Andy Samberg Credits His Wife for a Gag in The Lonely Island's "Here I Go" Video
The "360" singer played a wealthy wife who just loves to call the cops.
In the year of 2024, no one was expecting a new Lonely Island Digital Short — let alone two.
Even the guys of The Lonely Island weren't anticipating a return to Saturday Night Live. On the October 14, 2024 episode of The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast, members Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, and Akiva Schaffer explained that when Samberg returned to play Doug Emhoff in cold opens at the beginning of Season 50, he approached SNL boss Lorne Michaels about making another Digital Short. "Sushi Glory Hole" premiered in Host Nate Bargatze's Season 50 episode, and five weeks later on November 16, Charli xcx starred alongside Samberg in "Here I Go."
In the video, Samberg and Charli play a despicable yet musically-talented suburban couple who love calling the cops on anyone who dares come near their house. They'll snitch on anybody: an old woman, a little girl, a dog, even Colin Jost.
The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers unpacked the making of "Here I Go" in the November 25 episode of the podcast, offering behind-the-scenes tidbits that only make the video better.
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Who wrote SNL's "Here I Go"?
Andy Samberg revealed that he wrote the majority of the song during the 2023 SAG and WGA strikes, and Akiva Schaffer got it ready for air. Third Lonely Island member Jorma Taccone wasn't around to work on "Here I Go," but his brother, musician Asa Taccone, provided some beats.
There was originally no wife character in the song, but once Host Charli xcx agreed to do it, Samberg and Schaffer reworked a few things to create a second snitcher.
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Andy Samberg credits wife Joanna Newsom for Colin Jost's "Here I Go" role
On the The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast, Samberg explained that the song is like an anthem for a "universally reviled neighborhood character."
He added that it felt like everyone he knows had that one neighbor who "was always calling the cops on people and the people in the neighborhood don't like him, and the cops don't like him."
Samberg's character makes sure you know his snitching is unproblematic by singing, "And I know you're not supposed to do this anymore / But does it help to know that who I snitched on was white?"
The criminal (guilty of tossing a coffee cup into Samberg's recycling bin) turns to reveal himself to be none other than "Weekend Update" host Colin Jost. Samberg told Meyers that he credits his wife, musician Joanna Newsom, with that idea.
"She was like, you know who would actually be really funny for the 'white' reveal?" he recalled. "As soon as she said it, I was like, I love that. It was really nice to get to ask him. I've been seeing Josty a lot coming back so much this season, and we're obviously old buds. We got hired the same season, and I don't think we've ever put him in one before."
"And his comic persona on the show is representing that 'white,'" Meyers pointed out.
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Charli xcx understood the assignment
Schaffer said that Charli xcx came to set knowing every single word of a song she had only just learned and had come up with her own bits of choreography.
"Like, she knew how to present the jokes and pantomime and do things that would make them play," he said. "She was kind of the character. It wasn't her, it was this character, and she fully, from the very first take, was better at this than almost anybody I would say we've worked with."
The Lonely Island's "Here I Go" lyrics
Written by Andy Samberg with Akiva Schaffer
Samberg:
There’s been something on my mind for a long time
A special passion of mine; I do it every chance that I find
So next time you walk past and you through away your trash
I’ll pick up the phone and then do what I do best
Now here I go, I’m reporting you to the cops; It fills me with delight
And here I go, I’m reporting you to the cops; And all my neighbors think I’m right!
I’ve been itching to do some snitching
I’m in my kitchen listening to my conditioning
And then picking up that phone
And I know you’re not supposed to do this anymore
But does it help to know that who I snitched on was white?
And now that that’s cleared up we can all relax and enjoy this incredible song
About calling the pigs on this motherf–-- on my lawn
It’s called having a cake, and eating it too
I baked the cake and then I ate the cake
Say hell yeah, motherf—-, hell yeah
Now here I go, I’m reporting you to the cops
I’m calling the pigs on a fellow white
And here I go, I’m reporting you to the cops
Gonna sleep like a baby tonight, now make way for my wife
Charli xcx:
Now hold up, wait a minute
‘Cause I’m about to snitch like I invented-ed it
They’re gonna roll up any minute
I pay my motherf—ing taxes now I’m cashing in on every penny
Piggy piggy, babe in the city
When I smell bacon always makes me feel giddy
I literally dare you to park within two centimeters of my driveway, b----!
Both:
In this crazy world I can’t believe I found someone like you
Who shows love the way we do, by calling the cops, instead of having sex
Samberg:
When I grab my binocularos
Charli:
See you through them and my eyes narrow
Samberg:
On my front lawn I saw you looking
Both:
Have fun in central booking!
Now here I go, I’m reporting you to the cops
Samberg:
Cops cops the cops yeah the coppity cops
The f—-- pigs, yeah, the coppity cops
And then I walk outside like what’s going on?
But everyone’s gonna know it was me
But they can’t say s— ‘cause I’ll deny it
And I reported it anonymously
Both:
Now here I go, I’m reporting you to the cops
Samberg:
But you better believe I’ll show up for that court date, yeah
Both:
‘Cause I got one small corner, and it’s mine to defend
So I will do my duty and call it in
Hell yeah, motherf—-- oh
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When was SNL's "Here I Go" filmed?
The video for "Here I Go" was filmed on Friday, November 15, to air on the show just one day later. Samberg and Schaffer flew from Los Angeles to NYC on Thursday morning as director Mike Diva was looking for locations.
"It was, from what I remember, the usual chaos you'd expect from a shoot that came together super last minute," Diva said in a voice note.
The shot where multiple hands come out of a wall holding phones proved to be particularly tricky, and barely made it into the video.
"We still had to figure out where the dancers could stand behind the wall to fit their hands through the holes at different heights," he recalled. "It was such a puzzle that it turned into this situation where the guys were very loudly sawing holes into this wall while I was shooting Andy performing on a different set just a few feet away. We managed to squeeze that foam wall scene in with truly 10 minutes left in the day."
Once filming was completed, Schaffer started editing, and he was still making changes after 11:30 p.m. when the episode began.
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Watch "Here I Go" from Season 50, Episode 7 above, and watch any episode on Peacock anytime.
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