). They normally sing cover medleys of pop standards in very high-pitched voices, a la Nick the Lounge Singer. Their medleys always include the first two lines of "The Trolley Song" ("Clang, clang, clang went the trolley...") about two-thirds of the way through, followed by a string of scatting. In these medleys the last word of one song often segues into the first word of the next. The sisters are usually seen performing at various U.S. hotel lounges, and their performances usually begin with "You must have pressed 'L' for 'lobby'! Come, join us." Candy and Liz have a sister (a former member of the group), Audrey, who was played by Mary Tyler Moore. The Sweeneys' accompanist, Skip, was played by composer Marc Shaiman.
Tonto, Tarzan & Frankenstein's Monster
This trio showcased three popular film characters who were probably least likely to get together and sing because they are all known for their inability to speak proper English. Tonto (played by Jon Lovitz) and Tarzan (played by Kevin Nealon) mostly spoke the lyrics in broken English, leaving out certain verbs and pronouns, while Frankenstein's Monster (played by Phil Hartman) usually just growled and moaned, rarely forming any semblance of the actual words, though he could opine that "bread good" and "fire bad". They came together to sing "We Are the World", and during the holidays they would usually sing Christmas carols. On one occasion, they recited Edgar Allan Poe's classic poem "The Raven". For Easter, the trio were joined by Frankenstein's Monster's evil twin (Mel Gibson), who spoke whole sentences; they sang "Here Comes Peter Cottontail". All four, plus Tarzan's own Jane, starred in their own sporadic soap opera, As World Turn (taken from the long-running As the World Turns). The sketches appeared in the early 1990s.
I'm Chillin'
I'm Chillin was a spoof of public-access television cable TV rap shows. Its host was played by Chris Rock and the show's sidekick was played by Chris Farley. Farley's character was introduced by Rock with a string of nonsensical rhymes such as "My Ace in the hole, my buttered roll, my grassy knoll," etc. This show was notable for its "Mother Joke of the Day" which would be sent in from (fictitious) viewers, all of whom lived in one housing project or another. The winner would typically receive some early-Nineties-themed gangster item (a red, yellow and green jacket with an 8-ball on the back, for example). Chris Rock's character was named Onski and Chris Farley's character was B-Fats. Onski also plugged local fictitious sponsors, like "Bullet Hole tampons: 'cause sometimes you bleed in other places!", and "F'ed Up Malt Liquor." The sketch usually came to an end when Onski received a beeper page from his "baby's mama" and he'd have to go pick her up somewhere (from work at Popeyes, or the check cashing place). Onski's parting words each episode were "Always wipe, stay off the pipe, and if someone gets in your face, tell em 'I'm Chillin!'"
Opera Man
Opera Man was a Weekend Update character played in the early to middle 1990s by Adam Sandler. He would appear in a fancy shirt and black cape - often holding a white handkerchief as a parody of Pavarotti - and sing, opera style, jokes about current events and celebrities. Among Opera Man's sketches, regarding the L.A. Riots: "La Chiefa Policia, no dispatcha gendarme / morono, no respondo / no excusa, bagga doucha!" There was also the "Tom Hanks-o/ nominat-o/ next year go to France-o/ give someone else/ a freaking chance-o!" sketch, during which, on the screen, a picture of Billy Madison came up. The sketches always ended with mock-bravos and roses being flung in Opera Man's direction.
Mighty Mack Blues
Mighty Mack Blues is a member of the Blues Brothers, though not an original. He is a replacement for John Belushi's Jake Blues since John Belushi died in 1982. Mighty Mack was introduced on the 1995 episode where he hosted with musical guest The Tragically Hip, announcing that since he (John Goodman) was hosting for the sixth time, he can do what he wanted and he wanted to perform with special guest and former castmember Dan Aykroyd as the newest incarnation of The Blues Brothers. The movie Blues Brothers 2000 has Aykroyd and Goodman as the new Blues Brothers.
G-Dog
A 1990s sitcom about a bald-headed, foul mouthed gangsta rapper played by Tim Meadows who usually appeared wearing only a Speedo or leather pants. He first appeared in a sketch with Teri Hatcher about a sitcom called "The Princess and the Homeboy".
The Roxbury Guys
- For the film about the same characters, see A Night at the Roxbury.
The Roxbury Guys was a 1990s sketch about two brothers named Doug and Steve Butabi (although their names and relationship to one another were never revealed until the subsequent release of the film) who always got dressed up in rayon suits to go clubbing, where they would attempt to pick up women. They were played by Chris Kattan and Will Ferrell respectively. Their trademark was bobbing their heads in unison to the song "What Is Love" by Haddaway, which always played throughout the duration of each sketch. They were extremely unfortunate with the women at the clubs, often gyrating against them in an attempt to get them to dance, but always causing a negative reaction. The sketches often featured a third member of the group, similar to the others in appearance and actions, performed by that week's host (such as Tom Hanks, Martin Short, Jim Carrey, Alec Baldwin, and Sylvester Stallone); this character was usually credited as "Barhop". The final running of the sketch during the September 26, 1998 episode featured another team of two club-hopping brothers: Steve Martin and Dan Aykroyd reprise their early-SNL roles as the "Wild and Crazy Guys".
The Culps
The Culps, or "The Culp Family Musical Performances", were recurring characters that appeared on SNL between 1996 and 2002, and were portrayed by Will Ferrell (as Marty Culp), and Ana Gasteyer as (Bobbi Mohan-Culp). Marty and Bobbi were an awkward, unstylish, married couple who served as music teachers at Altadena Middle School. In the sketches, they would perform prim, conservative medleys of modern pop, R&B or rap songs at various school functions, much to the embarrassment of their unseen son who attended the school; when Claire Danes hosted, she played their college-student daughter, embarrassed beyond words when her parents performed during Career Day.
Marty played the keyboard and sings backup, while Bobbi was the lead vocalist, who sang in a high-pitched, operatic style. In between medleys, the Culps make comments to the audience of middle school students, often implying that the children are mocking them, most often by showing them the finger.
The Culps followed in the tradition of earlier skits that began with 1970s sketch Nick The Lounge Singer and continued in the 1980s with The Sweeney Sisters. The basic premise being that the singers, who usually perform in bottom-of-the-barrel gigs, sing modern songs in their own unique style, but are totally oblivious to how unstylish and "cheesy" their performances are. The majority of the act was taken from the New York downtown duo Kiki & Herb.
Janet Reno's Dance Party
Janet Reno's Dance Party ("coming to you live, from my basement/the deck of a battleship") was an SNL sketch starring Will Ferrell as U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno. It aired four times and featured the song "My Sharona" by The Knack. During the dance party, Reno expressed an aversion to mosh pits and accused her youthful guests of lying during interviews. While she opposed moshing, Reno did engage in stage-diving during one episode, warning the dancing youths below to brace themselves for "180 lb of pure Reno." In most episodes, Darrell Hammond would make an appearance as then-President Bill Clinton, urging Janet to leave her basement and rejoin society; he would assure her that nobody blamed her for the events at Waco, to which Reno would respond, "DANCE PARTY TAKES AWAY WACO!". Notable guests included Donna Shalala (played by Kevin Spacey), who slow-danced with Janet; and Rudy Giuliani (played by himself), who lost to Janet in a boxing match. The last time the sketch aired, January 20, 2001, the real Janet Reno herself made a top secret cameo appearance. It was also the day she left office, as the Clinton administration had ended earlier that afternoon. After George W. Bush's inauguration ceremony was completed at noon, Reno was whisked away to a supposed undisclosed location. Will Ferrell stated:
It was all her idea to come on the show, and I was impressed with her. She talked about how important humor is to our political process. She said that when she speaks at schools, the first question she's asked is, "Have you seen the guy who plays you on Saturday Night Live?" She tells them she loves (being lampooned); it lets all the tension out of the room.[4]The DeMarco Brothers
The DeMarco Brothers are played by Chris Kattan and Chris Parnell. The premise of the sketch is that the brothers are auditioning to be dancers on tour for a musical act (usually, whoever is the musical guest on the show that week). They would wear matching t-shirts with quotes or references to a particular song by the artist, and then play a tape of the artist's songs and proceed to dance to it. Their dancing can be described as interpretive, as they often act out a portion of the song's lyrics in the form of skits during their performance. The musicians generally detest their performances, cutting them off before ever getting through an entire song.
Gunner Olsen
Played by Jim Breuer, Olsen recapped the night's news in the style of a lead singer in a heavy metal band.
The Céline Dion Show
The Celine Dion Show was a faux variety show in which Ana Gasteyer played the Grammy award-winning singer, who in the opening credits claims to be "the most beautiful and most loved singer in the world". The sketch was inspired by Dion's success in the wake of her number one Billboard Hot 100 hit "My Heart Will Go On" in 1998.
In the sketches, Celine would usually begin with a solo, adding exaggerated vocal gymnastics and runs to even the simplest of songs. Then, she would usually invite a musical guest to perform. However, soon into their performance, Celine would feel upstaged, and would start singing over top of them in a much louder voice, much to their displeasure.
The sketch attracted the attention of the real singer herself, who invited Gasteyer to perform the character in one of her concerts in 1998.
7 Degrees Celsius
A parody of late-1990s "Boy Bands", specifically 98 Degrees. The members were Jeph (Chris Parnell), Samm (Chris Kattan), Sweet T (Horatio Sanz), and Wade (Jimmy Fallon); the host or musical guest would appear as the fifth member (similar to Gemini's Twin). Jeph described their sound as "gangsta rap meets hip-hop meets You Can't Do That On Television." Sweet T has a 15 year old son named Ribeye, though adds that this doesn't make him an old dude, since he had him when he was 9. Their manager was a man with a thinly-veiled criminal past named Peter Tanner, played by Will Ferrell. They were often seen bouncing around on large inflatable playground balls while singing, a reference to the Backstreet Boys' trademark "folding chair dance".
Gemini's Twin
Gemini's Twin is an R&B/pop music group composed of Jonette and Britanica, created for a series of sketches on Saturday Night Live and written by SNL writer James Anderson. The sketches featured Maya Rudolph and Ana Gasteyer as members of the group that satirized Destiny's Child. The two would incorporate hip-hop slang into their conversations in inappropriate ways, often misusing intellectual words or making up new words altogether: "It's time to get musicational!" "Our music comes from a very emotionary place." It is then occasionally revealed that the band members attended elite colleges.
A celebrity (often the guest host) would often appear as the current third member of the band. Such third members have included Cameron Diaz, Gwyneth Paltrow, Lucy Liu, Britney Spears, Charlize Theron and Jennifer Lopez. This was a jab at the infamous turmoil and frequent lineup changes in Destiny's Child.
In one sketch, the real members of Destiny's Child appeared as former members of Gemini's Twin who had been kicked out of the band.
Rap Street
Rap Street was a TV show sketch which appeared twice on Saturday Night Live in 2000. The hosts of Rap Street, Grandmaster Rap (a take-off on Grandmaster Flash played by Jerry Minor) and Kid Shazzam (Horatio Sanz) were caricatures of old school rappers who hearkened back to the early days of rap. They would often refer to their time spent in the Vietnam War, mention friends of theirs who had great-grandchildren or hip problems, and use plural forms where they didn't belong (i.e. "Vietnams", "hip-hops"). They spoke out against profanity in rap music, saying things like, "We didn't rap about givin' your man friend fellat-i-os. We rapped about good stuff, like sneakers." They would begin and end each show with a similar simplistic rap which went "Rap rap, ribbity rap rap, rip rop ribbity do!" (a send-up of "Rapper's Delight" by The Sugarhill Gang).
The first full-fledged Rap Street sketch featured Tom Green as MC Kevin Gustafson from Ottawa, Ontario.
Season's Greetings From SNL (Christmas Is Number One)
This was a musical performance by Jimmy Fallon, Horatio Sanz, Chris Kattan, and Tracy Morgan singing the praises of Christmas. It was considered highly unorthodox, mainly because of the roles the various players in the performance: Sanz played a C.F. Martin & Company backpacker guitar and sang, while Fallon sporadically played a keyboard, as Kattan held the keyboard and Morgan danced in place. The song generally appeared during Christmastime, but also appeared during other holiday seasons (though, always denouncing those holidays in favor of Christmas). At one point they are even criticized by Simon Cowell, but he relents and proceeds to join them. In one skit, Horatio Sanz wanted to perform the song, then said "Guys?" referring to the fact that Fallon, Kattan and Morgan had all left the show. Kermit the Frog said "You can sing with me," and Sanz performed the song with Kermit, Fozzie Bear, Animal and Gonzo. Sanz and Fallon later performed the song on Fallon's talk show with musical guest Julian Casablancas.
Episodes featuring "Season's Greetings":
- April 8, 2000
- December 9, 2000
- December 1, 2001
- April 13, 2002
- December 14, 2002
- April 10, 2004
- December 18, 2004
A "Summer's Greetings From Saturday Night Live" sketch never made it past dress rehearsal. This would have appeared in the April 17, 2003 episode, with Dan Aykroyd as the host.
The Kelly Brothers
- See entry: The Kelly Brothers on Saturday Night Live characters appearing on Weekend Update.
The Barry Gibb Talk Show
Main article: Barry Gibb Talk ShowJimmy Fallon appears as Barry Gibb, and attempts to discuss current events in Gibb's famous falsetto singing voice. He would usually break into song after the first sentence of the topic. Barry periodically asks co-host Robin Gibb (played by Justin Timberlake) for input, if "he has any thoughts on" the topic, when he then offers no more than "No, no, I don't." The Bee Gees' 1975 hit "Nights on Broadway" is used as the sketch's theme, but with different lyrics.
Singing/Dancing Street Advertisers
Featured only in episodes where Justin Timberlake has hosted, Timberlake takes to the sidewalk as a costumed street advertiser (ex: man dressed as chicken to promote fried chicken chain) to upstage an existing street vendor in a competing business. Naturally, Timberlake outstages the previous person by parodying current contemporary hits (with his boombox), followed immediately by the signature slogan "Bring it on down to ______ville". In the three appearances in which Timberlake has hosted a show, Timberlake has always persuaded his opponent to come work for the chain he works for.
Variations:
- "Omeletteville" (breakfast restaurant, dressed as an omelette) opposed by Chris Parnell, dressed as bacon and eggs.
- "Homelessville" (homeless mission, dressed as a cup of soup) opposed by Will Forte working for Salvation Army, dressed as Santa Claus.
- "Plasticville" (plastic surgery practice, dressed as silicone breast implant) opposed by Will Forte working for a gym, dressed as a dumbbell.
- "Turkeyville" In the episode in which Justin Timberlake doesn't host (Paul Rudd hosts instead), he appears on Weekend Update and says he would have done this for Thanksgiving.
- "Liquorville" (Liquor store, dressed up as beer bottle, accompanied by Lady Gaga dressed as a bottle of wine, against a tea shop promoted by a character played by Kristen Wiig)
The Prince Show
The Prince Show is a sketch parodying the memorable performance of Prince and Beyoncé Knowles at the 46th Grammy Awards. The sketch features Fred Armisen as the host, playing Prince, and with Maya Rudolph as his co-host, Beyoncé Knowles. The opening theme song of the show features Prince playing his famous purple guitar with his famed symbol. After the song is over, the two head to a purple couch, which coincides with much of the rest of the set, which is also purple. Prince rarely says much on the show, usually whispering into Beyoncé's ear what he wants to say. During most of the sketches, Prince vanishes during an important conversation only to be found nearby doing unrelated activities such as sculpting or painting.
An installment of this sketch appeared on the season 31 episode hosted by Steve Martin with the real Prince as musical guest. The genuine article did not appear in the sketch.
The Lawrence Welk Show
A parody of the original "mildly-entertaining" Lawrence Welk Show, this PBS rerun features a sister act of The Maharelle Sisters from the Finger Lakes. The fourth sister (named "Dooneese") has several simultaneously amusing and disturbing deformities, such as an unusually high frontal hairline, hands the size of a baby's, immobile wrists, and an odd canine tooth. The sisters usually sing in turn, and often when it comes time for her part, the musical act is thrown into disarray, as Dooneese sings or utters something totally arbitrary or disturbing, including the admission of her baking roadkill and having worms in her hair. Lawrence Welk is portrayed by Fred Armisen. The freakish sister Dooneese is portrayed by Kristen Wiig. The three normal sisters has been played by both guests or cast members and has, in various line-ups, been performed by Jenny Slate, Abby Elliott, Michaela Watkins, Casey Wilson, Nasim Pedrad, Vanessa Bayer, Amy Poehler, Ana Gasteyer, Maya Rudolph and Anne Hathaway. Their mother was played by Betty White in the episode she hosted.
The names of the normal sisters are (variously, depending on the installment) Holly, Rhonda, Nora, Nancy, Shirley, Toni, Janet, Peggy, and/or Clara.
The Lundford Twins Feel Good Variety Hour
This sketch featured regular cast member Fred Armisen as Henry Quincy Lundford and Paul Giamatti (later replaced by Steve Carell) as the hosts of a 70s-era, Smothers Brothers-esque variety show. It featured Amy Poehler as Dorothy Winckler, an actress who herself was playing a character named Granny, whose catchphrase was "Aw, nuts!", accompanied by a zoom to her face; Maya Rudolph as a female-empowerment singer who sang about being pregnant and not needing a man; Kenan Thompson as a Barry White-esque, "King of the Sob Songs" singer, whose song was "Amanda"; and a skit set to 1920s-style upright piano music that featured two flappers, Charlie Chaplin, and a man cranking an old Model-T Ford.
SNL Digital Short Music Videos
- Shy Ronnie (featuring Rihanna)
- Shy Ronnie and Clyde (featuring Rihanna)
- Two Worlds Collide (Andy Samberg and Kenan Thompson as Reba McEntire)
- Like A Boss (featuring Seth Rogen)
- I'm on a Boat (Lonely Island featuring T-Pain)
- Jizz in My Pants (Lonely Island)
- Dick in a Box (featuring Justin Timberlake)
- Motherlover (featuring Justin Timberlake)
- Iran So Far (featuring Adam Levine)
- Lazy Sunday (Andy Samberg and Chris Parnell)
- I Just Had Sex (Lonely Island featuring Akon)
- I Broke My Arm (Emma Stone)
- The Creep (Lonely Island featuring Nicki Minaj and John Waters)
Lunch Lady Land
Lunch Lady Land is an Adam Sandler song that was performed with Chris Farley dressed in drag as a lunch lady.[5] This was a parody of the Bruce Springsteen song "Jungleland", and, as in many other sketches with Chris Farley, Sandler was unable to keep a straight face through the scene. The song included the common school lunch items (cast members dressed as food) growing angry with Farley over dismal food preparation practices. Sloppy Joe defended her actions, however, and he and the Lunch Lady fell in love. The song ended as "Me and Sloppy Joe got married/ We got six kids and we're doin' just fine/ Down here in Lunch Lady... Land!"
Deep House Dish
Deep House Dish is a show on the fictional "MTV4" network, "The alternative to the alternative," which features house and techno music. The sketches began in 2005, with Kenan Thompson as the lead host, DJ Dynasty Handbag, and Rachel Dratch as his dim-witted co-host, Tiara Z. Whenever Tiara says something stupid (such as reporting that clubgoers will be wearing "clubwear" to the clubs this season or raising her hand to ask a question and then forgetting what her question was), DJ Dynasty Handbag responds with "Ooooh weeee, Tiara!", often followed by a remark on how "boring" or "dull" his co-host is.
Despite the departure of Rachel Dratch, Deep House Dish continued without her on the December 2, 2006 episode with Matthew Fox. DJ Dynasty Handbag says that Tiara is no longer "with us"; she posted a picture of him in his Dunkin' Donuts outfit and although she was not dead, she was dead to him, so, he replaced Tiara with T'Shane (Andy Samberg), who is equally dimwitted. Whereas DJ Dynasty Handbag tended to insult Tiara on her dullness, he criticizes T'Shane mainly for his lack of intelligence.
During the "program" a variety of musical guests appear. These are usually played by cast members with at least one portrayed by the guest host of the week. The "artists" are usually parodies of a certain archetype of house music performer, the overlying joke being that within any given genre the artists who top the charts are indistinguishable from one another.
The opening sequence music clip is borrowed from the German electropop band (Melotron), and the song is 'Der Kosmonaut'.
The Mellow Show
This sketch is about a fictional talk show hosted by Jack Johnson (Andy Samberg). To date, three such sketches have been transmitted so far.
Episodes featuring The Mellow Show
- April 12, 2008 host: Ashton Kutcher as John Mayer
- November 21, 2009 host: Joseph Gordon Levitt as Jason Mraz (with Dave Matthews of The Dave Matthews Band as Ozzy Osbourne)
References
Categories:- Saturday Night Live sketches
- Saturday Night Live lists
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.