Dick In A Box
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"Dick in a Box" is a song by the American comedy group
The Lonely Island The Lonely Island is an American comedy trio, formed by Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, and Akiva Schaffer in Berkeley, California, in 2001. They have written for and starred in the American TV program ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL''). The th ...
featuring American singer-songwriter
Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, and dancer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Prince of Pop", ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' honored him as the b ...
. The trio— Andy Samberg,
Akiva Schaffer Akiva Daniel Shebar Schaffer (; born December 1, 1977) is an American writer, producer, director, comedian, actor, and musician. He is a member of the comedy music group The Lonely Island, along with childhood friends Andy Samberg and Jorma Tacc ...
, and Jorma Taccone—co-wrote the song with Timberlake, Katreese Barnes, and Asa Taccone. Barnes and Asa Taccone co-produced it with Jorma Taccone. ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
'' (''SNL'') creator and producer
Lorne Michaels Lorne Michaels (born Lorne David Lipowitz; November 17, 1944) is a Canadian and American television writer and film producer. He created and produced ''Saturday Night Live'' (1975–1980, 1985–present) and produced the ''Late Night (franchise) ...
asked Samberg to write a musical sketch for the 2006 Christmas episode with Timberlake, who was returning as both host and musical guest. Samberg developed the concept with other members of the group before working with Timberlake on December 14. They recorded the track around midnight and spent the next day and a half filming the corresponding
music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
. The sketch depicts two early 1990s R&B singers, played by Samberg and Timberlake, singing a holiday song about making a Christmas gift for their girlfriends of their penises in boxes. The sketch premiered on ''SNL'' as a Digital Short on December 16, 2006. The word "dick" was bleeped 16 times following an agreement with the
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. ''SNL'' producers published an uncensored version of the sketch online right after its broadcast debut, a decision criticized by the
Parents Television Council The Parents Television and Media Council (PTMC), formerly the Parents Television Council (PTC), is an American media advocacy group founded by Conservatism in the United States, conservative political pundit L. Brent Bozell III in 1995, which ...
. In 2009, the song was released digitally as a single and included on The Lonely Island's debut studio album, ''
Incredibad ''Incredibad'' is the debut studio album of the American comedy troupe The Lonely Island, released on February 10, 2009, through Universal Republic Records. Composed of writers and childhood best friends Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma ...
''. "Dick in a Box" became a viral hit on the internet, and had generated more than 28 million views on
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
by October 2007. The song received generally positive reviews from both
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and
music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...
, who praised its raunchy humor and Timberlake's performance. "Dick in a Box" has been recognized retrospectively as The Lonely Island's
signature song A signature (; from , "to sign") is a depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. Signatures are often, but not always, handwritten or styliz ...
and one of the best Christmas-themed ''SNL'' sketches. The track won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics in 2007, and appeared on the Australian and Canadian single charts in 2009. Samberg and Timberlake reprised their roles in two Digital Shorts sequels, " Motherlover" (2009) and " 3-Way (The Golden Rule)" (2011).


Background

Akiva Schaffer Akiva Daniel Shebar Schaffer (; born December 1, 1977) is an American writer, producer, director, comedian, actor, and musician. He is a member of the comedy music group The Lonely Island, along with childhood friends Andy Samberg and Jorma Tacc ...
, Andy Samberg, and Jorma Taccone met while attending junior high together in
Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland, Cali ...
. They decided to move to Los Angeles in September 2000 and formed the comedy trio
The Lonely Island The Lonely Island is an American comedy trio, formed by Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, and Akiva Schaffer in Berkeley, California, in 2001. They have written for and starred in the American TV program ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL''). The th ...
, named after the nickname they gave to the apartment they shared. They hosted several short films on their website before signing to the
variety show Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical performances, sketch comedy, magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is normally introduced by a comp ...
''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
'' (''SNL'') in late August 2005. Samberg was promoted as a performing member for the 32nd season, while Taccone and Schaffer joined the show as writers. In December, the trio wrote and recorded " Lazy Sunday" with fellow cast member
Chris Parnell Thomas Christopher Parnell ( ; born February 5, 1967) is an American actor and comedian. First breaking through as a performer with the Los Angeles comedy troupe The Groundlings, Parnell found wider success during his tenure as a cast member on ...
, which was broadcast as their second Digital Short. The
gangsta rap Gangsta rap or gangster rap, initially called reality rap, is a subgenre of rap music that conveys the culture, values, and experiences of urban gangs and street hustlers, frequently discussing unpleasant realities of the world in general th ...
song received over five million views on
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
by February 2006, becoming the first television clip to go viral on the
online video platform An online video platform (OVP) enables users to upload, convert, store, and play back video content on the Internet, often via a private server structured, large-scale system that may generate revenue. Users will generally upload video content vi ...
. The track's popularity contributed to the success of YouTube and reintroduced ''SNL'' to a younger audience.
Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, and dancer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Prince of Pop", ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' honored him as the b ...
first appeared on ''SNL'' as a musical guest in 2000, performing as a member of the American
boy band A boy band is a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their Teenage, teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform love songs marketed towards girls and young women. Many boy bands ...
NSYNC NSYNC ( ; also stylized as *NSYNC or N Sync) was an American vocal group and pop boy band formed by Chris Kirkpatrick in Orlando, Florida, in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich. The group consists of Kirkpatrick, JC Chasez, ...
. He subsequently appeared as both host and musical guest in an episode in October 2003, in which he demonstrated his acting potential with an impression of
Jessica Simpson Jessica Ann Johnson (née Simpson; born July 10, 1980) is an American singer, actress, and fashion designer. After performing in church choirs as a child, Simpson signed with Columbia Records in 1997, aged seventeen. Her debut studio album, '' ...
and his work with
Jimmy Fallon James Thomas Fallon (born September 19, 1974) is an Americans, American comedian, television host, actor, singer, writer, and producer. Best known for his work in television, Fallon's breakthrough came during his tenure as a cast member on the ...
on '' The Barry Gibb Talk Show'' sketch. "Hosting ''SNL'' was something I'd always wanted to do. The show allowed me to play to my strengths—mixing music with comedy seemed like a way into that world", Timberlake recalled. After the show, he received several acting offers and spent the next two years launching his acting career. He shot four films, including '' Edison Force'' (2005) and ''
Alpha Dog ''Alpha Dog'' is a 2006 American crime drama film written and directed by Nick Cassavetes. It is based on the true story of the kidnapping and murder of Nicholas Markowitz in 2000. The film features an ensemble cast that includes Ben Foste ...
'' (2006), before working on his second studio album ''
FutureSex/LoveSounds ''FutureSex/LoveSounds'' is the second studio album by American singer Justin Timberlake, released on September 8, 2006, by Jive Records and Zomba Group of Companies, Zomba. Following a three-year writing hiatus, Timberlake conceived the album ...
'' (2006). In late November 2006, Timberlake announced his return to ''SNL'' for the December 16 episode as host and musical guest.


Writing and recording

On December 12, 2006, when Timberlake was on track to host ''SNL'' for the second time, creator and executive producer
Lorne Michaels Lorne Michaels (born Lorne David Lipowitz; November 17, 1944) is a Canadian and American television writer and film producer. He created and produced ''Saturday Night Live'' (1975–1980, 1985–present) and produced the ''Late Night (franchise) ...
asked Samberg to try writing a funny skit to showcase Timberlake's singing skills. Although the writing team originally came up with a different idea, Michaels insisted they exploit more of Timberlake's musical side. Inspired by the music they grew up listening to, members of The Lonely Island wanted to write an early 1990s R&B song that was similar to the work of Jodeci, R. Kelly,
the Isley Brothers The Isley Brothers ( ) are an American soul group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, that began as a vocal trio consisting of the brothers O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley in the 1950s. With a career spanning over seven decades, ...
, LeVert, and H-Town. That night, they contacted associate music director Katreese Barnes to help them work on the song; she was later credited as a songwriter and producer. Samberg felt the concept of imitating a 1990s-style band was "a perfect fit" for Timberlake, who was a member of a boy band. The concept of the track was not decided until December 14, when Jorma came up with the "dick in a box" premise. Once the trio agreed the concept was funny enough, they presented a rough draft of the song to Timberlake. A fan of 1990s-style music, Timberlake immediately accepted the song. He was the only one who was confident about the sketch. The trio was having doubts about the crass joke and the bygone musical concept. Timberlake felt it was important to make the song "really singable" and suggested several changes to "Dick in a Box". He came up with the hook and the line "Mid-day at the grocery store", while adding pauses to make the song more catchy. Schaffer suggested adding the three steps of making the box into the lyrics. Samberg, who was feeling nervous when working on the idea with Timberlake, said the singer "took the reigns 'sic''">sic.html" ;"title="'sic">'sic''and schooled us on how to record and make it sound fantastic". The writers finished writing the lyrics within two hours. Like other ''SNL'' sketches, "Dick in a Box" was recorded and produced in a very short time. Samberg and Timberlake recorded their voice track for two hours around midnight on December 14-15, right after finishing the lyrics. They used special equipment, including a $500 microphone, in Samberg's office. Timberlake recalled the crew were laughing frantically during the production and that the "delirium of no sleep" contributed to the song's humor. Although Samberg's voice cracked a few times, Timberlake's easygoing attitude made him more relaxed throughout the recording session. Asa Taccone, Jorma's brother, worked on the track in Los Angeles while the other writers were in New York City. Initially, Jorma gave his brother the specific outline of the track for him to work with, which Asa described as a "cheesy, 90s, Color Me Badd type track". Asa then sent the writers several instrumental tracks and went through each beat with them during phone calls. He was nervous working with Timberlake and felt the process was chaotic because of the limited work time. "It was semi-terrifying having imberlakelisten to my stuff. I was a kid back then. I'm sure the stuff I was playing was mostly terrible," Asa said.
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
was not originally aware of his contribution to the track, so Jorma paid him $60 for it.


Music video

After listening to the finished audio track, Barnes felt it would "be a big hit" if they had an equally funny video for it. The
music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
for "Dick in a Box" was filmed in New York City in a day and a half. The crew spent December 15 filming the video. Timberlake left occasionally to prepare for the show; they finished the session at 3:00 AM the following morning. Schaffer directed the video with Jorma's assistance. Indoor scenes were filmed in
Studio 8H Studio 8H is a television studio located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, United States. The studio is a part of NBC Studios (New York City), NBC Studios, the home of the NBC television network, located at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. It is most not ...
, ''SNL''s permanent set. Timberlake and Samberg sported wigs and fake short beards for the video. Schaffer felt the filming process was both frightening and funny, saying, "We knew it was a really dumb idea and we weren't sure if we were even gonna get away with it on the air, but once we were actually making it, it was just super fun!" Members of The Lonely Island wanted to do the filming as quickly as they could, since Timberlake was busy with other hosting gigs and sketches. Kristen Wiig and
Maya Rudolph Maya Khabira Rudolph (born July 27, 1972) is an American actress and comedian. In 2000, she became a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL''). During her tenure on the show, she appeared in supporting roles in ...
played the duo's lovers. Wiig felt the song would be a hit after hearing it and seeing the film set. It was not until 4:00 PM on December 16, less than eight hours before it was to go live, that the video was ready to be shown to NBC executive Rick Ludwin. The video begins with Samberg and Rudolph sitting in front of a fireplace. Samberg says he has a Christmas gift for her and instructs her to "just sit down and listen". The balladeers are wearing silk suits, jewel-toned
rayon Rayon, also called viscose and commercialised in some countries as sabra silk or cactus silk, is a semi-synthetic fiber made from natural sources of regenerated cellulose fiber, cellulose, such as wood and related agricultural products. It has t ...
shirts, herringbone chains, trimmed goatees, and sunglasses. The men each give their lovers a box with their
penis A penis (; : penises or penes) is a sex organ through which male and hermaphrodite animals expel semen during copulation (zoology), copulation, and through which male placental mammals and marsupials also Urination, urinate. The term ''pen ...
inside as a present, and ask them to open it and look inside. The singers stroke their goatees and pose with each displaying a gift-wrapped box attached to his groin. Their girlfriends seem aroused and excited by their presents, while the men aggressively rub roses and feathers in the women's faces. Near the chorus, the men sing about how their presents are better than other gifts, such as diamond rings, fancy cars, or luxury houses. The duo suggest their present is suitable for all holidays, including
Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...
,
Hanukkah Hanukkah (, ; ''Ḥănukkā'' ) is a Jewish holidays, Jewish festival commemorating the recovery of Jerusalem and subsequent rededication of the Second Temple at the beginning of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire in the 2nd ce ...
, and Kwanzaa. At one point, they give step-by-step instructions on how to create the gift. The video cuts between scenes of Samberg and Timberlake dancing and singing in various urban landscapes—on the West Side of Manhattan in Hudson River Park, on a ferry in front of the
East River The East River is a saltwater Estuary, tidal estuary or strait in New York City. The waterway, which is not a river despite its name, connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island, ...
, and on a basketball court, where Timberlake is seen hanging from a basketball hoop with a gift box on his crotch. At the end of the video, the men sing about giving the present on multiple occasions—at their parents' houses, the grocery store, and backstage at the
Country Music Association Awards The Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards or CMAs, are presented to country music artists and broadcasters to recognize outstanding achievement in the country music industry. The televised annual presentation ceremony f ...
—while being arrested by the
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(NYPD), presumably for
indecent exposure Indecent exposure is the deliberate public exposure by a person of a portion of their body in a manner contrary to local standards of appropriate behavior. Laws and social attitudes regarding indecent exposure vary significantly in different ...
.


Composition

"Dick in a Box" is an R&B song with a runtime of 2:41. According to Universal Music Publishing Group's digital sheet music for the song, "Dick in a Box" is composed in the key of
C minor C minor is a minor scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature consists of three flats. Its relative major is E major and its parallel major is C major. The C natural minor scale is: Cha ...
and set in
common time A time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, and measure signature) is an indication in music notation that specifies how many note values of a particular type fit into each measure ( bar). The time signature indicates the ...
signature, with a moderately slow
groove Groove or Grooves may refer to: Music * Groove (music) * Groove (drumming) * The Groove (band), an Australian rock/pop band of the 1960s * The Groove (Sirius XM), a US radio station * Groove 101.7FM, a former Perth, Australia, radio station ...
of 80
beats per minute Beat, beats, or beating may refer to: Common uses * Assault, inflicting physical harm or unwanted physical contact * Battery (crime), a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact * Battery (tort), a civil wrong in common law of in ...
. The vocals span two octaves, from C4 up to C6.
Music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...
compared the track to the work of Color Me Badd, noting the song's spoken-word breakdown and the way the last syllables of the
refrain A refrain (from Vulgar Latin ''refringere'', "to repeat", and later from Old French ''refraindre'') is the Line (poetry)">line or lines that are repeated in poetry or in music">poetry.html" ;"title="Line (poetry)">line or lines that are repeat ...
go increasingly up. '' Idolator''s Noah wrote the track is a "slightly more up-front–and generously
Yule Yule is a winter festival historically observed by the Germanic peoples that was incorporated into Christmas during the Christianisation of the Germanic peoples. In present times adherents of some new religious movements (such as Modern ...
tide-themed" version of Color Me Badd's " I Wanna Sex You Up" (1991). Critics also found the R&B track was influenced by American groups
New Kids on the Block New Kids on the Block (also initialized as NKOTB) is an American boy band from Dorchester, Massachusetts. The band consists of brothers Jonathan and Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood. New Kids on the Block had ...
, Hall & Oates, and
Backstreet Boys Backstreet Boys (often abbreviated as BSB) are an American vocal group consisting of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, and cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson (musician), Kevin Richardson. The band formed in 1993 in Orlando, Flori ...
. David Jeffries of
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
described "Dick in a Box" as an imitation of
teen pop Teen pop is a sub genre of pop music that is created, marketed and oriented towards Preadolescence, preteens and teenagers.Lamb, Bill"Teen Pop". About.com. Retrieved January 28, 2007. Often, the artists themselves are teenagers during their break ...
, while Stephen Saito of ''
Premiere A premiere, also spelled première, (from , ) is the debut (first public presentation) of a work, i.e. play, film, dance, musical composition, or even a performer in that work. History Raymond F. Betts attributes the introduction of the ...
'' called the
slow jam A slow jam is music with rhythm and blues and soul influences. Slow jams are commonly R&B ballads or downtempo songs, and are mostly soft-sounding with heavily emotional or romantic lyrical content. The earliest known use of the term is from a ...
"an ode to the phallic present for all occasions". Chris Mincher of ''
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'' and Stuart McGurk of '' GQ'' viewed it as a midtempo synth rock track that soundtracks a rapidly unfolding horror. "Dick in a Box" has been described as a
Christmas song Christmas music comprises a variety of Music genre, genres of music regularly performed or heard around the Christmas and holiday season, Christmas season. Music associated with Christmas may be purely instrumental, or in the case of Christmas ...
by critics, including Mincher who highlighted its release in the special Christmas episode of ''SNL''. Ross Bonaime of '' Paste'' referred to it is a hybrid between "a Christmas song, a '90s R&B
parody A parody is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satire, satirical or irony, ironic imitation. Often its subject is an Originality, original work or some aspect of it (theme/content, author, style, e ...
and a joke about bad gift giving". Believed the sketch qualified as a Christmas film, Matthew Dessem of ''
Slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous, metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade, regional metamorphism. It is the finest-grained foliated metamorphic ro ...
'' pointed out the Christmas setting and the theme surrounding Christmas presents, as well as the non-Christmas holidays mentioned in the song all take place around Christmas.


Premise and themes

The music the songwriters grew up listening to inspired "Dick in a Box". They wanted to make a parody of the members of a 1990s R&B group, who were still stuck in that era. It follows the tone of other songs by The Lonely Island, which focus on mundane characters who express themselves aggressively about their daily lives. The fictional duo was named 2:30 AM, which Timberlake explained is the time (until 5:00 AM) when "really strong lovemaking happens". Despite referring to 1990s R&B style music, Timberlake said the sketch was not "parodying anyone in particular". Timberlake explained the premise, where the characters genuinely give their genitalia as Christmas presents to their lovers, aimed for comedic effect, while making the characters even more ridiculous. He thought initially the idea was creepy but still pursued it. The premise was based on dick jokes and some men's habit of putting their penises in unusual things. "It's nothing new. Guys have been putting their dicks in boxes since
caveman The caveman is a stock character representative of primitive humans in the Paleolithic. The popularization of the type dates to the early 20th century, when Neanderthals were influentially described as " simian" or " ape-like" by Marcellin B ...
days," Schaffer said. Despite not trying it himself, Samberg had heard stories from other people doing similar things with bad results. Jorma said a scene in the 1982
Barry Levinson Barry Lee Levinson (born April 6, 1942) is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Levinson won the Academy Award for Best Director for '' Rain Man'' (1988). His other best-known works are ''Diner'' (1982), '' The Natural'' (1984 ...
film ''
Diner A diner is a type of restaurant found across the United States and Canada, as well as parts of Western Europe and Australia. Diners offer a wide range of cuisine, mostly American cuisine, a casual atmosphere, and, characteristically, a comb ...
'', in which
Mickey Rourke Philip Andre "Mickey" Rourke Jr. ( ; born September 16, 1952) is an American actor and former professional Boxing, boxer who has appeared primarily as a leading actor, leading man in drama, action, and thriller films. In a Mickey Rourke filmogra ...
's character tricks his date into
groping Groping is a form of sexual harassment involving the intentional inappropriate touching of another person commonly without their consent. The term generally has a negative connotation in many societies. Touching a consenting person's body d ...
him by placing his penis inside a box of popcorn at a movie theater also inspired the premise. An identical act can be found in a scene of '' La Boum'' (1980), directed by
Claude Pinoteau Claude Pinoteau (; 25 May 1925 – 5 October 2012) was a French film director and scriptwriter. Born in Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts de Seine, Île-de-France (region), Île-de-France, France. He died in Neuilly-sur-Seine, aged 87. (in French) ...
. Mincher felt the act was "so absurd (and unexpectedly raunchy) that few watching it live could see it coming". Critics have offered various interpretations of "Dick in a Box". Penny Spirou in ''Music in Comedy Television: Notes on Laughs'' (2017) and Virginia Heffernan of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' viewed the sketch as a
satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of exposin ...
of "the bad faith of the pandering R&B foreplay songs", which was made to trick a women's desire for comfort, until she "opens that nicely wrapped present". Heffernan also linked the content to Timberlake's public image in the 2000s, saying, "He's all sweet, but he gets what he wants. And no one, not even Janet Jackson, stands in his way... he audienceshave decided, for now, that he's cooler than they thought."
Terry Gross Terry Gross (born February 14, 1951) is an American journalist who is the host and co-executive producer of '' Fresh Air'', an interview-based radio show produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia and distributed nationally by NPR. Since joining NP ...
of ''
Fresh Air ''Fresh Air'' is an American radio talk show broadcast on National Public Radio stations across the United States since 1985. It is produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The show's hosts are Terry Gross and Tonya Mosl ...
'' opined the sketch is a parody of male narcissism, in which the characters suggest "the greatest gift mancould give to a lady is a very special lovemaking". She noted the singers emphasize "how great ''he'' is, not how much he loves his girlfriend, but really how much he loves himself". Mincher argued that besides the joke about men's obsession with their own genitalia, the sketch pokes fun at several men's gift-giving mistakes. A man believes he is the greatest present his girlfriend could receive, implying a woman should provide sexual favors for her man. He dismisses more expensive presents as superficial. Mincher suggests the sketch is a product of male fantasy detached from the reality of relationships.


Release

The video for "Dick in a Box" was sent to NBC executive Rick Ludwin after the raw editing had been finished at 4:00 PM on December 16. The
Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains j ...
(FCC) took issue with the actors saying "dick" on-air and wanted to stop the sketch's screening. ''SNL'' producers came to an agreement with the FCC that the song could be aired with the word bleeped out. However, since the FCC has no jurisdiction over the content on the internet, the producers asked Ludwin to make the uncensored version available online. Ludwin, who was initially hesitant about the idea, watched the footage with a representative from the NBC legal department. He found the sketch funny and realized that those searching on the internet specifically for the video would not be upset by its content. He sought final approval for the uncensored sketch from Kevin Reilly, the president of NBC Entertainment, and
Jeff Zucker Jeffrey Adam Zucker (born April 9, 1965) is an American businessman and media executive. Zucker was the president of CNN Worldwide from 2013 to 2022. He oversaw CNN, CNN International, HLN, and CNN Digital. He was previously CEO of NBCUniver ...
, the chief executive of NBCUniversal Television Group—both of whom approved the idea. Editing continued on the video for the rest of the day, in time for its television debut. "Dick in a Box" premiered as a Digital Short on the Christmas episode of the 32nd season of ''SNL'', which aired on December 16, 2006. NBC bleeped the word "dick" 16 times as agreed with the FCC. After the broadcast concluded at 1:00 AM on December 17, both the censored and uncensored versions of the sketch were made available on NBC's website and YouTube channel, under the heading "Special Treat in a Box" or "Special Christmas Box". A cautionary warning was shown at the beginning of the unbleeped version, while viewers had to affirm they were over 18 to access the video. Besides the official video uploaded by NBC, bootleg copies of the clip were being removed from YouTube at the network's request. The release made ''SNL'' the first scripted comedy show on a
broadcast network A terrestrial network (or broadcast network in the United States) is a group of radio stations, television stations, or other electronic media outlets, that form an agreement to air, or broadcast, content from a centralized source. For example, ...
to use the internet to avoid FCC control over its explicit content. On December 21, the
Parents Television Council The Parents Television and Media Council (PTMC), formerly the Parents Television Council (PTC), is an American media advocacy group founded by Conservatism in the United States, conservative political pundit L. Brent Bozell III in 1995, which ...
(PTC) called on NBC and asked the network to explain the decision to post both versions of the song online. L. Brent Bozell, the president of the PTC, said that the video is "a new low for NBC" and the online release "is blatantly irresponsible and unacceptable". In an interview published by ''The New York Times'' the same day, Michaels said that posting the equivalent of a " director's cut" of his late-night show on the internet "will be the exception" in the future. He believed other shows and networks would be likely to follow NBC's lead in making inappropriate-for-TV material available online, saying. "Now that the door has been opened, some things will go through it." Days after "Dick in a Box" was released, Samberg expressed his interest in creating an album full of comedy hip hop and R&B songs. "It's something we've always wanted to do and we've been working on putting it together," Samberg said. Universal Republic released the album, titled ''
Incredibad ''Incredibad'' is the debut studio album of the American comedy troupe The Lonely Island, released on February 10, 2009, through Universal Republic Records. Composed of writers and childhood best friends Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma ...
'', on February 10, 2009. The album included 14 new tracks the trio recorded while living together in Encino, Los Angeles, during the summer of 2009. "Dick in a Box" was one of five ''SNL'' Digital Shorts on the album, with "Lazy Sunday", "Natalie's Rap", "Ras Trent", and "Space Olympics". This was made possible because of the partnership between NBC and Broadway Video that gave Universal Republic the rights to release these videos. It was the first time these sketches had been released without a
laugh track A laugh track (or laughter track) is an audio recording consisting of laughter (and other audience reactions) usually used as a separate soundtrack for comedy productions. The laugh track may contain live audience reactions or artificial laught ...
. "We spend so much time getting stuff to sound good... but nobody has ever really heard a clean version of those songs," Jorma said. Before the album's release, the
lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...
"
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''. The ...
" was broadcast and released digitally in December 2008, followed by the first-ever digital release of "Dick in a Box" on
iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...
and
Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...
on January 27, 2009. "Dick in a Box" later appeared on the ''Saturday Night Live – The Best of '06–'07'' extra DVD, released in March 2008.


Public reaction

The ''SNL'' episode received a 5.3/13  Nielsen rating/share in the 18–49 demographic, and attracted seven million American viewers during its initial broadcast, one of the show's highest ratings for a Christmas episode. According to the ''
New York Daily News The ''Daily News'' is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, New Jersey. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson in New York City as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in Tabloid (newspaper format ...
'', less than a week after its online release, the uncensored version of the sketch had been viewed over 320,000 times on NBC's website and 3.5 million times on YouTube. Thanks to a partnership between NBC and YouTube, the video quickly became one of the 20 most-viewed on the site and one of the quickest viral hits of 2006. It generated 7.5 million views in one week at the end of December. According to online video analytics site Vidmeter, there were at least 18 identical copies of "Dick in a Box" posted to various YouTube and Google Video accounts, bringing the total views to over 20 million as of February 2007. The official uncensored video garnered more than 15,000 comments and 28 million views (34.9 million views when combined with other versions) before NBC took down its YouTube channel in preparation for the launch of
Hulu Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...
on October 21. On December 23, 2008, "Dick in a Box" appeared at number nine on the ''Guardian'' Viral Video Chart: Christmas Special showing the year's top viral videos, compiled by ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' and viralvideochart.com. An official video of the sketch was uploaded again on YouTube in December 2018, which had garnered 5.5 million views as of April 2020. Following its release as a digital single in January 2009, "Dick in a Box" debuted at number 82 on the
Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine. It was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007 as the standard record chart in Canada; a new chart ...
and number 48 on the ''Billboard'' Canadian Digital Song Sales chart. Both were The Lonely Island's first entries on the charts. In late June, the single peaked at number 61 on the
Australian Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian record chart, music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA beca ...
, the third track from ''Incredibad'' to appear on the chart after the top 10 entries "Jizz in My Pants" and " I'm on a Boat". In January 2011, "Dick in a Box" peaked at number eight on the ''Billboard'' Comedy Digital Track Sales. Following the rebroadcast of "Dick in a Box" on ''SNL'', the FCC received several complaints from viewers about the sketch. A report in ''
The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 185 ...
'' showed that "Dick in a Box" and "Djesus Uncrossed," a
2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
parody of '' Django Unchained'' starring Christoph Waltz, were the most frequent targets of complaint letters sent to the FCC about ''SNL'' by viewers from 2012 to 2015. Most of the letters were suspicious of Timberlake's appearance after his part in the Janet Jackson controversy at the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show.


Critical reception

"Dick in a Box" received generally positive reviews from
television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...
and music critics. Annie Wu of ''
TV Squad Weblogs, Inc. was a blog network that published content on a variety of subjects, including tech news, video games, automobiles, and pop culture. At one point, the network had as many as 90 blogs, although the vast majority of its traffic could b ...
'' was "laughing erhead off" while watching the sketch and was impressed with Timberlake's performance. Palmer wrote that Timberlake and Samberg had "given new meaning to 'giving of yourself' and 'package' with the perfect gift for that special someone". Both Wu and Palmer were confused about the sketch's title and content during the broadcast. Palmer called the censored version pointless. Gilbert Cruz of ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' thought the sketch was a nice way "to cap off what has been a fantastic year for imberlake and suggested ''SNL'' should focus more on the Digital Shorts. Tom Hall of IndieWire praised the Digital Short as the highlight of the show, while Mark Lore of '' News & Review'' felt the track was Timberlake's best work since " Rock Your Body" (2003). Adam Sternbergh of '' New York'' magazine described it as "by far the most hilarious Timberlake–starring, Kwanzaa-referencing, Color Me Badd–parodying, 'put your junk in that box'–instructing short video you will ever see". Larry Carroll of
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
called the song "the closest to 'Lazy Sunday' that we've seen yet". He praised the "dead-on spoof of that musical time period" and Wiig's brief cameo, and concluded, "Mr. Timberlake brought a very special package to us all this year, and he didn't even have it attached to his crotch." Heffernan said that Timberlake " ealedhis triumph when he managed to score a cherished asset: a holiday classic". She commended the joke as both mindless fun and imaginative. Several critics chose the sketch as the funniest moment of the episode, including Larry Carroll, Matt Dentler of IndieWire, and a writer from '' Rap-Up''. Joel Keller of ''TV Squad'' picked the sketch as one of the best television moments in 2006, while Brian Zoromski of ''IGN'' listed the sketch as his favorite Digital Short and the most memorable moment of the year on ''SNL''. Critics have recognized retrospectively that "Dick in a Box" is one of the best Christmas-themed ''SNL'' sketches. Bonaime wrote the sketch is cheerfully egotistical and "might be the pinnacle of the Digital Short's success". Tara Aquino of
VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...
labeled the track as "
The Christmas Song "The Christmas Song" (commonly subtitled "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire" or, as it was originally subtitled, "Merry Christmas to You") is a Christmas song written in 1945 by Robert Wells (songwriter), Robert Wells and Mel Tormé. The Nat K ...
" for
millennials Millennials, also known as Generation Y or Gen Y, are the demographic cohort following Generation X and preceding Generation Z. Researchers and popular media use the early 1980s as starting birth years and the mid-1990s to early 2000s a ...
that should "make its way to every station come December 1st". Eric Spitznagel of '' Vanity Fair'' wrote the track is as recognizable as
Steve Martin Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American comedian, actor, writer, producer, and musician. Known for Steve Martin filmography, his work in comedy films, television, and #Discography, recording, he has received List of awards a ...
's " King Tut" (1978). Jody Rosen of ''Vulture'' commended the track as a "sublime cultural artifact that deserves to be in the next time capsule that
NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...
shoots off toward
Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the List of Solar System objects by size, largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a Jupiter mass, mass more than 2.5 times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined a ...
". Hillary Busis of ''Entertainment Weekly'' ranked the track as Timberlake's best moment on ''SNL'', calling it hilarious and "largely responsible for Timberlake's stellar hosting reputation". ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' hailed it as one of the show's best musical moments, along with "Lazy Sunday". ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' listed the skit at number three on their 50 Greatest ''Saturday Night Live'' Sketches of All Time list, calling it Timberlake's best song post-''FutureSex/LoveSounds''. On July 19, 2007, it was announced that "Dick in a Box" had received a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics. Other nominees in the category included " My Drunken Irish Dad" (from ''
Family Guy ''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series premiered on January 31, 1999, following Super Bowl XXXIII, with the rest of the first season airing from April 11, 1999. Th ...
''), "Merry Ex-Mas" (from ''
MADtv ''Mad TV'' (stylized as ''MADtv'') is an American sketch comedy television series created by David Salzman, Fax Bahr, and Adam Small. Loosely based on the humor magazine '' Mad'', ''Mad TVs pre-taped satirical sketches were primarily parodie ...
''), "Everything Comes Down to Poo", and "Guy Love" (both from '' Scrubs''). The songwriters won the award at the 59th Primetime Creative Arts ceremony on September 8. "Dick in a Box" was credited for setting a precedent for more explicit material to earn nominations and win in the Emmy music-related categories.


Live performances and usage in media

On February 7, 2007, Timberlake and Samberg gave a surprise performance of "Dick in a Box" for the first time at the
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...
during Timberlake's concert tour FutureSex/LoveShow. The duo sang in front of a sold-out stadium of 18,000 people, including rapper P. Diddy,
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
and his wife Melania. They performed the track as an encore, beginning with an announcer introducing them as a new band that had "the most-watched video on YouTube". The singers wore the characters' costumes and facial hair from the sketch, with a gift box attached below the belt. Samberg changed the holiday lyrics to "
Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring a Christian martyrs, martyr named Saint Valentine, Valentine, and ...
...
Flag Day A flag day is a flag-related holiday, a day designated for flying a certain flag (such as a national flag) or a day set aside to celebrate a historical event such as a nation's adoption of its flag. Flag days are usually codified in national s ...
... Kwanzaa", while Timberlake was giggling as he delivered the
deadpan Deadpan, dry humour, or dry-wit humour is the deliberate display of emotional neutrality or no emotion, commonly as a form of Comedy, comedic delivery to contrast with the ridiculousness or absurdity of the subject matter. The delivery is meant t ...
lines. At one point, Timberlake fell on his knee and sang the line "All across America, a dick in a box." After the song, Timberlake came back onstage and apologized, "I'm sorry if I offended some of you, but I could not resist." ''Billboard'' felt the surprise performance "was hilarious if wholly unnecessary". Caryn Ganz of
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
wrote that the singers struggled with the nasal vocal performance and the song "landed a bit awkwardly in context". Ganz, however, noted that the audience "went truly berserk" with the performance. Amelia McDonell-Parry of ''Rolling Stone'' wrote "Samberg hardly has the pipes to fill an arena, but no one seemed to mind." Timberlake, who was absent during the Primetime Creative Arts ceremony on September 8, celebrated after being notified of his Emmy win by performing a piano rendition of the song at the
Tacoma Dome The Tacoma Dome is an indoor multi-purpose arena in Tacoma, Washington, United States. It is located south of Downtown Tacoma, adjacent to Interstate 5 in Washington, Interstate 5 and Tacoma Dome Station. It is currently used for basketball tou ...
, Washington. Samberg was willing to perform "Dick in a Box" with Timberlake at the main 59th Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony, held in Los Angeles on September 16. The Emmy Awards producers were reportedly unsure about airing the explicit content and asked the duo to come up with a more family-friendly version of the track. The singers rejected the idea, and the performance was canceled. In February 2025, Samberg performed "Dick in a Box" with
Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influ ...
during SNL's Homecoming Concert, a special musical event in celebration of the show's 50th anniversary. The online release of "Dick in a Box" resulted in many users filming response videos on YouTube, in which they either present their own gift box or give instructions on how to do the box. Leah Kauffman, who was a
Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist ministe ...
student, wrote and recorded a parody from the female perspective of the sketch, titled "My Box in a Box". The track's music video showed a woman
lip sync Lip sync or lip synch (pronounced , like the word ''sink'', despite the Hard and soft C, spelling of the participial forms ''synced'' and ''syncing''), short for lip synchronization, is a technical term for matching a Speech, speaking or singin ...
to Kauffman's vocals and dance around with a gift-wrapped box in front of her crotch. The video had attracted more than three million views by January 2007. American band
Umphrey's McGee Umphrey's McGee, sometimes stylized as UM, is an American rock band originally from South Bend, Indiana. The band experiments with many musical styles, including rock, metal, funk, jazz, blues, reggae, electronic, bluegrass, country, and ...
covered "Dick in a Box" as an encore on December 31, 2006, at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago. In "
Koi Pond Koi ponds are ponds used for holding koi carp, usually as part of a garden. Koi ponds can be designed specifically to promote health and growth of the Nishikigoi or Japanese Ornamental Carp. Koi ponds or lakes are a traditional feature of Ja ...
", an episode of the sixth season of the American comedy television series ''
The Office ''The Office'' is the title of several mockumentary sitcoms based on a British series originally created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant as '' The Office'' in 2001. The original series also starred Gervais as manager and primary charac ...
'', Michael Scott (portrayed by Steve Carell) dresses in a suit similar to Samberg and Timberlake's characters, with a box wrapped as a present attached to his waist, while slipping a noose around his neck and faking a hanging to scare a group of young visitors. On an episode of ''
The Ellen DeGeneres Show ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Ellen DeGeneres. The show ran for nineteen seasons from September 8, 2003, to May 26, 2022, in which it broadcast 3,339 episodes. It was produced by ...
'', aired in January 2007,
Ellen DeGeneres Ellen Lee DeGeneres ( ; born January 26, 1958) is an American former comedian, actress, television host, writer, and producer. She began her career in stand-up comedy in the early 1980s, gaining national attention with a 1986 appearance on '' ...
performed a jingle for AQUA2GO water drink boxes to the tune of "Dick in a Box". The following month,
Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...
created a virtual gift shop for Valentine's Day that included a box with a bow on top and a hole cut into one of its sides.


Impact

Like "Lazy Sunday", "Dick in a Box" has found a wider audience during its online release than the initial television broadcast. The sketch, which has been rebroadcast over the years, has become one of the most popular ''SNL'' sketches and widely recognized as one of The Lonely Island's
signature song A signature (; from , "to sign") is a depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. Signatures are often, but not always, handwritten or styliz ...
s. The viral video helped solidify The Lonely Island as a stand-alone comic act. In an interview with ''
Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentleman ...
'' in 2013, Samberg said, " ichaelssays the thing you're known for will be in quotes in the middle of your name. He's Lorne 'SNL' Michaels, and I'm Andy 'Dick in a Box' Samberg." Terri Schwartz of IFC opined "'Lazy Sunday' might have been the first Lonely Island Digital Short to be featured on ''SNL'', but it was 'Dick in a Box' that made the Digital Short one of the most anticipated skits on the improv series." Many people have since chosen costumes similar to those of Timberlake and Samberg for
Halloween Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...
. Samberg was flattered by the costume trend, while Wiig was astonished by it, saying, "It was crazy. So I did expect it because I knew it was funny, but you never expect the level to which it goes." Samberg and Timberlake's costumes are also displayed at ''Saturday Night Live: The Exhibition'', an exhibition about a week in the show's life on New York's
Fifth Avenue Fifth Avenue is a major thoroughfare in the borough (New York City), borough of Manhattan in New York City. The avenue runs south from 143rd Street (Manhattan), West 143rd Street in Harlem to Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village. The se ...
. Jorma recalled the working experience with Timberlake has become their standard, saying, "Getting to work with someone as wildly talented as Justin Timberlake, getting to spend maybe four days with him... That was amazing." "Dick in a Box" has inspired many subsequent sketches by The Lonely Island, including the similar-themed "Jizz In My Pants" and "
I Just Had Sex "I Just Had Sex" is a song by American comedy hip hop group The Lonely Island featuring American singer Akon and producer DJ Frank E. It was released as the first single from The Lonely Island's second album, '' Turtleneck & Chain'', released i ...
", and has spawned two sequels, where Timberlake and Samberg reprised their roles. In " Motherlover" (2009), broadcast during the 34th season, the duo sings about their desire to have sex with each other's mothers (played by
Patricia Clarkson Patricia Davies Clarkson (born December 29, 1959) is an American actress. She has starred in numerous leading and supporting roles in a variety of films ranging from independent film features to major film studio productions. Her accolades incl ...
and Susan Sarandon) as a tribute to
Mother's Day Mother's Day is a celebration honoring the mother of the family or individual, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on different days in many parts of the world, most commonly in Mar ...
. They find themselves invited to a threesome with a girl they met at the Payless ShoeSource (played by
Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influ ...
) in season 36's " 3-Way (The Golden Rule)" (2011). "Motherlover" was released as a single in 2011 and appeared on The Lonely Island's second studio album, '' Turtleneck & Chain'' (2011); while "3-Way (The Golden Rule)" was digitally released after the broadcast and appeared on the third studio album, '' The Wack Album'' (2013). The duo also re-appeared on the special 100th Digital Short, which was broadcast in season 37 in May 2012.


Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the
liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or cassette j-cards. Origin Liner notes are descended from the prog ...
of ''Incredibad''. Studio locations * Mixed at Ansons Pocket Studio (Yorktown Heights, New York) * Mastered at The Cutting Room (New York City, New York) Personnel * Andy Samberg lead vocals, songwriting * Akiva Schaffer songwriting * Jorma Taccone songwriting, producer * Asa Taccone songwriting, producer * Justin Timberlake lead vocals, songwriting * Katreese Barnes songwriting, producer * Brian Sperber mixing * Tony Gillis mastering


Charts


Release history


Notes


References


Footnotes


Media notes

* * * * * * * *
Transcript archived on 16 July 2021
* * * *


Print sources

* * * * * * * *


External links

* {{EmmyAward MusicLyrics 2006 songs 2009 singles American Christmas songs Male vocal duets Musical parodies The Lonely Island songs Saturday Night Live sketches Saturday Night Live in the 2000s Songs written by Justin Timberlake Justin Timberlake songs Universal Republic Records singles Viral videos Obscenity controversies in music