A Song That Sparked Conversation
Adam Sandler’s performance of “50 Years” during the Saturday Night Live 50th-anniversary special was a mix of humor, nostalgia, and sharp commentary. One particular line in the song caught attention: “50 years of finding out your favorite musician is antisemitic.” The lyric sparked a lot of discussion, not just about its meaning but also about who it might have been referring to.
When asked by Vulture if he had a specific musician in mind, Sandler was evasive. He said, “Well, you know, whoever wants to grab that one, it’s up to them. I can’t say a specific, because, sadly, there’s been a few.” This response left room for interpretation, and it didn’t take long for people to start speculating.
Ye’s Response and Controversial Posts
One person who seemed to think the line was directed at him was Ye, formerly known as Kanye West. After the special aired in February, Ye posted a now-deleted tweet saying, “Adam Sandler, thank you for the love.” This response raised eyebrows, especially considering Ye’s recent history of controversial statements.
Earlier that month, Ye had shared multiple inflammatory posts on X. In one message, he wrote, “Hitler was sooooo fresh,” while another included a call for followers to “CALL ME YAYDOLF YITLER AND YOUR BITCH STILL WANTS TO F—.” In another post, he claimed that Elon Musk “STOLE MY NAZI SWAG AT THE INAUGURATION” of Donald Trump. These posts were widely criticized and led to increased scrutiny of Ye’s public statements.
The timing of these posts and the line in the SNL song led many to believe that the lyric was a reference to Ye. However, Sandler never confirmed or denied this, leaving the interpretation open to the audience.
The Making of “50 Years”
Sandler co-wrote “50 Years” with SNL writer Dan Bulla, who also played the keyboard during the performance on the anniversary special. The song was well-received and earned the duo an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics.
Despite the success, Sandler and Bulla admitted that they had to make difficult choices about what to include in the song. “We had some extra, but we knew there was only so much time,” Sandler told Vulture. “There’s nothing that we kicked ourselves in the ass about after this. There’s people you want to thank and people you want to mention in the song, but maybe they didn’t fit the rhyme, or whatever the hell it was.”
Bulla added, “That’s the only thing: In that section, there’s a hundred other people you could have said. But we were sitting there saying, ‘You can’t kick yourself for that, or you’re gonna go crazy trying to do it.’ But we were definitely trying to be conscious of people throughout the show who were honored in different ways and not feeling too much pressure to mention somebody great who we love if we knew, earlier in the night, they had their own thing, and they were going to be celebrated.”
Balancing Nostalgia and Acknowledgment
The two emphasized the challenge of balancing the show’s rich history with the need to keep the song concise. “So we tried to get a good balance of that. But, like everything else with the show, there’s so many great people and so much great stuff. You can’t drive yourself crazy trying to take care of all of it,” Bulla concluded.
The SNL 50th-anniversary special, titled SNL50, was a three-hour retrospective that aired on Feb. 16. It celebrated the show’s legacy and featured appearances from past and present cast members. The final episode of SNL’s 50th season aired on NBC on May 17, marking the end of a significant chapter in the show’s history.
