5 Best Musical Performances of 45th 'SNL' Season

by Julian Spivey

5. "Shelter From the Storm" by Chris Martin 
This is hopefully the only time you’ll ever see a pre-recorded musical performance on a best ‘SNL’ performances of the season list, but Chris Martin’s excellent cover of Bob Dylan’s “Shelter From the Storm” appeared in the very first ‘SNL: At Home’ episode in April. It was a good selection for a country quarantining at home due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This marked Martin’s second musical guest performance of the season, as his band Coldplay appeared in the episode hosted by Kristen Stewart in November of 2019. Making two musical appearances in the same season on ‘SNL’ is incredibly rare and the only other instance I can remember was all the way back in season two when Levon Helm appeared with The Band in an episode hosted by Buck Henry and then again with Dr. John and Paul Butterfield in an episode hosted by Broderick Crawford.  

Photo: NBC

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4. "Lover" by Taylor Swift 
Taylor Swift’s performance of “Lover” in the episode hosted by Phoebe Waller-Bridge was the perfect example of how less can be so much more when it comes to musical performances. The performance was just Swift at a piano, that was either green or made to look so via lighting that matched her outfit and the stage/background, singing one of the best songs of her award-winning career. In one of the nicer stage production touches I’ve ever seen for a ‘SNL’ musical performance the stage and background was covered with I believe sheet music (or possibly love letters), with many of them affixed to make it look like they were suspended in air. It’s an all-around beautiful performance. 

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3. "Once in a Lifetime" by David Byrne
David Byrne was an out of leftfield selection as musical guest of “Saturday Night Live” in 2020, but a very welcomed one. Byrne had appeared in comic John Mulaney’s latest Netflix special “The Sack Lunch Bunch” and it feels like one of those times when the week’s host, Mulaney (a former writer on ‘SNL’) recommended his buddy tag along. It was Byrne’s third musical appearance on ‘SNL,’ but his first since 1989. His ‘SNL’ debut came all the way back in 1979 with the Talking Heads. Byrne has turned his body of work into a Broadway musical called “American Utopia” and brought the cast of the musical along for his ‘SNL’ performances, which included the memorable Talking Heads 1981 single “Once in a Lifetime.” I’m sure it left a lot of millennial or Gen Z viewers of the show confused, but I loved it (even though I’m a millennial). 

Photo: NBC

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2. "Truth Hurts" by Lizzo
Like with Billie Eilish, I was late to the Lizzo bandwagon, but her soulfulness on tracks like “Truth Hurts” and her great personality won me over by the time she appeared as musical guest on the much anticipated episode featuring Eddie Murphy’s much hoped for return to the show. Lizzo’s “Truth Hurts” was an example of a first time musical guest making the most out of their ‘SNL’ debut by knocking the entire thing out of the park. Props for having an entire female band, especially a kickass guitarist Celisse Henderson who honors rock music and guitar pioneer Sister Rosetta Tharpe with a Gibson SG Custom guitar and “Sister” emblazoned on the strap. 

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1. "Bad Guy" by Billie Eilish
I hadn’t listened to a single Billie Eilish song before her appearance as musical guest in the season 45 premiere of “Saturday Night Live,” despite reading and hearing a bunch about how the teenager was taking the music world by storm. I marveled at his first performance on the show of her hit single “Bad Guy,” even though I admittedly was enamored on the first, live view by the production with her performing the song on a revolving stage and wondering how the show managed to pull it off. It was certainly one of the most unique musical productions I’d ever seen from the show. My respect for her actual musical talent came after multiple listens.