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“Saturday Night Live” celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2025, and with that comes tributes, retrospectives, and a walk down memory lane.
The NBC sketch comedy series has featured hundreds of musical guests over its 50-year run, starting with a doubleheader featuring funk-soul great Billy Preston and folk singer Janis Ian for its very first episode on October 11, 1975.
Since that time, SNL has featured some headline-making musical moments—from Sinead O’Connor ripping a photo of Pope John Paul II to pieces in 1992 to Ashlee Simpson’s infamous lip sync faux pas in 2004. But there are many other moments that are worth revisiting.
Desi Arnaz Brings His Bongos to ‘Babalu’
GettyDesi Arnaz performs on the NBC television show ‘Saturday Night Live’, February 1976. /Getty
In February 1976, Cuban bandleader turned “I Love Lucy” actor Desi Arnaz brought his bongos to SNL. The ex-husband of Lucille Ball was introduced by Gilda Radner, who did a full impression of the beloved redhead. At the time, Arnaz was promoting his memoir, titled “A Book.”
His son, Desi Araz Jr. also played drums during the performance of his father’s signature song “Babalu.” At the end of the episode, Arnaz wished a good night to his ex, Lucy.
Debbie Harry Introduces the 1st Rap Performance Ever on TV
Rap fans got a gift on Valentine’s Day, 1981. That night, SNL musical guest and host Debbie Harry invited her friends, Bronx hip-hop group Funky Four Plus One More, to the SNL stage. The performance marked the first-ever rap performance on national television.
According to NBC.com, in the documentary “Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music,” Funky Four band member Sha-Rock said Harry “fought” for the hip-hop group to be featured as a second musical guest. DJ Breakout gave TV viewers a first look at scratch sound effects as the group performed “That’s the Joint” with no pre-show rehearsal at all.
A Relatively Unknown Prince Takes the Stage
Prince had a few chart hits and a fan following in the late 1970s and early ’80s, but he wasn’t the superstar “Purple Rain” Prince when he made his SNL debut in 1981. On February 21, 1981, Prince performed his song “Partyup,” then tossed his mic aside and walked defiantly off the stage.
According to Far Out magazine, Prince created quite a buzz with his SNL debut, but he was actually considered an add-on newcomer musical guest under the top-billed Todd Rundgren.
Stevie Nicks’ Backup Singer Backs Out
On December 10, 1983, Fleetwood Mac legend Stevie Nicks was SNL’s musical guest as she promoted her solo album “The Wild Heart.” Nicks performed her songs “Stand Back” and “Nightbird,” but she had a last-minute emergency when her co-singer on the “Nightbird” duet refused to take the stage.
“She freaked out and had terrible stage fright, so she couldn’t do it,” Nicks told People magazine in an interview. Nicks revealed that one of her backup singers filled in at the very last minute. “This is literally right before we went on, and so we went on and we did it, and it came out perfect!” she shared, adding, “That was about two and a half years into my solo career, so it was nerve-wracking because it was not Fleetwood Mac. So, it was very scary to go on the show when you’ve been in a huge band and now you’re going on ‘Saturday Night Live’ as a solo artist.”
Fear in the Building, Courtesy of John Belushi
Months before his death in 1982, SNL original cast member John Belushi helped book one of the most controversial musical acts ever on the show by promising a possible cameo. By this time, Belushi had a love-hate relationship with SNL after getting fired and rehired, but on Halloween 1981, he was backstage as West Coast punk rock band Fear took the stage.
As mosh pit mayhem ensued—slam dancing punk rock fans were bussed in from Washington D.C.— lead singer Lee Ving recalled in the SNL music documentary that Belushi was looking over from the sidelines with approval.
“Mr. and Mrs. Normal America, who usually go see ‘Saturday Night Live,’ they’re looking askance at the punk rockers, wondering what the hell is. Kids are tossing each other through the air like there’s no tomorrow. John just looks at us [and smiles],” Ving said, per Deadline. “They didn’t have much idea what the situation was going to be between the first twelve rows and the band.”
In a 2023 interview with Pizza Punk, Ving admitted that getting Fear on stage may have been Belushi’s revenge on SNL creator Lorne Michaels. Belushi died on March 5, 1982, at age 33, just four months after Fear’s wild performance.
Paul Simon’s Emotional Tribute After 9/11
GettyPaul Simon.
Eighteen days after the September 11 terrorist attacks against America, Paul Simon pulled off one of the most poignant SNL moments in history. On September 29, 2011, Simon took the stage to perform the 1970 Simon and Garfunkel song “The Boxer.” The idea to feature the song came from Michaels himself, as part of a tribute to New York City, the first responders, and all of the victims of the 9/11 attacks.
“I kept thinking, “You can’t do entertainment. We can’t open upbeat. But we also can’t do a dirge,” Michaels told Rolling Stone in an interview about the episode. “In the end, I thought, “The Boxer” kind of summed up New York. The character in it doesn’t quit. ‘The fighter still remains.’”
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