Jack Sparrow (song)
Encyclopedia
"Jack Sparrow" is a song by American comedy troupe The Lonely Island
featuring singer-songwriter Michael Bolton
. The song and music video debuted on Saturday Night Live
as an SNL Digital Short
on May 7, 2011. The plot follows the troupe inviting Bolton to work on a new hip hop
track, in which the members rap about meeting at a club and taking women home. Bolton essentially ruins the musicians' song by instead singing choruses about his favorite movies. The song, which primarily alludes to the Pirates of the Caribbean film series
, also contains references to Forrest Gump
, Erin Brockovich
, Scarface
and Jerry Maguire
.
The track was written by The Lonely Island during the production process of their second album, Turtleneck & Chain
, in the summer of 2010. With an initial premise concluded, the members settled on contacting Bolton to make an appearance for the track. The trio relentlessly begged Bolton, who was initially uneasy to commit due to the track's coarse language. After recording the track, the troupe recorded a music video
with Bolton as Jack Sparrow, protagonist of the aforementioned film series. The clip, which Bolton noted the trio intended to go "above and beyond" on, was recorded with tremendous energy and focus over two days.
After its initial debut as an SNL Digital Short, the song was released for digital download
as a single
and the video was uploaded to YouTube
where it soon became an online sensation. It quickly rose to be the most viewed video of the day on the site within two days. In addition to its status as a viral hit, the song has received positive reviews from many media commentators and reviewers.
" for it. They begin recording, with Samberg and Taccone rapping during the first verse about going to a club and partying with women. When it comes to Bolton's chorus, he begins to sing about Jack Sparrow, much to Lonely Island's chagrin. The subject matter switches back to the club in the second verse, but Bolton interrupts again, singing more about his hero and his "yearning for adventure."
The musicians' complaints about Bolton's singing are heard in the background, and they tell him they need him to focus on their song. He suggests his hook might work better with another film and then sings about being the title character of Forrest Gump
, Erin Brockovich
, and finally Scarface
. The trio give up by the end of the song, with Samberg noting that Bolton is a "major cinephile," and Bolton quoting Jerry Maguire
: "You complete me!" Bolton also appears as backing vocals during the club-oriented verses, singing off-topic and unrelated Pirates-themed lines, such as "Keira Knightley
!" or "Davy Jones
! Giant Squid!" The track parodies Bolton's association with love ballads, with the entire ballad dedicated to Sparrow.
, rented a house in Los Angeles
and created a makeshift studio where they would record songs. The troupe had the premise for the song initially, and whilst trying to find the perfect person for the guest spot, Schaffer mentioned Michael Bolton
, and according to Samberg, "our eyes all widened. We decided, in that moment, that we wouldn’t rest until we got him to do it." The trio reached out to Bolton's management, who admitted that he was a fan of the troupe's musical comedy. However, he was concerned regarding the harsh language used in the first few takes of the song. "They were sending me lyrics and I was reading them and I was thinking, 'This is funny.' Then I’d get to another line, [...] and I would say, 'Nope, I don't think I could be intoxicated enough to read this line,'" recalled Bolton. The track's lyrics kept transforming with each version per Bolton's request to tone down the "intense" and "off-color" language; the trio stayed with the singer throughout due to their desire to have him appear in the song. The troupe were able to get Bolton to do the song after they "begged him [o]ver and over again until he finally cracked," according to Andy Samberg
. Bolton's portions of the song still include two uses of the word "fuck" and one use of the word "pussy", all of which are quoting from Scarface.
Bolton recorded his vocals for the track on a night off in Atlanta, with instructions from The Lonely Island through Skype
.
single
through the iTunes Store
shortly afterward, and the music video
uploaded to both The Lonely Island's official website and YouTube
overnight. On May 9, less than two full days after the video premiered, the video had attracted nearly 1 million views, and, according to YouTube statistics was the "number one most discussed" comedy video in the world. The video currently has over 57 million views.
The song received favorable critical reception from most media commentators. Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times
called "Jack Sparrow" the sharpest comedy from Turtleneck & Chain, writing that Bolton's "patented power-soul singing blurs the distinction between the silly and the sublime." Jillian Mapes of Billboard
called Bolton's guest appearance in "Jack Sparrow" the best moment of that night's Saturday Night Live.
was shot over two days, with what Bolton called a "tremendous amount of energy and focus". The video's filming took place for 16 to 18 hours each day, and crane shot
s of Bolton on the beach were filmed at Brighton Beach
, Brooklyn
. On his website, Bolton commented that working on the song "was one of the highlights of my career and most memorable experiences of my life". He added that he felt uncomfortable about dressing up in drag as Julia Roberts
in Erin Brockovich
, and that he was "terrified to look in the mirror". An additional scene of Bolton as Julia Roberts breastfeeding
the baby he held was cut from the video.
Bolton appears in costume as Jack Sparrow for a great deal of the video, complete with Sparrow's signature red bandanna, heavy eyeliner and goatee. The music video featured models Jenny Albright and Kate Bock in the club scene, and Danish singer Amalie Bruun as Jenny Curran, Forrest Gump's wife. The opening lyrics from The Lonely Island's song "Trouble on Dookie Island" can be heard at the start of the video.
The Lonely Island
The Lonely Island is an American comedy troupe composed of Akiva "Kiv" Schaffer, Jorma "Jorm" Taccone, and David Andrew "Andy" Samberg, best known for their comedic music. Originally from Berkeley, California, the group is currently based in New York City. The group broke out due to their...
featuring singer-songwriter Michael Bolton
Michael Bolton
Michael Bolton is an American singer and songwriter. Bolton originally performed in the hard rock and heavy metal genres from the mid 1970s to the mid 1980s, both on his early solo albums and those recorded as the frontman of the band Blackjack...
. The song and music video debuted on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
as an SNL Digital Short
SNL Digital Shorts
An SNL Digital Short is one in a series of comedic and often musical video shorts created for airing on NBC's Saturday Night Live, generally produced and written by The Lonely Island , though originated by Adam McKay, in collaboration with SNL hosts, writers, and cast members...
on May 7, 2011. The plot follows the troupe inviting Bolton to work on a new hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
track, in which the members rap about meeting at a club and taking women home. Bolton essentially ruins the musicians' song by instead singing choruses about his favorite movies. The song, which primarily alludes to the Pirates of the Caribbean film series
Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)
Pirates of the Caribbean is a series of fantasy-adventure films directed by Gore Verbinski and Rob Marshall , written by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...
, also contains references to Forrest Gump
Forrest Gump
Forrest Gump is a 1994 American epic comedy-drama romance film based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Winston Groom. The film was directed by Robert Zemeckis, starring Tom Hanks, Robin Wright and Gary Sinise...
, Erin Brockovich
Erin Brockovich (film)
Erin Brockovich is a 2000 biographical film directed by Steven Soderbergh. The film is a dramatization of the story of Erin Brockovich, played by Julia Roberts, who fought against the US West Coast energy corporation Pacific Gas and Electric Company. Roberts won the Academy Award, Golden Globe,...
, Scarface
Scarface (1983 film)
Scarface is a 1983 American epic crime drama movie directed by Brian De Palma, written by Oliver Stone, produced by Martin Bregman and starring Al Pacino as Tony Montana...
and Jerry Maguire
Jerry Maguire
Jerry Maguire is a 1996 American romantic comedy-drama film starring Tom Cruise and Cuba Gooding, Jr. It was written, co-produced, and directed by Cameron Crowe...
.
The track was written by The Lonely Island during the production process of their second album, Turtleneck & Chain
Turtleneck & Chain
Turtleneck & Chain is the second studio album of the American comedy troupe The Lonely Island, whose members are Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone. The album was released May 10, 2011, on Universal Republic Records. Many of the songs on the album debuted on Saturday Night Live as SNL...
, in the summer of 2010. With an initial premise concluded, the members settled on contacting Bolton to make an appearance for the track. The trio relentlessly begged Bolton, who was initially uneasy to commit due to the track's coarse language. After recording the track, the troupe recorded a music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
with Bolton as Jack Sparrow, protagonist of the aforementioned film series. The clip, which Bolton noted the trio intended to go "above and beyond" on, was recorded with tremendous energy and focus over two days.
After its initial debut as an SNL Digital Short, the song was released for digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
as a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
and the video was uploaded to YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
where it soon became an online sensation. It quickly rose to be the most viewed video of the day on the site within two days. In addition to its status as a viral hit, the song has received positive reviews from many media commentators and reviewers.
Plot
The song and music video open with Michael Bolton entering the studio to meet Samberg, Schaffer, and Taccone. He apologizes for being late, as he was "caught up watching the Pirates of the Caribbean marathon". They discuss a song they are working on and Bolton says he wrote "a big, sexy hookHook (music)
A hook is a musical idea, often a short riff, passage, or phrase, that is used in popular music to make a song appealing and to "catch the ear of the listener". The term generally applies to popular music, especially rock music, hip hop, dance music, and pop. In these genres, the hook is often...
" for it. They begin recording, with Samberg and Taccone rapping during the first verse about going to a club and partying with women. When it comes to Bolton's chorus, he begins to sing about Jack Sparrow, much to Lonely Island's chagrin. The subject matter switches back to the club in the second verse, but Bolton interrupts again, singing more about his hero and his "yearning for adventure."
The musicians' complaints about Bolton's singing are heard in the background, and they tell him they need him to focus on their song. He suggests his hook might work better with another film and then sings about being the title character of Forrest Gump
Forrest Gump
Forrest Gump is a 1994 American epic comedy-drama romance film based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Winston Groom. The film was directed by Robert Zemeckis, starring Tom Hanks, Robin Wright and Gary Sinise...
, Erin Brockovich
Erin Brockovich (film)
Erin Brockovich is a 2000 biographical film directed by Steven Soderbergh. The film is a dramatization of the story of Erin Brockovich, played by Julia Roberts, who fought against the US West Coast energy corporation Pacific Gas and Electric Company. Roberts won the Academy Award, Golden Globe,...
, and finally Scarface
Scarface (1983 film)
Scarface is a 1983 American epic crime drama movie directed by Brian De Palma, written by Oliver Stone, produced by Martin Bregman and starring Al Pacino as Tony Montana...
. The trio give up by the end of the song, with Samberg noting that Bolton is a "major cinephile," and Bolton quoting Jerry Maguire
Jerry Maguire
Jerry Maguire is a 1996 American romantic comedy-drama film starring Tom Cruise and Cuba Gooding, Jr. It was written, co-produced, and directed by Cameron Crowe...
: "You complete me!" Bolton also appears as backing vocals during the club-oriented verses, singing off-topic and unrelated Pirates-themed lines, such as "Keira Knightley
Keira Knightley
Keira Christina Knightley born 26 March 1985) is an English actress and model. She began acting as a child and came to international notice in 2002 after co-starring in the film Bend It Like Beckham...
!" or "Davy Jones
Davy Jones (Pirates of the Caribbean)
Davy Jones is a fictional character and antagonist in the Pirates of the Caribbean series. Davy Jones is the captain of the Flying Dutchman , roaming the seas in search of souls to serve upon his vessel for a century...
! Giant Squid!" The track parodies Bolton's association with love ballads, with the entire ballad dedicated to Sparrow.
Background and recording
"Jack Sparrow" was written by The Lonely Island during the summer of 2010. The comedy troupe, in the same fashion to the recording process for their debut, IncredibadIncredibad
Incredibad is the debut studio album of the American comedy troupe The Lonely Island, released on February 10, 2009, through Universal Republic Records...
, rented a house in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and created a makeshift studio where they would record songs. The troupe had the premise for the song initially, and whilst trying to find the perfect person for the guest spot, Schaffer mentioned Michael Bolton
Michael Bolton
Michael Bolton is an American singer and songwriter. Bolton originally performed in the hard rock and heavy metal genres from the mid 1970s to the mid 1980s, both on his early solo albums and those recorded as the frontman of the band Blackjack...
, and according to Samberg, "our eyes all widened. We decided, in that moment, that we wouldn’t rest until we got him to do it." The trio reached out to Bolton's management, who admitted that he was a fan of the troupe's musical comedy. However, he was concerned regarding the harsh language used in the first few takes of the song. "They were sending me lyrics and I was reading them and I was thinking, 'This is funny.' Then I’d get to another line, [...] and I would say, 'Nope, I don't think I could be intoxicated enough to read this line,'" recalled Bolton. The track's lyrics kept transforming with each version per Bolton's request to tone down the "intense" and "off-color" language; the trio stayed with the singer throughout due to their desire to have him appear in the song. The troupe were able to get Bolton to do the song after they "begged him [o]ver and over again until he finally cracked," according to Andy Samberg
Andy Samberg
David Andrew "Andy" Samberg is an American actor, comedian, rapper and writer best known as a member of the comedy group The Lonely Island and as a cast member on Saturday Night Live...
. Bolton's portions of the song still include two uses of the word "fuck" and one use of the word "pussy", all of which are quoting from Scarface.
Bolton recorded his vocals for the track on a night off in Atlanta, with instructions from The Lonely Island through Skype
Skype
Skype is a software application that allows users to make voice and video calls and chat over the Internet. Calls to other users within the Skype service are free, while calls to both traditional landline telephones and mobile phones can be made for a fee using a debit-based user account system...
.
Release
The song and music video debuted on Saturday Night Live as an SNL Digital Short on May 7, 2011. Bolton's appearance in the song counts as his first Saturday Night Live appearance since 1991. The song was released as a digitalMusic download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
through the iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
shortly afterward, and the music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
uploaded to both The Lonely Island's official website and YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
overnight. On May 9, less than two full days after the video premiered, the video had attracted nearly 1 million views, and, according to YouTube statistics was the "number one most discussed" comedy video in the world. The video currently has over 57 million views.
The song received favorable critical reception from most media commentators. Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
called "Jack Sparrow" the sharpest comedy from Turtleneck & Chain, writing that Bolton's "patented power-soul singing blurs the distinction between the silly and the sublime." Jillian Mapes of Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
called Bolton's guest appearance in "Jack Sparrow" the best moment of that night's Saturday Night Live.
Music video
The song's music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
was shot over two days, with what Bolton called a "tremendous amount of energy and focus". The video's filming took place for 16 to 18 hours each day, and crane shot
Crane shot
In filmmaking and video production a crane shot is a shot taken by a camera on a crane. The most obvious uses are to view the actors from above or to move up and away from them, a common way of ending a movie. Some filmmakers like to have the camera on a boom arm just to make it easier to move...
s of Bolton on the beach were filmed at Brighton Beach
Brighton Beach
Brighton Beach is an oceanside neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. As of 2000, it has a population of 75,692 with a total of 31,228 households.-Location:...
, Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. On his website, Bolton commented that working on the song "was one of the highlights of my career and most memorable experiences of my life". He added that he felt uncomfortable about dressing up in drag as Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts
Julia Fiona Roberts is an American actress. She became a Hollywood star after headlining the romantic comedy Pretty Woman , which grossed $464 million worldwide...
in Erin Brockovich
Erin Brockovich (film)
Erin Brockovich is a 2000 biographical film directed by Steven Soderbergh. The film is a dramatization of the story of Erin Brockovich, played by Julia Roberts, who fought against the US West Coast energy corporation Pacific Gas and Electric Company. Roberts won the Academy Award, Golden Globe,...
, and that he was "terrified to look in the mirror". An additional scene of Bolton as Julia Roberts breastfeeding
Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding is the feeding of an infant or young child with breast milk directly from female human breasts rather than from a baby bottle or other container. Babies have a sucking reflex that enables them to suck and swallow milk. It is recommended that mothers breastfeed for six months or...
the baby he held was cut from the video.
Bolton appears in costume as Jack Sparrow for a great deal of the video, complete with Sparrow's signature red bandanna, heavy eyeliner and goatee. The music video featured models Jenny Albright and Kate Bock in the club scene, and Danish singer Amalie Bruun as Jenny Curran, Forrest Gump's wife. The opening lyrics from The Lonely Island's song "Trouble on Dookie Island" can be heard at the start of the video.
Charts
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
64 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
133 |
| Australian Hot 30 Countdown | 9 |