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The 50th anniversary of Saturday Night Live featured many stars, culminating in a performance by Paul McCartney to remember. The legendary Beatles’ member performed Abbey Road to end the show.
The Beatles have had a long history with the program, with John Lennon being the show's biggest fan. According to Cracked, John Lennon, who achieved global fame as a founding member of The Beatles, was an avid watcher of SNL.
His relationship with the show is well-documented, with several stories illustrating his love for its humor. Laraine Newman remembered being recognized by Lennon in the lobby of 30 Rockefeller Plaza. Lennon’s casual “Hi, Laraine” was enough to overwhelm her, said Newman.
One of the most well-known anecdotes involving The Beatles and SNL stems from 1976, when SNL creator Lorne Michaels put out an offer to The Beatles of $3,000 to come back and perform on the show together.
John Lennon later said in a 1980 Playboy interview that he and Paul McCartney were watching SNL together that night, at Lennon’s New York apartment. The duo briefly discussed heading down to Studio 8H for a surprise appearance but ruled it out in the end, saying they were too tired.
As much as he loved the show, Lennon never appeared live on SNL. Lennon had pretty much stopped doing live performances by the time the show made its debut in 1975. However, Lennon was immortalized by impersonations from several cast members of SNL, including Matthew Broderick and Jimmy Fallon.
More about Paul McCartney and his performance at the SNL
Paul McCartney has made musical appearances, performing on the show in 1980, 1993, 2010, and 2012, as well as making several cameos over the years and a surprise show appearance during the 40th anniversary special in 2015.
The first time McCartney performed on SNL was a day after the release of McCartney II in May of 1980. The series, although still in its infancy, was already the go-to program for musicians, and McCartney decided to take advantage of it to premiere the video for ‘Coming Up.’.
Paul McCartney’s recent performance at SNL 50 drew widespread acclaim. As he performed “Carry That Weight,” cameras turned towards the likes of Tom Hanks, Paul Rudd, Miles Teller, and others clapping, singing along, and enjoying the moment (Newsweek).
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The performance, which went viral on social media, drew praise from fans and celebrities, who flooded the comments with love for the 82-year-old singer.
The SNL 50 special was filled with memorable musical moments, given Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard’s cover of “Nothing Compares 2 U” and an unexpected pairing of Nirvana and Post Malone for “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”
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