Song of the Day 5/4: Bill Murray (as Nick Winters), “Star Wars”
Nowadays, after nine feature-length films and spinoff series galore, it’s hard to remember what a big deal the original Star Wars was when it came out in 1977. That was so long ago in the Lucasverse that “Star Wars” was the film’s full name.
“Saturday Night Live” was in its third season in 1978, and Bill Murray was breaking out as its star thanks to recurring characters like Nick the lounge singer – his last name changed with every gig – an exercise in what years later would be called cringe comedy. Nick would engage the audience in embarrassing banter before breaking into incongruous song, and giving lyrics to famous instrumentals was a specialty. This one went down in comedy history.
For context, here’s the full 7-minute sketch, which closes with the Star Wars theme. Even after years of watching Ricky Gervais and Larry David, this still brings a cringe.
Oscar Isaac, who proved he can play guitar and sing when he starred in “Inside Llewyn Davis,” also had a co-starring role in the final trilogy. He updated Murray’s lyrics in a video he shot for GQ magazine in 2015.
