Live from New York it’s…
Posted November 17, 2009 by
Morning Show Crew 
Comments(38)
Comments(38) 
SNL Producer, Lorne Michaels turns 65 today. How can we forget moments like Steve Martin (also a WFUV supporter) doing “King Tut”? In celebration, we look back on our favorite musical performances on Saturday Night Live!
The best and most memorable for me has to be Peter Tosh and Mick Jagger performing Don’t look back.
eddie murphy doing james browns’ “good god…hot tub” has to be the best from the old snl…
thanx for the memory
Wow, you’re making us date ourselves (some of us, at least)!!
I’ll go all the way back, way way back to the very early shows – Simon and Garfunkel – The Boxer!!!
I remember because it aired on my birthday . I think at some later date, Paul Simon played with George Harrison as well on SNL???
Can’t wait to hear everyone’s favorites, Claudia!
Have a super Tuesday!
You make us smile -
Kate Bush singing “Roll in the Ball” and “Wuthering Heights” –probably 1977? I coudlnt believe her in her trench coaot with the huge eyes and amazing voice. I ran right out to get the album but it was gone frmthe shelves and I had to wait.,
morning claudia! so Paul will be receiving the Gershwin award next
year, his Shea DVD comes out today- time for a Paul ?of the day? (the
Cole Porter of our era)..his classical reworkings of his early solo
stuff rule (so in love with Linda)
Joe cocker and john belushi
I know at least 4,000 other unimaginative people are suggesting this, but it’s the first thing that jumped into my mind: Steve Martin’s King Tut.
See if you can find the SNL collaboration with Gregory Hines & Eubie Blake. Amazing vocals and of course fabulous piano. At the end, Eubie enthusiastically compliments the vocal performance, and he’d know! Quite a song.
Thanks.
YES! Hands down, Paul Simon and Chevy Chase doing You Can Call Me Al. Thinking of it still brings a smile to my face.
Stay well–
“Homeward Bound”-Paul Simon/George
Harrison!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(trust Paul and Edy are
listening in the Hamptons and George up in
heaven)………………………………all things must pass
I have always remembered the performance of Kate Bush singing “The Man with a Child in His Eyes.” It was in the 80’s and it is possible my memory of it is foggy! You know it is on late!
It has been a while since a question of the day response.
The artist I most remember is when George Harrison appeared and was offered 1 million dollars to reunite the Beatles, by Loren Michaels.
Please play ” Don’t Let Me Wait” by George Harrison from Living in the Material World.
1976—— Richard Pryor was the host——–” Johannesberg ” – Gill Scott – Heron ———- for a 15 year old, suburban white kid – seeing this song performed was scary and oh so radical — I loved it !!!!
I couldn’t resist responding to the SNL question.
1979 – David Bowie – The Man Who Sold the World!
I’ll admit that I just cheated and googled the performance to figure out which song it was – but other than having to check that out it’s such a clear memory for me.
It was the first time I’d ever seen David Bowie. I was in junior high and watching SNL while babysitting. I remember being mesmerized and freaked out at the same time. Bowie wore this weird costume that didn’t move – he had to have others lift him in it. I couldn’t help watching. Despite not knowing to what to make of the outfit – I became ended up becoming a Bowie fan and even had posters in my room by high school. Those kids I babysat that night are now both married and have their own babies – and I’m still a Bowie fan.
Looking forward to seeing what others come up with in honor of Lorne Michaels.
My favorite musical performance of all time on SNL is Joe Cocker and John Belushi doing “Feelin’ Alright”… absolutely priceless!
I remember the Peter Tosh show… He used to open for the Stones and was playing the old My Fathers Place in Roslyn the next night…. 5000 people showed up thinking Mick might come down…. Of course he didn’t..
So it was 1978, I was in the 8th grade. I’m watching with my girl friend and her family. The Stones are on in support of the recently released Some Girls album. If memory serves me right they are performing Beast Of Burden. And then during a break in the vocals Mick licks Keith’s face while the camera is on a close up. Wow, my girl friend’s dad blew a gasket we had to argue to keep the TV on to see the end of the song. It was quite a controversy in that household for a while. The Stones were banned for a while whenever her dad was around.
King Tut – Steve Martin
Neil Young- rocking in the free world –
Elvis Costello — Radio ,Radio
I watched SNlL all the time, but the one that sticks out is Mick Jagger and Peter Tosh singing Walk and Don’t Look Back.
When Back to Basics by Christina Aguilera came out I skewed her demographics by becoming a fan (and taking my teenaged niece and a friend to see her in concert at the garden as a birthday gift with my wife).
So I was delighted to see her sing a duet with Tony Bennett (more age appropriate for me) on SNL – Steppin’ Out With My Baby
Many were bad, many were good.
When Elvis Costello changed to RADIO, RADIO after he started Less Than Zero, Bowie in Kabuki, Sinead O’Connor , Neil Young’s Keep on Rockin’…., and recently When Soul Meets Body by Death Cab for Cutie all were either great performances or memorable by the surrounding events.
but the performance that captured SNL’s agenda in the early years to “bite the hand” was Frank Zappa singing “I’m the Slime oozing out of your TV Set” with Don Pardo as “the Slime”. Great moment of irony with a medium being used to mock the medium.
Most memorable:
Sinead O’Conner ripping up the pic of the pope…whoa!
Paul Simon’s “Still Crazy…” in a turkey costume is easily my favorite SNL musical performance for a couple of reasons. It’s a favorite song of mine from him and he performed it perfectly, the costume was so ridiculous, and his dead pan expression clinched the hilarity.
Runner-up would be the Cocker / Belushi duet.
My favorite SNL music moments usually didn’t involve the musical guest. I loved Steve Martin with his banjo, the Blues Brothers, and Adam Sandler’s “Red Hooded Sweatshirt.”. Of that genre, my all-time favorite has to be Andy Kaufman doing the Mighty Mouse theme “Here I Come to Save the Day.”. As far as actual musical guests is concerned, the performance that stands out in my mind is Paul Simon in the turkey costume singing “Still Crazy After All These Years”.
OK here’s your BIG chance to step up and finally play some ZAPPA !!!
Episode 34 Dec 11, 1976
Episode 69 Oct 21, 1978
Come on People !! Do the right thing…
Listening from LA today…
I grew up watching the original SNL… The only band to play the original SNL twice…Grateful Dead… Weir wearing bunny ears for “Alabama Getaway” was fun, but the most memorable was the cow bell episode with Christopher Walken…. “Don’t Fear the Reaper…though the “More cow Bell episode was great too!
Top of the list: Elvis Costello doing “Radio, Radio” in 1977. Lorne
Michaels was scared shitless. This was back in the day when SNL was edgy.
There are quite a few SNL music guests that are memorable including Sinead OConnor, Zappa, etc. The best memorable guest for me wasElvis Costello who I remember being on the show a few times once with the Beasties. I also remember Paul Simon a few times. There was one episode with him and George Harrison that I saw recently on DVD that knocked my socks off! Have a great day
Musical memories from Saturday Night Live!
The Rolling Stones (‘Hang Fire’)
Paul Simon and George Harrison duet of ‘Here Comes the Sun’
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers: “American Girl”
Joe Cocker & John Belushi duet of “With a Little Help From My Friends”
Paul Simon performing “Graceland”
“The Blues Brothers” ‘Rubber Biscquit’
However, there are so many, MANY, More!!!!
There have been so many incredible musical moments, but for some reason Bruce Cockburn playing “Wondering Where the Lions Are” has always stuck with me. I must have been about 14 and the lyrics haunted me. I’ve been a fan ever since.
I also remember being exposed to Reggae for the first time when Peter Tosh did “Walk and Don’t Look Back” with Mick Jagger.
And, of course, there was Elvis Costello’s quintessential spit-in-the-face performance of “Radio, Radio” after NBC had explicitly forbidden it!
Great stuff!!
Didn’t focus on question till now…..that would have been my pick as well….legend has it that he actually got the finger from Lorne Michaels standing backstage as he was playing!
Another good choice was Mick Jagger and Peter Tosh singing Don’t Look Back.
One more late addition:
Buster Poindexter/Sigourney Weaver: Baby It’s Cold Outside
What I most remember is being exposed to “new” music outside typical high kid’s taste in the late 70s – Talking Heads, B52s, Devo ect.
Hopefully I’m not too late, but my favorite SNL musical moment came in 1977 when Elvis Costello was told not to do “Radio Radio” because the network thought it was too controversial.
Elvis told the network OK… and then… taking advantage of the “Live” in Saturday Night Live… busted into a rousing rendition of “Radio Radio” that I’m sure either made NBC execs have their mouths hang open or go into delightful fits of rage.
Have a great morning!
I’m with Tom and Dan – Joe Cocker doing “With a Little Help From My Friends” – and Belushi coming out doing his hysterically funny and dead-on impersonation of Joe. The look on Joe’s face was priceless – I am guessing he did not know John was going to spoof him while he was performing! That is a standout to me – as is King Tut for it’s over the top hilarity.
Naturally, as the loast person (probably) to post, all the gems I would have mentioned have already been mentioned. Definitely the first that came to mind was George and Paul doing Here Comes The Sun/Homeward Bound. Then Elvis with Radio Radio. Also Mick and Peter doing Don’t Look Back. The Stones, even though Mick was hoarse for Some Girls’ songs. David Bowie perhaps chroma-keyed as a dancing puppet. Keith Richards solo. Tom Petty. Paul McCartney and “Hey Jude”. Devo with Jocko Homo and Satisfaction. The Blues Brothers.