Lady Gaga, Chappell Roan Highlight 'SNL' 50th Season's Best Musical Performances

by Julian Spivey
The 50th season of “Saturday Night Live” featured many great musical performances (and some that weren’t so great) from today’s hottest stars, along with some musical legends thrown in the mix like Stevie Nicks and Elton John.
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Here were my five favorite ‘SNL’ music performances from season 50. 
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Photo: NBC/SNL

5. “Birds of a Feather” by Billie Eilish
It was Billie Eilish’s gravity defying performance of “Bad Guy” on “Saturday Night Live” in 2019 that made me stand up and say, “who is this artist?” and “Damn, this is cool.” Eilish has been one of the show’s favorite and best musical guests in the half decade since her debut on the show, and “Birds of a Feather,” her Grammy-nominated hit, showcased that this past season. It may not have been the showstopper, “Bad Guy,” but it showed off Eilish’s whispery-smooth vocals. 

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4. “Who Believes in Angels” by Elton John & Brandi Carlile
A collaboration between music legend Elton John and one of today’s best singer-songwriters, Brandi Carlile, makes perfect sense. Elton John was one of Carlile’s musical heroes, and the fact that she could have this moment with him is sure to put a smile on even a cynic’s face. My favorite song they performed on ‘SNL’ is actually “Little Richard’s Bible,” but there was some issue with the sound in Studio 8H that night for that one, so I’ve settled on “Who Believes in Angels,” a bit more of a weepy ballad for my selection from their episode. The duo knocked it out of the park. 

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3. “Abracadabra” by Lady Gaga
So, “Abracadabra” isn’t one of my favorite Lady Gaga songs, but I couldn’t leave the performance off this list because it was mesmerizing. It was the biggest showstopper performance at Studio 8H during Season 50; it just comes in at No. 3 on the list because there are songs I prefer more. Lady Gaga did a fantastic job at utilizing the space of Studio 8H on ‘SNL,’ taking her performance backstage and through the halls of the studio before winding up on the stage. The performance was truly a workout for her, as evidenced by the heavy breathing at its end. 

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2. “Pink Pony Club” by Chappell Roan
2024 was the year of Chappell Roan in pop music, and that was certainly no different when she showed up at ‘SNL.’ I’d hoped she’d perform her Grammy-nominated “Good Luck, Babe,” but I think she may have been tired of it by that point and used the opportunity to debut a new song, in the country-tinged “The Giver.” While “The Giver” might not be much to my liking, I was mesmerized by her first song of the evening, “Pink Pony Club,” which was one of the most energetic and infectious ‘SNL’ performances in recent memory, and the “we all belong” vibes of the song just make me feel good. 

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1. “Too Sweet” & “Fairytale of New York” by Hozier
I knew Hozier for his 2013 debut single “Take Me to Church,” which I’m a fan of, but I didn’t really know that Hozier was still a thing more than a decade later, so I was pretty late to the amazingness of “Too Sweet,” his 2024 No. 1 hit. This song is the absolute epitome of what pop-rock should be, with a bit of soul and funk music thrown in to boot. The sound of the track mixed with Hozier’s incredible vocals makes you want to get up and dance. And the fact that he, as an Irishman, paired this terrific modern-day hit with a Christmas classic, “Fairytale of New York,” which was originally done by The Pogues, who combined Irish folk music with Celtic punk, made it the best one-two punch of any musical performance on ‘SNL’ this season. 

NOTE: Unfortunately, Hozier's performances are no longer available on YouTube.