The Lonely Island’s 15 best songs, sketches and digital shorts, ranked

The Lonely Island have been making hilarious songs and sketches for years, and they’ve had a big impact on the landscape of modern comedy. Since joining Saturday Night Live By 2005, Andy Samberg, Akiba Schafer and Jorma Taccone had built an impressive catalog of comedy songs. They pioneered the show’s digital shorts, and quickly created some of the best Saturday Night Live Sketches of all times.

The lonely island’s last SNL Comeback was a pleasant surprise for fans of the group, but they have had many other big projects since leaving the sketch show. They directed and starred in two movies, made their own musical Netflix special, and produced the hit Rocom Palm Springs which stars Andy Samberg alongside Christine Milioti. It’s unclear what’s next for The Lonely Island, but they already have a lot of hilarious sketches and music videos that are worth watching again and again.

15

Sushi Glory Hole

2024

The lonely island’s unexpected return to Saturday Night Live Still six years away is just as funny as ever. In some ways, “Sushi Glory Hole” seems like classic The Lonely Island, lampooning corporate culture like “Like a Boss” with some 80s flair like “Dick in a Box”. however, Sushi Glory Hole is a bit more surreal than The Lonely Island’s older songs. While some of their old hits push a normal premise to comedic extremes, there’s nothing normal about Sushi Glory Hole to begin with. If the lonely island has some more surprises in store in the near future, they could get even weirder.

14

Throw it on the ground

2011

“Bring It On Earth” showcases The Lonely Island’s unique talent for parodying musical genres that barely exist. In this case, “Bring It On The Ground” makes fun of hip-hop with an anti-establishment message that doesn’t quite know what it’s talking about. The Lonely Island will not let musicians get away with adopting the attitude of a social movement without committing to it. “Bring it on the ground” isn’t just about the music though. It’s about anyone who rails against some nebulous “system”. “Happy Birthday to the Earth” Marks the point when the sketch suddenly goes off the rails.

13

Jizz in my pants

2009

Many of The Lonely Island’s best songs find a lot of joy in the contrast between the music and the lyrics. While “Jizz In My Pants” looks and sounds like a club hit made for dancing, the lyrics are comically pathetic. The video is filled with similar contrasts. The club’s bright lights give way to a contest between Andy Samberg and Jorma Taccone to see who can make the funniest face, accompanied by the relentless refrain of the song’s title. The whole premise is gross, but some of the best lines in “Jizz In My Pants” are the usual throwaway gags.Like when Jorma says he’ll pay by check at the grocery store.

12

Jose & Mark

2019

The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience is a half-hour Netflix special from The Lonely Island about Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire in the 1980s. It is prescribed as a “Visual Poem,” And this title lends some pomp to what is essentially a visual concept album. The special is best enjoyed as a whole. If there’s one standout song that can be enjoyed out of context, it’s “Jose and Mark,” Who introduce the two brothers Bash. “Jose and Mark” highlights the insecurity and paranoia of these two characters, which they mask behind their celebrity egos.

11

I’m on a boat

2009

The Lonely Island often do some of their best work when they have a big star to collaborate with, and T-Pain at the “I’m on a boat” joke. The song is a parody of rap music that flaunts filthy richesAnd the fans who sing along despite no frame of reference. “I’m on a Boat” gives some regular Joes a free boat ride, won in a box of cereal, and they immediately start acting like H-Pain. They seem to believe that just being on a boat is the ultimate statement of wealth, so they don’t have to talk about anything else throughout the song.

10

Boombox

2010

The Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas lends his vocals to “Boombox,” and he brings a lot of legitimacy to a ridiculous song. Few singers could make lines like that “Everyone wore fingerless gloves” Sound so cool. It’s important to the appeal of “Boombox” that Casablanca takes it very seriously, because the song itself is about the transformative power of music. There are also repeated references to boiled goose for no apparent reason. This is the kind of joke The Lonely Island make in a lot of their songs, where a random distraction is thrown in. It works especially well in Boombox.

9

Finest Girl (Bin Laden Song)

2016

Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping was a box office flop, but it’s still one of the funniest comedy movies of the last decade, and it’s developed a cult following. Popstar Andy Samberg stars as Conner4Real, a talented musician with an oversized ego designed as a parody of several different artists. Only a few songs in Popstar Hit the heights that the lonely island are capable ofBut the rest of the movie is funny enough to make up for that. “Finest Girl” is the standout hit, and it shows how the Lonely Island know how to communicate to a few.

8

I just had sex

2010

There are countless rap songs about sex, but very few talk about it with the childish joy of “I just had sex”. Akon is the ideal guest feature for “I Just Had Sex,” and he throws his whole heart into it. The music video also has a fun cameo from John McEnroe, as well as Jessica Alba and Blake Lively playing two very disappointed and regretful women. “I Just Had Sex” piles so many punchlines on top of one another that it’s easy to miss gems such as “I think she might have been a racist.” “I Just Had Sex” is The Lonely Island’s most viewed YouTube video and most streamed song on Spotify.

7

the curse

2013

Not all lonely island digital shorts for Saturday Night Live Have songs, although most of the big hits do. “The Curse” wouldn’t work without its musical element, but it’s a great sketch that shows how The Lonely Island can get laughs without singing. Jon Hamm is as funny as ever Playing a mysterious saxophonist named Sergio. His dedicated performance is so enjoyable that the sketch can telegraph his punch line and still be hilarious. It doesn’t take a genius to guess that the baby is going to be none other than Sergio, but Hamm’s gyrating hips and glistening socks are still hilarious.

6

Like a boss

2009

“Like a Boss” features Seth Rogen playing the straight man, but it also has hilarious split-second cameos from Bill Hader and a giant fish. The song is a takedown of a certain corporate mentality, which treats business as an extreme sport to mask the silent tragedy of selling out. Before Andy Samberg’s character jumps out the window and into the weird, “Like a Boss” has a few moments of painful satire.Like the sudden segue of “swallow sadness” to “Send some faxes”. This is strangely relatable for a sketch that ends with the main character turning into a jet and bombing the Kremlin. “Like a boss” has such a fast pace that both jokes are possible.

5

Jack Sparrow

2011

Having Michael Bolton on a fast-paced club banger is already funny, though “Jack Sparrow” doesn’t stick with the obvious jokes. Instead of showing Bolton out of his comfort zone while the lonely island boys play the odd-man role, “Jack Sparrow” flips the arrangement with Bolton as the wildcard. His incredible vocal performance makes his nonsequiturs about these Pirates of the Caribbean Movies even funnier. “Jack Sparrow” shows acute self-awareness when Bolton belts out “Now back to the good part,” Before once again told the Pirates Movies.

4

Thick in a box

2006

The Lonely Island have made some great songs with Justin Timberlake. He seems to click with their sense of humor even more than the other artists they get to show on their songs. “Dick in a Box” was their first collaboration, and it immediately showed that they had struck comedy gold together. The flock of seagulls aesthetic and ridiculous premise do a lot of the heavy lifting, but “Dick in a Box” has a few bonus jokes along the way. Maya Rudolph Mouting “thank you” Justin Timberlake’s step-by-step guide is two moments that never stop being funny.

3

The shooting aka dear sister

2007

The best non-musical sketch of the lonely island is a Saturday Night Live Classic, and a remarkably prescient piece of comedy. The surreal humor of “The shooting aka dear sister” deconstructs every norm of a SNL sketch, and the very idea of ​​comedy. There is no typical setup and punch line to “the shooting”. Instead, it’s a punch line without a setup that’s repeated over and over again. The sketch is a reference to the season 2 finale of The OCBut the parody isn’t what makes it funny. Created in the early days of YouTube, “The Shooting” seemed to predict Internet humor.

2

Lazy Sunday

2005

The lonely island was together for a few years before joining Saturday Night Live. “Lazy Sunday” was one of their first big hits on the show That announced their arrival, and it set the tone for one of the best seasons of SNL. It’s not as complex as some of The Lonely Island’s later work, but it’s a perfect showcase for what makes the group unique. The juxtaposition between the attitude of the music and the melody of the theme is the first part of the joke, as it is in so many of the Lonely Island hits. Andy Samberg and Chris Parnell’s dead-serious expressions do the rest.

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1

Mother lover

2011

“Motherlover” is a direct sequel to “Dick in a Box,” Catch up with singers Andy Samberg and Justin Timberlake in the 80s after they were released from prison. The premise of this song is hilarious from the start, but it’s the sheer commitment of the two characters that makes it truly special. They don’t think for a moment that what they are doing can be funny, and they even encourage each other in the weirdest way possible. by Justin Timberlake “We are so cool and thoughtful” Sums up their feelings. “Motherlover” shows how good the Lonely Islanders are at finding new and hilarious ways of repeating themselves.