celeb news NPR ranks SNL’s Musical Guests (Taylor, Katy, Charli, Camila, Rosalía)

[Michael196]

'SNL' just wrapped its 47th season: It's time to cruelly rank its musical guests

 

 

21. Måneskin, "Beggin'" and "I Wanna Be Your Slave" (1/22/22)
 

20. Post Malone, "Cooped Up (feat. Roddy Ricch)" and "Love/Hate Letter to Alcohol (feat. Fleet Foxes)" (5/14/21)

 

19. "No musical guest appeared this week due to COVID-19" (12/18/21)

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In December, due to a spread in the Omicron variant of COVID-19, SNL took the unusual step of airing a new episode without a scheduled musical performance. The artist originally slated to headline, Charli XCX, would return for a makeup date in March (see below), but in the meantime, viewers were left bereft of live music on SNL.

That doesn't leave much to critique, but it does provide a useful Mendoza Line-style benchmark for ranking a season's performances: Is a given musical act preferable to the absence of music itself? Given the choice between, say, DJ Khaledscreaming his own name for several minutes — an option SNL helpfully provided back in 2019 — and the absence of that, you'd pick the latter, right? So an executive decision has been handed down: "No musical guest appeared this week due to COVID-19" is included in this year's ranking, judged solely based on the musicality of all that sweet, sweet silence.

 

18. Ed Sheeran, "Shivers" and "Overpass Graffiti" (11/6/21)
 

17. Gunna, "Banking on Me" and "Pushin P (feat. Future)" (4/2/22)
 

16. Saweetie, "Tap In"/"Best Friend" and "Icy Chain" (11/20/21)
 

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Saweetie specializes in hedonistic, twerk-intensive bangers, and she went all in on sensory overload for her SNL debut — complete with dancers, costume changes and, for "Icy Chain," great big light-up letters that spelled the word "ICY." What her performance lacked was simple breath control: Rapping while dancing as athletically as Saweetie did on SNL is no mean feat, and her enunciation suffered mightily during her many moments of exertion.

Might as well score Saweetie a point for not lip-syncing, and for filling the screen with flashily suggestive effort. But her vocals just weren't where they needed to be.

15. Kacey Musgraves, "justified" and "camera roll" (10/2/21)

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Kacey Musgraves opened SNL's 47th season with a headline-grabbing milestone: Her performance of "justified" marked the first time an SNL musical guest performed a song in the nude. Okay, so that's more of a Forrest Gump-inspired footnote than a milestone, but it did necessitate: 1) painstaking efforts to conceal herself, mostly utilizing a large acoustic guitar; and 2) eerie stillness on Musgraves' part, lest she be inadvertently exposed.

The literally stripped-down approach might have paired more effectively with the night's second song, the plaintive and lovely "camera roll," which better suits a static screen presence. As it was, "justified" — one of the livelier numbers on Musgraves' moodily brooding 2021 album star-crossed — was bound to sound flattened. The weary resignation that permeates star-crossed was never going to translate into wildly dynamic TV performances, but neither song got the showcase it deserved.

14. Young Thug, "Tick Tock (feat. Travis Barker)" and "Love You More (feat. Travis Barker, Nate Ruess, Gunna & Jeff Bhasker)" (10/16/21)

 

13. Rosalía, "Chicken Teriyaki" and "La Fama" (3/12/22)
 

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Last season, Spanish singer Rosalía made her SNLdebut by performing alongside Bad Bunny. But her first headlining appearance bypassed flashy featured guests of her own — or even a backing band — in favor of a spare white stage and, for "Chicken Teriyaki," a pair of dancers. The emphasis remained on her rich, striking voice throughout, even when she performed a large portion of the dreamy "La Fama" while draped in what resembled a cross between a down comforter and a light futon mattress.

What the resulting package lacked was a sense of spectacle that might have differentiated it from other live sets on late-night TV. But as a vocal showcase for a charismatic young star and her charming, flamenco-tinged pop, it more than fulfilled its purpose.

12. Halsey, "I Am Not a Woman, I'm a God" and "Darling (feat. Lindsey Buckingham)" (10/9/21)

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A few seasons back, in the span of a little more than two years, Halsey appeared on SNL an astonishing four times. Maybe someone in the show's booking department just really loves Halsey; maybe Halsey is, in fact, Lorne Michaels in a clever rubber disguise; maybe Halsey lives under the Studio 8H floorboards and feels compelled to emerge, gopher-like, from a subterranean lair whenever the houselights come on. Who knows? But you know who just happened to release a new album last year and then just happened to return to the SNL stage for the roughly one millionth time to promote it? It's Lorne Michaels, it's a gopher — it's Halsey!

Unfortunately, SNL burdened "I Am Not a Woman, I'm a God" with yet another dreadful sound mix, transforming the hard-driving anthem into a visual extravaganza in search of a vocal. Dressed like a cross between an action figure and the bucket seat of a sports car, Halsey hit every note, but had to do so while fully entombed in throbbing electronic beats. Thankfully, "Darling" did the singer a bit more justice, as Halsey sang the tender ballad accompanied by Fleetwood Mac's Lindsey Buckingham on acoustic guitar. Still, this set felt like a missed opportunity, even though none of the parties to blame appeared onscreen.

 

11. Japanese Breakfast, "Be Sweet" and "Paprika" (5/21/22)

 

10. Arcade Fire, "Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)" and "The Lightning I, II" (5/7/22)
 

9. Charli XCX, "Beg for You" and "Baby" (3/5/22)

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In case we needed one, Charli XCX gave us all yet another object lesson in the Effort Gap that faces women who perform pop music on stage. Bleachers' Jack Antonoff may have gotten to perform in a faded white T-shirt with an overstretched collar (see below), but Charli's flirtations with the avant-garde extended to include showily complex stagewear: thigh-high boots, lacy white underwear, talon-sized fingernail extensions, what appeared to be fitted sheets hanging from her arms and so on. Throw in an array of punishingly athletic dance moves and she'd climb a third of the way up this list based on exertion alone.

Fortunately, Charli XCX also presides over an arsenal of airtight bops, two of which she uncorked in style on the SNL stage. "Baby" even scored a bonus point for dressing up an electro-pop earworm with the light assistance of a five-piece band — including string players — though she hardly required the assist.

8. Camila Cabello, "Bam Bam" and "Psychofreak (feat. Willow)" (4/9/22)

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Camila Cabello has always seemed just a little too polished and stage-managed: From her days in Fifth Harmony to her early solo rise with "Havana" to much of her new album Familia, her impeccability has frequently come at the expense of knowability. But she's also evolved into a more confident and compelling live performer, and if you need proof just note the transformation apparent between her 2019 SNL debut and the pair of songs she performed on the show last month.

A salsa-tinged swirl of neon-clad dancers and lively tongue-waggling, "Bam Bam" cut a playful swath across the SNL stage. But "Psychofreak" found Cabello leveling up considerably: The song allowed relatable vulnerability to pierce the singer's veneer of choreographed perfection, while Willow applied a welcome coating of grit in a scene-stealing guest feature. Don't be surprised if SNL has given Willow a headlining spot by this time next year.

 

7. LCD Soundsystem, "Thrills" and "Yr City's a Sucker" (2/26/22)
 

6. Bleachers, "How Dare You Want More" and "Chinatown" (1/15/22)
 

5. Brandi Carlile, "Broken Horses" and "Right On Time" (10/23/21)

 

4. Katy Perry, "When I'm Gone (feat. Alesso)" and "Never Really Over" (1/29/22)
 

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Katy Perry is one of the world's biggest pop stars, but she's never quite won over the critical establishment the way so many of her peers have. Maybe she seems a little too try-hard, having made her way to saucy pop from contemporary Christian music; maybe she just pours her considerable energy into superficial pop maximalism and outlandish visuals without digging deep into her psyche or illuminating the human condition.

Whatever the case, Perry puts on an awesome live show, with an emphasis on viral moments — see: Left Shark at the 2015 Super Bowl Halftime Show— and vivid color schemes. For her latest SNLappearance, she performed "When I'm Gone" amid an assortment of massive toadstools, not to mention dancers sporting mushroom caps and heavily padded (and vaguely, um, scrotal) pants, as well as handheld fans with "EAT ME" printed on them. Swedish DJ Alesso, billed as a featured act, could scarcely be seen amid the suggestively gyrating fungi.

Somehow, Perry one-upped all that spectacle with a reworking of her summertime banger "Never Really Over," in which a radically stripped down acoustic arrangement allowed for an impressive vocal showcase. SNL performances don't often cast such well-known material in a fresh light, but this more than did the trick.

3. Lizzo, "About Damn Time" and "Special" (4/16/22)

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Lizzo made her SNL debut two seasons ago, topping this ranking with a set that announced her as the complete package: a killer singer with a sparkling sense of humor, great moves, unstoppable backup dancers, hooks for days and a team that knows how to surround her with vibrant visuals. For her return appearance, Lizzo upped the ante, adding "host" and "flute soloist" to her SNL resume, with the resulting musical performances only barely falling short of the standard set in her spectacular debut.

Lizzo's new single, the song-of-the-summer contender "About Damn Time," conjures welcome images of roller-rink disco balls, but the staging here felt slighter than expected — a possible byproduct of the extreme multitasking Lizzo needed to pull off over the course of the night's telecast. (Speaking of multitasking, she even introduced herself, proclaiming, "Ladies and gentlemen: me!")

The title track from Lizzo's forthcoming album, "Special," fared a bit better in its world premiere — and got introduced by Lizzo's mom, to boot. In a spring that's already festooned with Pride-friendly anthems from Rina Sawayama, Hayley Kiyoko and more, "Special" could well become a standard; it's an inspirational three-hanky belter, and Lizzo crushed it as expected.

2. Billie Eilish, "Happier Than Ever" and "Male Fantasy" (12/11/21)

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Billie Eilish may be just 20, but she's already a massive multimedia star, an Oscar and Grammy winner, and one of only two SNL host/musical-guest dual threats this season. (The other was Lizzo.) Eilish held her own in the show's sketches, though she broke a little more often than most, but she positively crushed her two songs — particularly "Happier Than Ever," a quiet-then-loud barnstormer that allowed her to showcase both her icy-cool torch-song side and her inner chaotic rocker.

If you've read this list straight through, you may have noticed that "ugh, the sound mix" is kind of a recurring issue with SNL musical performances. But throughout both songs — all three, really, provided you think of "Happier Than Ever" as two songs in one — Eilish got the best mix of the season while demonstrating a remarkable affinity for traversing a broad range of moods and tones.

1. Taylor Swift, "All Too Well (Taylor's Version)" (11/13/21)

 

 

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Taylor Swift has been an SNL musical guest five times, dating all the way back to her two appearances in 2009. She's never sounded remotely as assured — as commanding — as she did in this milestone 10-minute performance of "All Too Well (Taylor's Version)." It's hard to hold focus for half that time on the SNL stage, but this was a masterclass in pacing; in subtle tonal shifts and dramatic flourishes; in sly smiles and meaningfully held eye contact.

The presentation wasn't flawless — it didn't need the song's music video projected in the background, for example — but the cumulative effect was genuinely, unmistakably powerful. Equally quotable and heartfelt, "All Too Well (Taylor's Version)" may well be the greatest song of Swift's career, delivered here in a performance that felt like a hard-won valedictory address.

 

 

 

[Serendipity]

Maneskin that low - list invalid  

[Bang Up]

taylor at #1. she's not even singing in that performance. she's literally talking.

[makeme]

#21 Maneskin

#20 Post Malone

#19 No Guest due to covid

#18 Ed Sheeran 

 

[Gui Blackout]

#1 is correct, an iconic moment 

[zoldyck]

Not N/A being better than Manesking and Post

[Beyonnaise]

Taylor and Billie  

 

Silence beating Post Oh how the mighty have fallen!

[MALAMENTE]

Katy and Taylor

 

Rosalia too low

[PopKills]

Katy 

[aotearoa]

[Not Like The Movies]

lizzo should be #1 

 

 

[Safe&Sound]

Taylor

What a breathtaking performance

She slayed that night

[Invisibility]

Japaense Breakfast too low 

[Dystopian]

katy  a performer!

[Icarus]

Camila Cabello has always seemed just a little too polished and stage-managed: From her days in Fifth Harmony to her early solo rise with "Havana" to much of her new album Familia, her impeccability has frequently come at the expense of knowability. But she's also evolved into a more confident and compelling live performer
 

[PoisonedIvy]

Taylor, Billie, Katy, Camila  

 

Post being lower than silence