The Lonely Island
Encyclopedia
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 collective work from 2005–2011 on Saturday Night Live
. Samberg and Schaffer continue to work at the show, with occasional input from Taccone.
Once on the show, they wrote "Lazy Sunday
", a music parody video that became an instant hit on YouTube. Following the success of this digital short, the group produced the Emmy-winning "Dick in a Box
", "Jizz in My Pants
", "Like a Boss
", and the Grammy-nominated "I'm on a Boat
", which have subsequently had huge success both on SNL and on the internet, and prompted the release of the 2009 album, Incredibad
. In 2011, the group released their second album, Turtleneck & Chain
, which featured songs from such SNL digital shorts as "I Just Had Sex
", "The Creep
", and "Jack Sparrow
".
In August 2007, the group premiered its first feature film, Hot Rod
.
, music parody (both songs and videos), and one full-length television pilot, before being invited to write portions of the 2005 MTV Movie Awards
, which Jimmy Fallon
hosted. Impressed with the group's material, he brought the trio to the attention of Lorne Michaels
, the producer of Saturday Night Live
, who agreed to see them. Performing stand-up comedy in his free time, Samberg fulfilled a lifelong dream by auditioning for the show. He was called back for a second audition a few weeks later and was ultimately invited to be a cast member; Schaffer and Taccone were invited to join the writing staff based on their work in the trio. Since their arrival, the group has written some popular bits in recent SNL history, most notably, the SNL Digital Shorts (collectively) and MacGruber
(Taccone, with John Solomon and cast member Will Forte).
Uncertain if Michaels would approve of a wacky pre-recorded skit on the show, the group borrowed a video camera and filmed a faux lettuce commercial starring Samberg and fellow SNL cast member Will Forte
. They presented the finished product to Michaels in December 2005, who liked the short and agreed to air it. It was the first of what would become a regular feature of the program, called Saturday Night Live' s Digital Shorts. "Lazy Sunday
", the second digital short, enjoyed runaway success in the virtual media, as fans responded with t-shirts and response videos. Many of these shorts have skyrocketed to internet fame, including "Natalie's Rap" (with Natalie Portman
), "Iran So Far" (with Adam Levine
), "Jizz in My Pants
", "Shy Ronnie" (with Rihanna
), and "I'm on a Boat
" (with T-Pain
), the latter of which was nominated on December 2, 2009, for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 52nd Grammy Awards
.
The song "Dick in a Box
", which was performed with Justin Timberlake
, won the 2007 Creative Arts Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics. Credited for its production are Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, Jorma Taccone, and Justin Timberlake, in addition to Katreese Barnes and Asa Taccone for music. Based on 1990s contemporary R&B
, such as Keith Sweat
, Jodeci
, and R. Kelly
, the song is about giving gift-wrapped genitalia as a Christmas present to one's girlfriend. Samberg and Timberlake made a sequel to "Dick in a Box" called "Motherlover", which aired on May 9, 2009.
Other recent shorts by the comedy group include "On the Ground
" which aired October 2009; "Great Day" aired on May 15, 2010; "Shy Ronnie 2: Ronnie & Clyde" featuring Rihanna aired on October 30, 2010; "I Just Had Sex
" featuring Akon
, was aired on December 18, 2010; "The Creep
" featuring Nicki Minaj
and John Waters
was released on January 29, 2011; and "Jack Sparrow
" featuring Michael Bolton
, which was released on May 7, 2011. The sequel to Motherlover, "3-Way (The Golden Rule)
," featured Lady Gaga
and aired on May 21, 2011.
In the summer of 2010, Taccone quit Saturday Night Live, but has returned to work on a handful of Digital Shorts in the 2010–2011 season.
, Chris Farley
and Mike Myers, as well as luminaries such as Steve Martin
, Mel Brooks
, the Monty Python
troupe and the Marx Brothers
. While the group is most strongly inspired by hip-hop and R&B the lyrics are commonly rooted in self-deprecation as is reflected in a 2011 interview conducted shortly before the release of Turtleneck and Chain. The Lonely Island's debut Incredibad was produced with the goal in mind to make an impact on listeners just as They're All Gonna Laugh At You (1993), a musical comedy album by Adam Sandler, which heavily influenced Samberg. Songs by The Lonely Island rarely exceed three minutes, as brevity is very important to the troupe, who believe that is "about as much as the audience can stand."
, was released on February 10, 2009 by Universal Republic Records
. The album, which includes parodies of existing hip hop songs, also includes a DVD with some of the videos, including "Wait (You Guys)" as the Bing Bong Brothers, a spoof of the Ying Yang Twins
' "Wait (The Whisper Song)
", and "Jizz in my Pants."
" (featuring Akon
), the first single off the album.
On January 29, 2011, the group debuted "The Creep
" featuring Nicki Minaj
and a cameo by filmmaker John Waters
, on SNL and YouTube. On March 15, 2011, Direct Current Music reported that the album would be named Turtleneck & Chain
and would be released on May 10, 2011. On April 1, 2011, The Lonely Island appeared as guests on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
, where they premiered the lead track, "We're Back!", as well as the new album cover. On April 19, 2011, the group released "Motherlover" featuring Justin Timberlake
as the fourth single from the album. This song was last featured on the 34th season of SNL.
The group held a fundraiser to promote their new album on April 16, 2011. This event was at Amoeba Music
in Berkeley, California. There were only 250 tickets available, and the only way to obtain a ticket was to pre-order their album. They hosted a Q & A session and an autograph session. Shortly after, "Motherlover" was released on iTunes
. On May 7, they released a new track, "Jack Sparrow
", featuring Michael Bolton
.
Turtleneck & Chain is both Emmy and Grammy Nominated
2011: Emmy Nomination
Turtleneck & Chain
Lonely Island
Produced and co-written by Michael Woods (Rich Water Publishing)http://www.emmys.com/nominations
Grammy Nominated
Best Comedy Album
Turtleneck & Chain
Lonely Island
Produced and co-written by Michael Woods (Rich Water Publishing)http://www.grammy.com/nominees
in "I'm On a Boat
", Akon
in "I Just Had Sex
", Justin Timberlake
in "Dick in a Box
" , "Motherlover" and "3-Way (The Golden Rule)
" (the last of which also featured Lady Gaga
), Beck
in "Attracted to Us", Rihanna
in "Shy Ronnie" and "Shy Ronnie 2: Ronnie & Clyde", Michael Bolton
in "Jack Sparrow
", Nicki Minaj
in "The Creep
", Julian Casablancas
in "Boombox", Jack Black
in "Sax Man", Norah Jones
in "Dreamgirl", Snoop Dogg
in "Turtleneck and Chain", Will Ferrell
in "Cool Guys Don't Look At Explosions", Santigold in "After Party", Natalie Portman
in "Natalie's Rap" and Seth Rogen
in "Like A Boss".
in mind as the lead. Schaffer and Taccone were brought on as well once again due to the "Lazy Sunday Effect." Released in August 2007, the film did very poorly at the box office, released the same time as the blockbuster The Bourne Ultimatum
, and barely broke even. Additionally, it received mixed or average reviews, a scenario Samberg anticipated as he stated is the case with many first-time comedies that embrace surreal comedy, such as Billy Madison
.
in 2005 for a TV show called Awesometown, however the network rejected it. They re-edited the pilot and added new segments for a potential MTV or Comedy Network version, but it was also rejected.
and had a cameo on the season-two finale of Arrested Development. He also made guest appearances on Late Night with Conan O'Brien
, The Late Show with David Letterman, and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
since joining SNL. Andy Samberg appeared in the 2009 film I Love You, Man
, in which he plays the gay brother of a man who has no male friends and must find one to be his best man before his wedding day. Andy Samberg also co-starred in Cloudy with a Chance Of Meatballs
, where he voiced "Baby" Brent, the now-adult mascot of Baby Brent Sardines. Samberg has also appeared in episodes of Parks and Recreation
, The Sarah Silverman Program
, Yo Gabba Gabba, and 'Human Giant
'. He also hosted Shark Week
2011 on the Discovery Channel
.
Schaffer directed four music videos for the indie rock
group We Are Scientists
, as well as for the Eagles of Death Metal
's single "I Want You So Hard (Boy's Bad News)
". On SNL, he works as a writer-director, primarily known for directing the SNL Digital Shorts.
Taccone had a cameo in the movie Role Models
and co-starred in the feature film Land of the Lost
. He directed the movie
based on the SNL sketch MacGruber
, which was released in May 2010. He quit SNL in 2010.
Akiva Schaffer
Akiva Schaffer is an American writer for Saturday Night Live, a film director, songwriter, and a member of The Lonely Island, a sketch-comedy troupe that first found success on the Internet, which includes SNL cast member Andy Samberg and SNL writer Jorma Taccone...
, Jorma "Jorm" Taccone
Jorma Taccone
Jorma Christopher Taccone is an American comedy writer-actor-director. Taccone is one third of the sketch comedy troupe The Lonely Island along with childhood friends Andy Samberg and Akiva Schaffer...
, and David Andrew "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...
, best known for their comedic music. Originally from Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
, California, the group is currently based in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The group broke out due to their collective work from 2005–2011 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...
. Samberg and Schaffer continue to work at the show, with occasional input from Taccone.
Once on the show, they wrote "Lazy Sunday
Lazy Sunday
"Lazy Sunday" is a song and short video by American comedy troupe The Lonely Island, released on December 17, 2005, broadcast on Saturday Night Live as the second Digital Short...
", a music parody video that became an instant hit on YouTube. Following the success of this digital short, the group produced the Emmy-winning "Dick in a Box
Dick in a Box
"Dick in a Box" is a song by American comedy troupe The Lonely Island featuring singer Justin Timberlake. The song and music video debuted on Saturday Night Live as an SNL Digital Short on December 16, 2006...
", "Jizz in My Pants
Jizz in My Pants
"Jizz in My Pants" is a SNL Digital Short which aired on Saturday Night Live on December 6, 2008 and YouTube on the same day. It serves as the music video for the first single from The Lonely Island's debut album, Incredibad...
", "Like a Boss
Like a Boss
"Like a Boss" is the tenth track with jarden innit and fourth single from The Lonely Island's debut album Incredibad. The song is a parody of the first official single from Slim Thug's first album Already Platinum, also named 'Like a Boss'...
", and the Grammy-nominated "I'm on a Boat
I'm on a Boat
"I'm on a Boat" is a single from The Lonely Island's debut album Incredibad. It was also featured as a Saturday Night Live Digital Short. The song features R&B singer T-Pain. The song, produced by Wyshmaster, is a parody of many rap video clichés. The music video reached number one on YouTube in...
", which have subsequently had huge success both on SNL and on the internet, and prompted the release of the 2009 album, Incredibad
Incredibad
Incredibad is the debut studio album of the American comedy troupe The Lonely Island, released on February 10, 2009, through Universal Republic Records...
. In 2011, the group released 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...
, which featured songs from such SNL digital shorts as "I Just Had Sex
I Just Had Sex
"I Just Had Sex" is a song by comedy hip hop group The Lonely Island featuring R&B singer Akon and produced by DJ Frank E. It was released as the first single from The Lonely Island's second album, Turtleneck & Chain, released in May 2011...
", "The Creep
The Creep (song)
"The Creep" is a song by American comedy hip hop group The Lonely Island, released as the second single from their second studio album Turtleneck & Chain. It features rapper Nicki Minaj. Filmmaker John Waters also gives the introduction to the song. He is credited as a featured artist on the album,...
", and "Jack Sparrow
Jack Sparrow (song)
"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...
".
In August 2007, the group premiered its first feature film, Hot Rod
Hot Rod (film)
The soundtrack was composed by ex-Yes guitarist, Trevor Rabin. Several songs by the Swedish rock band Europe are in the movie, including "Cherokee" and "Rock the Night." The full trailer contains three Swedish rock band songs, Europe's "Cherokee" and "The Final Countdown," and The Hives' "See...
.
Saturday Night Live
Beginning in junior high school, Samberg, Schaffer, and Taccone began creating live comedy skits that expanded to comedic shortsShort subject
A short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...
, music parody (both songs and videos), and one full-length television pilot, before being invited to write portions of the 2005 MTV Movie Awards
MTV Movie Awards
The MTV Movie Awards is a film awards show presented annually on MTV . It also contains movie parodies that used official movie footage with hosts and other celebrities and music performances. The nominees are decided by producers and executives at MTV. Winners are decided online by the general...
, which Jimmy Fallon
Jimmy Fallon
James Thomas "Jimmy" Fallon, Jr. is an American actor, comedian, singer, musician and television host. He currently hosts Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, a late-night talk show that airs Monday through Friday on NBC...
hosted. Impressed with the group's material, he brought the trio to the attention of Lorne Michaels
Lorne Michaels
Lorne Michaels, CM is a Canadian-American television producer, writer, and comedian best known for creating and producing Saturday Night Live and producing the various film and TV projects that spun off from it.-Early life:...
, the producer of 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...
, who agreed to see them. Performing stand-up comedy in his free time, Samberg fulfilled a lifelong dream by auditioning for the show. He was called back for a second audition a few weeks later and was ultimately invited to be a cast member; Schaffer and Taccone were invited to join the writing staff based on their work in the trio. Since their arrival, the group has written some popular bits in recent SNL history, most notably, the SNL Digital Shorts (collectively) and MacGruber
MacGruber
MacGruber was a recurring sketch on the NBC television series Saturday Night Live, first appearing on the show in January 2007. The sketch stars Will Forte as special operations agent MacGruber, who is tasked in each episode with deactivating a ticking bomb but becomes distracted by personal...
(Taccone, with John Solomon and cast member Will Forte).
Uncertain if Michaels would approve of a wacky pre-recorded skit on the show, the group borrowed a video camera and filmed a faux lettuce commercial starring Samberg and fellow SNL cast member Will Forte
Will Forte
Orville Willis Forte IV, better known as Will Forte , is an American actor, voice actor, comedian and writer best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2002–2010 and for starring in the SNL spin-off film MacGruber.-Early life:Forte was born in Alameda County, California, the son of...
. They presented the finished product to Michaels in December 2005, who liked the short and agreed to air it. It was the first of what would become a regular feature of the program, called Saturday Night Live
Lazy Sunday
"Lazy Sunday" is a song and short video by American comedy troupe The Lonely Island, released on December 17, 2005, broadcast on Saturday Night Live as the second Digital Short...
", the second digital short, enjoyed runaway success in the virtual media, as fans responded with t-shirts and response videos. Many of these shorts have skyrocketed to internet fame, including "Natalie's Rap" (with Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman
Natalie Hershlag , better known by her stage name Natalie Portman, is an actress with dual American and Israeli citizenship. Her first role was as an orphan taken in by a hitman in the 1994 French action film Léon, but major success came when she was cast as Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars prequel...
), "Iran So Far" (with Adam Levine
Adam Levine
Adam Noah Levine is an American singer-songwriter and musician, best known as the front man and guitarist for the pop rock band Maroon 5. He is also a coach on the American talent show The Voice.-Early life:...
), "Jizz in My Pants
Jizz in My Pants
"Jizz in My Pants" is a SNL Digital Short which aired on Saturday Night Live on December 6, 2008 and YouTube on the same day. It serves as the music video for the first single from The Lonely Island's debut album, Incredibad...
", "Shy Ronnie" (with Rihanna
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
), and "I'm on a Boat
I'm on a Boat
"I'm on a Boat" is a single from The Lonely Island's debut album Incredibad. It was also featured as a Saturday Night Live Digital Short. The song features R&B singer T-Pain. The song, produced by Wyshmaster, is a parody of many rap video clichés. The music video reached number one on YouTube in...
" (with T-Pain
T-Pain
Faheem Rasheed Najm , better known by his stage name T-Pain, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, and actor, currently signed to Young Money Entertainment. His debut album, Rappa Ternt Sanga, was released in 2005. In 2007, T-Pain released his second studio album Epiphany,...
), the latter of which was nominated on December 2, 2009, for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 52nd Grammy Awards
52nd Grammy Awards
The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards took place on January 31, 2010, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Neil Young was honored as the 2010 MusiCares Person of the Year on January 29, two days prior to the Grammy telecast. Only ten of the 109 awards were received during the broadcast...
.
The song "Dick in a Box
Dick in a Box
"Dick in a Box" is a song by American comedy troupe The Lonely Island featuring singer Justin Timberlake. The song and music video debuted on Saturday Night Live as an SNL Digital Short on December 16, 2006...
", which was performed with Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
, won the 2007 Creative Arts Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics. Credited for its production are Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, Jorma Taccone, and Justin Timberlake, in addition to Katreese Barnes and Asa Taccone for music. Based on 1990s contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
, such as Keith Sweat
Keith Sweat
Keith Sweat is an American R&B/soul, singer-songwriter, record producer, radio personality and a major contributor to the new jack swing era.-Music career:...
, Jodeci
Jodeci
Jodeci is an American band, whose repertoire includes R&B, soul music, and new jack swing. The group consists of two pairs of brothers from Hampton, Virginia and Charlotte, North Carolina: Cedric & Joel Hailey and Donald & Dalvin DeGrate, all respectively known by their stage names: K-Ci & Jojo,...
, and R. Kelly
R. Kelly
Robert Sylvester Kelly , better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. A native of Chicago, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play...
, the song is about giving gift-wrapped genitalia as a Christmas present to one's girlfriend. Samberg and Timberlake made a sequel to "Dick in a Box" called "Motherlover", which aired on May 9, 2009.
Other recent shorts by the comedy group include "On the Ground
On the Ground
"On the Ground" is a song sung by the band The Lonely Island from their second studio album Turtleneck & Chain, and an SNL Digital Short which aired on Saturday Night Live on October 3, 2009. Andy Samberg is the lone member of the band who appears in the video...
" which aired October 2009; "Great Day" aired on May 15, 2010; "Shy Ronnie 2: Ronnie & Clyde" featuring Rihanna aired on October 30, 2010; "I Just Had Sex
I Just Had Sex
"I Just Had Sex" is a song by comedy hip hop group The Lonely Island featuring R&B singer Akon and produced by DJ Frank E. It was released as the first single from The Lonely Island's second album, Turtleneck & Chain, released in May 2011...
" featuring Akon
Akon
Aliaune Damala Badara Thiam, better known as simply Akon , is a Senegalese American R&B recording artist and songwriter.According to Forbes, Akon grossed $21 million in 2010, $20 million in 2009 and $12 million in 2008. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of "Locked Up", the first...
, was aired on December 18, 2010; "The Creep
The Creep (song)
"The Creep" is a song by American comedy hip hop group The Lonely Island, released as the second single from their second studio album Turtleneck & Chain. It features rapper Nicki Minaj. Filmmaker John Waters also gives the introduction to the song. He is credited as a featured artist on the album,...
" featuring Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj
Onika Tanya Maraj , better known by her stage name Nicki Minaj; ), is a Trinidadian-born American recording artist...
and John Waters
John Waters (filmmaker)
John Samuel Waters, Jr. is an American filmmaker, actor, stand-up comedian, writer, journalist, visual artist, and art collector, who rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films...
was released on January 29, 2011; and "Jack Sparrow
Jack Sparrow (song)
"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...
" featuring 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...
, which was released on May 7, 2011. The sequel to Motherlover, "3-Way (The Golden Rule)
3-Way (The Golden Rule)
"3-Way " is a song by American comedy music group The Lonely Island featuring American pop singers Justin Timberlake and Lady Gaga. It appeared as an SNL Digital Short in the May 21, 2011 episode of the sketch comedy television series Saturday Night Live , which saw Timberlake and Gaga as the host...
," featured Lady Gaga
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
and aired on May 21, 2011.
In the summer of 2010, Taccone quit Saturday Night Live, but has returned to work on a handful of Digital Shorts in the 2010–2011 season.
Musical style
The comedic influences of the group include SNL forebears such as Adam SandlerAdam Sandler
Adam Richard Sandler is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, musician, and film producer.After becoming a Saturday Night Live cast member, Sandler went on to star in several Hollywood feature films that grossed over $100 million at the box office...
, Chris Farley
Chris Farley
Christopher Crosby "Chris" Farley was an American comedian and actor. Farley was a member of Chicago's Second City Theatre and cast member of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live from 1990 to 1995....
and Mike Myers, as well as luminaries such as Steve Martin
Steve Martin
Stephen Glenn "Steve" Martin is an American actor, comedian, writer, playwright, producer, musician and composer....
, Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks is an American film director, screenwriter, composer, lyricist, comedian, actor and producer. He is best known as a creator of broad film farces and comic parodies. He began his career as a stand-up comic and as a writer for the early TV variety show Your Show of Shows...
, the Monty Python
Monty Python
Monty Python was a British surreal comedy group who created their influential Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four series...
troupe and the Marx Brothers
Marx Brothers
The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act, originally from New York City, that enjoyed success in Vaudeville, Broadway, and motion pictures from the early 1900s to around 1950...
. While the group is most strongly inspired by hip-hop and R&B the lyrics are commonly rooted in self-deprecation as is reflected in a 2011 interview conducted shortly before the release of Turtleneck and Chain. The Lonely Island's debut Incredibad was produced with the goal in mind to make an impact on listeners just as They're All Gonna Laugh At You (1993), a musical comedy album by Adam Sandler, which heavily influenced Samberg. Songs by The Lonely Island rarely exceed three minutes, as brevity is very important to the troupe, who believe that is "about as much as the audience can stand."
Incredibad
The group's first album, IncredibadIncredibad
Incredibad is the debut studio album of the American comedy troupe The Lonely Island, released on February 10, 2009, through Universal Republic Records...
, was released on February 10, 2009 by Universal Republic Records
Universal Records
Universal Records was a record label owned by Universal Music Group, and it is now owned by Manny Patino and Michael Jackson, and operated as part of the Universal Motown Republic Group.-History:...
. The album, which includes parodies of existing hip hop songs, also includes a DVD with some of the videos, including "Wait (You Guys)" as the Bing Bong Brothers, a spoof of the Ying Yang Twins
Ying Yang Twins
The Ying Yang Twins is an Atlanta-based American crunk rap duo consisting of Kaine and D-Roc . The group debuted in 2000 and rose to mainstream popularity in 2003 collaborating with Lil Jon in his single "Get Low"...
' "Wait (The Whisper Song)
Wait (The Whisper Song)
"Wait " is a noted snap song released by Atlanta crunk rap duo Ying Yang Twins off their album U.S.A. . The song originally written by Lettie Thompson consists of a minimal bass pulse, a few finger-snaps, and whispered, sexually explicit lyrics...
", and "Jizz in my Pants."
Turtleneck & Chain
On their YouTube channel, The Lonely Island announced an upcoming album on October 28, 2010, which would be released in Spring 2011. On December 18, 2010, the SNL Digital Short was the official music video of "I Just Had SexI Just Had Sex
"I Just Had Sex" is a song by comedy hip hop group The Lonely Island featuring R&B singer Akon and produced by DJ Frank E. It was released as the first single from The Lonely Island's second album, Turtleneck & Chain, released in May 2011...
" (featuring Akon
Akon
Aliaune Damala Badara Thiam, better known as simply Akon , is a Senegalese American R&B recording artist and songwriter.According to Forbes, Akon grossed $21 million in 2010, $20 million in 2009 and $12 million in 2008. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of "Locked Up", the first...
), the first single off the album.
On January 29, 2011, the group debuted "The Creep
The Creep (song)
"The Creep" is a song by American comedy hip hop group The Lonely Island, released as the second single from their second studio album Turtleneck & Chain. It features rapper Nicki Minaj. Filmmaker John Waters also gives the introduction to the song. He is credited as a featured artist on the album,...
" featuring Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj
Onika Tanya Maraj , better known by her stage name Nicki Minaj; ), is a Trinidadian-born American recording artist...
and a cameo by filmmaker John Waters
John Waters (filmmaker)
John Samuel Waters, Jr. is an American filmmaker, actor, stand-up comedian, writer, journalist, visual artist, and art collector, who rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films...
, on SNL and YouTube. On March 15, 2011, Direct Current Music reported that the album would be named 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...
and would be released on May 10, 2011. On April 1, 2011, The Lonely Island appeared as guests on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon on NBC. The show premiered on March 2, 2009, as the third incarnation of the Late Night franchise originated by David Letterman....
, where they premiered the lead track, "We're Back!", as well as the new album cover. On April 19, 2011, the group released "Motherlover" featuring Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
as the fourth single from the album. This song was last featured on the 34th season of SNL.
The group held a fundraiser to promote their new album on April 16, 2011. This event was at Amoeba Music
Amoeba Music
Amoeba Music is an independent music chain with stores in Berkeley, San Francisco, and Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. Founded by former employees of nearby Rasputin Records, it opened on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley in 1990. The stores are unusually large given their independent status...
in Berkeley, California. There were only 250 tickets available, and the only way to obtain a ticket was to pre-order their album. They hosted a Q & A session and an autograph session. Shortly after, "Motherlover" was released on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
. On May 7, they released a new track, "Jack Sparrow
Jack Sparrow (song)
"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...
", featuring 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...
.
Turtleneck & Chain is both Emmy and Grammy Nominated
2011: Emmy Nomination
Turtleneck & Chain
Lonely Island
Produced and co-written by Michael Woods (Rich Water Publishing)http://www.emmys.com/nominations
Grammy Nominated
Best Comedy Album
Turtleneck & Chain
Lonely Island
Produced and co-written by Michael Woods (Rich Water Publishing)http://www.grammy.com/nominees
Collaborations
The Lonely Island has collaborated with many major artists including T-PainT-Pain
Faheem Rasheed Najm , better known by his stage name T-Pain, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, and actor, currently signed to Young Money Entertainment. His debut album, Rappa Ternt Sanga, was released in 2005. In 2007, T-Pain released his second studio album Epiphany,...
in "I'm On a Boat
I'm on a Boat
"I'm on a Boat" is a single from The Lonely Island's debut album Incredibad. It was also featured as a Saturday Night Live Digital Short. The song features R&B singer T-Pain. The song, produced by Wyshmaster, is a parody of many rap video clichés. The music video reached number one on YouTube in...
", Akon
Akon
Aliaune Damala Badara Thiam, better known as simply Akon , is a Senegalese American R&B recording artist and songwriter.According to Forbes, Akon grossed $21 million in 2010, $20 million in 2009 and $12 million in 2008. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of "Locked Up", the first...
in "I Just Had Sex
I Just Had Sex
"I Just Had Sex" is a song by comedy hip hop group The Lonely Island featuring R&B singer Akon and produced by DJ Frank E. It was released as the first single from The Lonely Island's second album, Turtleneck & Chain, released in May 2011...
", Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
in "Dick in a Box
Dick in a Box
"Dick in a Box" is a song by American comedy troupe The Lonely Island featuring singer Justin Timberlake. The song and music video debuted on Saturday Night Live as an SNL Digital Short on December 16, 2006...
" , "Motherlover" and "3-Way (The Golden Rule)
3-Way (The Golden Rule)
"3-Way " is a song by American comedy music group The Lonely Island featuring American pop singers Justin Timberlake and Lady Gaga. It appeared as an SNL Digital Short in the May 21, 2011 episode of the sketch comedy television series Saturday Night Live , which saw Timberlake and Gaga as the host...
" (the last of which also featured Lady Gaga
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
), Beck
Beck
Beck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
in "Attracted to Us", Rihanna
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
in "Shy Ronnie" and "Shy Ronnie 2: Ronnie & Clyde", 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...
in "Jack Sparrow
Jack Sparrow (song)
"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...
", Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj
Onika Tanya Maraj , better known by her stage name Nicki Minaj; ), is a Trinidadian-born American recording artist...
in "The Creep
The Creep (song)
"The Creep" is a song by American comedy hip hop group The Lonely Island, released as the second single from their second studio album Turtleneck & Chain. It features rapper Nicki Minaj. Filmmaker John Waters also gives the introduction to the song. He is credited as a featured artist on the album,...
", Julian Casablancas
Julian Casablancas
Julian Fernando Casablancas is an American singer-songwriter and musician of The Strokes. Casablancas pursued a solo career during The Strokes' hiatus, releasing the album Phrazes for the Young on November 3, 2009....
in "Boombox", Jack Black
Jack Black
Jack Black , is an American actor and musician, notably of Tenacious D.Jack Black may also refer to:* Jack Black , late 19th - early 20th Century author and hobo* Jack Black , drummer for 1970s UK punk band The Boys...
in "Sax Man", Norah Jones
Norah Jones
Norah Jones is an American singer-songwriter and occasional actress.In 2002, she launched her solo music career with the release of the commercially successful and critically acclaimed album Come Away With Me, which was certified a diamond album in 2002, selling over 20 million copies...
in "Dreamgirl", Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...
in "Turtleneck and Chain", Will Ferrell
Will Ferrell
John William "Will" Ferrell is an American comedian, impressionist, actor, and writer. Ferrell first established himself in the late 1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in the comedy films Old School, Elf, Anchorman, Talladega...
in "Cool Guys Don't Look At Explosions", Santigold in "After Party", Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman
Natalie Hershlag , better known by her stage name Natalie Portman, is an actress with dual American and Israeli citizenship. Her first role was as an orphan taken in by a hitman in the 1994 French action film Léon, but major success came when she was cast as Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars prequel...
in "Natalie's Rap" and Seth Rogen
Seth Rogen
Seth Rogen is a Canadian stand-up comedian, actor, producer, screenwriter, and voice artist. Rogen began his career doing stand-up comedy during his teen years, winning the Vancouver Amateur Comedy Contest in 1998. While still living in his native Vancouver, he landed a small part in Freaks and...
in "Like A Boss".
Hot Rod
Upon landing a role as a featured player on SNL, Samberg had multiple meetings with production companies, Paramount being one of them. They told him he was being considered for the leading man in a project written by Pam Brady which had remained dormant for some years. The script was under the care of the producer Lorne Michaels, who had the final say. Paramount gave Samberg the script; he agreed and waited for Michaels' approval. After the success of "Lazy Sunday", he felt he was ready to play the lead role in the movie. It was called Hot Rod and was originally written with Will FerrellWill Ferrell
John William "Will" Ferrell is an American comedian, impressionist, actor, and writer. Ferrell first established himself in the late 1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in the comedy films Old School, Elf, Anchorman, Talladega...
in mind as the lead. Schaffer and Taccone were brought on as well once again due to the "Lazy Sunday Effect." Released in August 2007, the film did very poorly at the box office, released the same time as the blockbuster The Bourne Ultimatum
The Bourne Ultimatum (film)
The Bourne Ultimatum is a 2007 American spy film directed by Paul Greengrass and loosely based on the Robert Ludlum novel of the same title. This film is the third in the Bourne film series, being preceded by The Bourne Identity and The Bourne Supremacy...
, and barely broke even. Additionally, it received mixed or average reviews, a scenario Samberg anticipated as he stated is the case with many first-time comedies that embrace surreal comedy, such as Billy Madison
Billy Madison
Billy Madison is a 1995 American comedy film directed by Tamra Davis and starring Adam Sandler, in the title role, Bradley Whitford, Bridgette Wilson, Norm Macdonald and Darren McGavin. The film was written by Sandler and Tim Herlihy, and produced by Universal Studios. It made over $25.5 million...
.
Awesometown
The crew filmed a pilot for FoxFox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
in 2005 for a TV show called Awesometown, however the network rejected it. They re-edited the pilot and added new segments for a potential MTV or Comedy Network version, but it was also rejected.
Individual projects
Samberg appeared on Premium BlendPremium Blend
Premium Blend was a television show that aired on the American cable television channel Comedy Central from 1997 to 2005.The program features a well-known stand up comedian as an emcee who introduces four or five lesser known comedians looking for a big break on television...
and had a cameo on the season-two finale of Arrested Development. He also made guest appearances on Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired 2,725 episodes on NBC between 1993 and 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musical and comedy performances. Late Night aired weeknights at 12:37 am...
, The Late Show with David Letterman, and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon on NBC. The show premiered on March 2, 2009, as the third incarnation of the Late Night franchise originated by David Letterman....
since joining SNL. Andy Samberg appeared in the 2009 film I Love You, Man
I Love You, Man
I Love You, Man is a 2009 American comedy film originally titled Let's be Friends and written by Larry Levin before John Hamburg rewrote and directed the film...
, in which he plays the gay brother of a man who has no male friends and must find one to be his best man before his wedding day. Andy Samberg also co-starred in Cloudy with a Chance Of Meatballs
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (film)
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is a 2009 American computer-animated family comedy film, produced by Sony Pictures Animation, distributed by Columbia Pictures, and released on September 18, 2009. The film is loosely based on the children's book of the same name by Judi and Ron Barrett.The film...
, where he voiced "Baby" Brent, the now-adult mascot of Baby Brent Sardines. Samberg has also appeared in episodes of Parks and Recreation
Parks and Recreation
Parks and Recreation is an American comedy television series on NBC that focuses on Leslie Knope , a mid-level bureaucrat in the parks department of Pawnee, a fictional town in Indiana. Created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, the series debuted on April 9, 2009; it has run for three seasons and...
, The Sarah Silverman Program
The Sarah Silverman Program
The Sarah Silverman Program is an American television series that starred comedian and actress Sarah Silverman, who created the series with Dan Harmon and Rob Schrab...
, Yo Gabba Gabba, and 'Human Giant
Human Giant
Human Giant is a sketch comedy show on MTV, starring writer/performers Aziz Ansari, Rob Huebel, Paul Scheer and directed primarily by Jason Woliner.The show has completed two seasons. The status of a third season is unknown...
'. He also hosted Shark Week
Shark Week
The Discovery Channel's Shark Week, which first aired on July 27, 1987, is a week-long series of feature television programs dedicated to sharks. Shark Week is held annually, normally running in July or August. Shark Week was developed to help the average person have a greater respect for sharks....
2011 on the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
.
Schaffer directed four music videos for the indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
group We Are Scientists
We Are Scientists
We Are Scientists is a New York-based indie rock band that formed in Berkeley, California in 2000. Originally formed of Keith Murray on drums, Chris Cain playing bass guitar and Scott Lamb providing vocals and guitar, before Michael Tapper became drummer and Keith became vocalist and guitarist...
, as well as for the Eagles of Death Metal
Eagles of Death Metal
Eagles of Death Metal is an American rock band from Palm Desert, California, formed in 1998 by Jesse Hughes and Josh Homme. Despite their band name, Eagles of Death Metal are not a death metal band. Hughes stated that a friend was introducing Josh Homme to the death metal genre...
's single "I Want You So Hard (Boy's Bad News)
I Want You So Hard (Boy's Bad News)
"I Want You So Hard " is the first single from the Eagles of Death Metal's second studio album Death By Sexy. The song and music video has Jack Black and Dave Grohl making guest appearances. The video was directed by Akiva Schaffer, who directs the SNL Digital Shorts on Saturday Night Live,...
". On SNL, he works as a writer-director, primarily known for directing the SNL Digital Shorts.
Taccone had a cameo in the movie Role Models
Role Models
Role Models is a 2008 American comedy film directed by David Wain about two energy drink salesmen who are ordered to perform 150 hours of community service as punishment for various offenses. For their service, the two men work at a program designed to pair kids with adult role models. The film...
and co-starred in the feature film Land of the Lost
Land of the Lost (film)
Land of the Lost is a 2009 American science-fiction comedy film directed by Brad Silberling and starring Will Ferrell, Danny McBride and Anna Friel, based on the 1974 Sid and Marty Krofft TV series of the same name.-Plot:...
. He directed the movie
MacGruber (film)
MacGruber is a 2010 American action comedy film based on the Saturday Night Live sketch of the same name, itself a parody of action-adventure television series MacGyver. The film stars Will Forte in the title role; Kristen Wiig as his love interest/partner, Vicki St...
based on the SNL sketch MacGruber
MacGruber
MacGruber was a recurring sketch on the NBC television series Saturday Night Live, first appearing on the show in January 2007. The sketch stars Will Forte as special operations agent MacGruber, who is tasked in each episode with deactivating a ticking bomb but becomes distracted by personal...
, which was released in May 2010. He quit SNL in 2010.