Questlove's SNL Music Documentary Cold Open: The Songs in the Six-Minute Intro Mix
The co-director of Ladies & Gentlemen ... 50 Years of SNL Music has unveiled the dazzling cold open to his documentary — watch it below.
On January 25, Questlove — musician, producer, Tonight Show bandleader, and Academy Award-winning filmmaker — shared the almost seven-minute cold open of Ladies & Gentlemen ... 50 Years of SNL Music, the Saturday Night Live documentary he co-directed with Oz Rodriguez premiering January 27 on NBC. The edit is a masterful mashup of a half decade of Studio 8H performances, as close as one could get to encapsulating a TV show that's welcomed over 900 Musical Guests.
Questlove has shared that he's watched every single episode of Saturday Night Live as research for the documentary, and it shows in the documentary's dazzling intro. "Most people know my Soul Train obsession. Most dunno my SNL obsession. From 1975-1981 Soul Train would come on at ONE In the morning AFTER SNL," he explained in the caption to his January 25 Instagram post.
"Thank god my family was hip enough to let their 5 year old kid wake up 12:30 am to watch his fav show. It was a half hour early because most of my fav musicians were on SNL (Bill Withers/Gil Scott Heron/Phoebe Snow/Al Jarreau/The Meters)," Questlove wrote.
RELATED: Every Celebrity in Questlove's Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music Documentary
"So doing this project was a NO BRAINER because I know this show like the back of my hand. So every second of this doc is a love letter of sorts," he continued. "Here is the cold open. A musical world in which EVERYONE fits in."
The songs in Questlove's Ladies & Gentlemen ... 50 Years of SNL Music documentary cold open mashup
"You showed me the first six minutes of the doc in my office, and I think I almost — I think I cried?" Jimmy Fallon told Questlove in a January 22 Tonight Show interview. "Like, it's the greatest opening of any documentary."
Questlove credited "editing genius" John MacDonald, Coordinating Producer at The Tonight Show, and his co-director Rodriguez with helping to craft the opening sequence's flawless flow.
While Fallon — who appears in the documentary — might have a slight bias as a former SNL cast member and Questlove's friend and coworker, the artistry involved in piecing together the cold open montage in Ladies & Gentlemen ... 50 Years of SNL Music is indeed awe-inducing. It also might have you dancing around your living room.
Here is every song we heard in the 50 Years of SNL Music cold open, plus the date of the original SNL performance.
Billy Preston, "Fancy Lady" (October 11, 1975)
Taylor Swift, "Lover" (October 5, 2019)
Leo Sayer, "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" (January 29, 1977)
Elvis Costello, "Radio, Radio" (December 17, 1977)
Rick James, "Give It To Me Baby" (November 7, 1981)
Bruno Mars, “Uptown Funk” (November 22, 2014)
Sabrina Carpenter, “Feather” (May 18, 2024)
Usher, “Yeah!” (May 1, 2004)
Gwen Stefani, “Hollaback Girl” (March 19, 2005)
Funky Four Plus One, “That's the Joint” (February 14, 1981)
Eminem, “Without Me” (May 11, 2002)
Beyoncé, "Crazy in Love" (May 17, 2003)
Nelly, “Hot in Herre” (November 16, 2002)
Franz Ferdinand, “Take Me Out” (October 22, 2005)
Run-D.M.C., “Walk This Way” (October 18, 1986)
Hall and Oates, “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)" (February 27, 1982)
Cher, “I Found Someone” (November 21, 1987)
Hanson, “MMM Bop” (December 13, 1997)
Queen, “Under Pressure” (September 25, 1982)
Dave Matthews Band, “Ants Marching” (April 15, 1995)
Vanilla Ice, “Ice Ice Baby” (January 12, 1991)
Fine Young Cannibals, “She Drives Me Crazy” (May 13, 1989)
Michael Bolton, “Love Is a Wonderful Thing” (April 20, 1991)
Ashford & Simpson, "Don't Cost You Nothing" (February 25, 1978)
Billy Ocean, "Caribbean Queen" (January 19, 1985)
Peter Gabriel, “Steam" (April 10, 1993)
MC Hammer, "2 Legit 2 Quit" (December 7, 1991)
Morris Day and The Time, "Jerk Out" (October 20, 1990)
REM, “Losing My Religion” (April 13, 1991)
John Mellencamp, “Hurt So Good” (April 10, 1982)
Roy Orbison, “Pretty Woman” (December 6, 1988)
INXS, “Suicide Blonde” (February 9, 1991)
Prince “Party Up” (February 21, 1981)
Rick James “Superfreak” (November 7, 1981)
Duran Duran “Girls on Film” (March 19, 1983)
Weezer, “Hash Pipe” (May 19, 2001)
James Brown, "Rapp Payback" (December 13, 1980)
Lenny Kravitz “Are You Gonna Go My Way” (April 17, 1993)
Billie Eilish, “Bad Guy” (September 28, 2019)
U2, "Vertigo" (November 20, 2004)
Florence and the Machine, "Dog Days Are Over" (November 20, 2010)
Olivia Rodrigo, “Drivers License” (May 15, 2021)
Bobby McFerrin, "Drive" (December 10, 1988)
Busta Rhymes, "Tear Da Roof Off" (February 13, 1999)
TLC, “Creep” (May 6, 1995)
*NSYNC, “Bye Bye Bye” (March 11, 2000)
Dido, "Thank You/Stan" (October 7, 2000)
Destiny’s Child, "Survivor" (May 5, 2001)
Nicki Minaj, "Moment 4 Life" (January 29, 2011)
Taylor Swift “All Too Well” (November 13, 2021)
Billy Preston “Nothin from Nothin” (October 11, 1975)
Ed Sheeran, "Shape of You" (February 11, 2017)
Backstreet Boys “As Long As You Love Me” (March 14, 1998)
Salt and Pepa “Shoop” (March 14, 1998)
Simon and Garfunkel, "The Boxer" (October 18, 1975)
Spice Girls, "Wannabe" (April 12, 1997)
Tina Turner, “What’s Love Got to Do with It” (February 2, 1985)
How to watch and stream Ladies & Gentlemen ... 50 Years of SNL Music
Ladies & Gentlemen ... 50 Years of SNL Music premieres Monday, January 27, at 8/7c. It will be available to stream on Peacock on January 28.
