The documentary Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music, directed by Questlove, takes an in-depth look at the musical guests that helped shape Saturday Night Live. And while the Roots' drummer managed to get a host of musicians to appear in the doc, two pop stars turned down his request rather than revisit their SNL performances.
Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music joined SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night this week on Peacock. Questlove wanted every episode of SNL dating back to 1975 to get a complete understanding of the role musical guests have played in the show's history.
Among the most memorable performances were those by pop stars Ashlee Simpson and Lana Del Rey. Both were offered the opportunity to appear in Questlove's documentary, and both declined the chance to reflect on the past.
"I wanted to reach out to anyone that's ever caught bullets for a performance," Questlove told Rolling Stone. "And so instantly I reached out to both Lana Del Rey and to Ashlee Simpson. Both, understandably, not knowing what kind of storyteller I am, declined, and I get it."
Questlove suggested that if he pressed harder or clarified his vision for the documentary, Simson and Del Rey may have reconsidered. But he also understands if both singers would rather leave their SNL pasts behind them.
Revisiting Ashlee Simpson and Lana Del Rey's Saturday Night Live performances
Ashlee Simpson's Saturday Night Live performance is right up there with Sinead O'Connor's controversial stunt as the most memorable thing that's happened to a musical guest. Simpson appeared on SNL on October 23, 2004, in support of host Jude Law.
According to Simpson, she lost her voice on the day of the show due to vocal cord inflammation. She chose to use a pre-recorded vocal track for her two performances.
While "Pieces of Me" went on without a hitch, the second song tossed the show into chaos. Simpson planned to perform "Autobiography," but the "Pieces of Me" track began to play. The singer froze on stage and her band started to play "Pieces of Me" to cover for her. Simpson then decided to do a jig and run off stage after 30 seconds, leading SNL to cut to commercial.
"My band started playing the wrong song, and I didn't know what to do, so I thought I'd do a hoedown. I'm sorry. This is live TV. These things happen!," Simpson said during the goodnights. For his part, Lorne Michaels claimed he was unaware of Simpson's plan to use a pre-recorded track and would not have allowed it.
Lana Del Rey didn't have any technical issues or lip-synching mishaps like Simpson. But the singer's 2012 Saturday Night Live performance didn't go over well with audiences, either.
Del Rey performed two songs off her album Born to Die. Critics claimed she sounded nervous and slammed her vocals on "Video Game" and "Blue Jeans."
Unlike Simpson, Del Rey had to deal with immediate backlash via social media. Saturday Night Live didn't help things by parodying the controversy a few weeks after it happened. But Del Rey defended herself, as did the night's host, Daniel Radcliffe.
Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music is available to stream on Peacock now.