Today's throwback video of the week is "Lazy Sunday." If you didn't know, it's a song that was the resurgence for Saturday Night Live.
The Background
Back in 2005 SNL was struggling. They were trying to find their identity, and had tried a "Digital Short" once. Digital Short's are sketches that are recorded in advance, instead of the typical live performances you see on SNL. Chris Parnell and Andy Samberg got together with a couple of the SNL writers that Samberg grew up with and knocked out Lazy Sunday in one day. The two eat cupcakes from the Magnolia Bakery, buy snacks at a convenience store, and more on their way to see The Chronicles of Narnia. Throughout the video they have faux-hardcore gangster lyrics about what they're doing. It was hilarious, and just what SNL needed.
What Happened Next
The song and video were labeled as a revival for SNL, and it became a YouTube sensation before NBC threatened to sue everyone who was hosting the video (which is why you may be forced to see an ad in the embedded video below).
"Lazy Sunday" also was popular on iTunes, which helped Apple to make the decision to license many Saturday Night Live skits for download. And it's also credited with being the final push for YouTube's huge success.
What Have We Learned
You can thank Samberg, Parnell, and crew for YouTube, SNL, and iTunes...kind of. It's too bad that didn't help Parnell's SNL career, since he's the only person to have ever been fired twice from the show. Check out the video below:
Lazy Sunday on SNL: Circa 2005
