When Sabrina Carpenter appeared in the opening moments of the Saturday Night Live 50th anniversary special earlier this year, she’d previously performed on SNL exactly once. But there she was, singing “Homeward Bound” with Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Paul Simon, who has made multiple appearances on the show since its second episode. Now, SNL boss Lorne Michaels has revealed how he made the decision to put the two together for that big moment.
Speaking to the showbiz industry newsletter Puck, Michaels said he wanted Simon to perform “Homeward Bound” at the all-star concert at Radio City Music Hall that took place a couple days before the 50th anniversary show. But at the same time, Michaels said, Sabrina contacted Simon about singing with her on her Netflix Christmas special.
According to Michaels, Simon told him, “I don’t think I want to do that. Would you take that to Radio City?” So, Michaels explained, “[The opening] started back then, it was in my head. And then it migrated [to the anniversary show].”
Michaels said “Homeward Bound” “worked perfectly,” noting, “It resonated with the audience that was there because for a lot of them, [SNL] was a home for five to 10 years. [The pairing] let the audience know what the show is. It’s now and it’s then.”
However, Michaels said, Sabrina requested a lyric change. “I don’t know whether you noticed it, but the original lyric [to ‘Homeward Bound’] is ‘cigarettes and magazines,’” Michaels said.
Specifically, the lyric is, “And every day’s an endless stream of cigarettes and magazines.” Instead the two sang “airport lounges, magazines.”
“Paul changed it because [Sabrina] didn’t want to sing ‘cigarettes,'” Michaels shared. “And I thought, ‘Oh, that’s the difference in this generation.’”
Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
