Elvis Costello Reveals Truth Behind Infamous 1977 SNL Performance

NEW YORK — Elvis Costello‘s controversial 1977 performance on *Saturday Night Live* has become a legendary moment in television history. Nearly 50 years later, the singer-songwriter is setting the record straight about what really happened that night.

During the Season 3 episode on December 17, 1977, Costello shocked the cast, crew, and audience by abruptly stopping his planned performance of “Less Than Zero” and launching into “Radio, Radio.” The unexpected switch has been mythologized over the decades, with many believing Costello was banned from the show afterward. However, in the new documentary *Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music*, Costello explains the truth behind the infamous moment.

“I had never seen SNL until I was on it,” Costello admitted in the documentary. During the dress rehearsal, he and his band, The Attractions, performed “Less Than Zero,” but Costello felt the song didn’t have enough energy. “I thought it sounded a little too slow,” he said. “It was a medium-tempo song, and I didn’t think it was enough.”

Realizing the show was live, Costello decided to take a risk. “This show is live. We can do anything we want,” he recalled thinking. When the live broadcast began, Costello played a few bars of “Less Than Zero” before stopping and addressing the audience: “I’m sorry ladies and gentlemen, there’s no reason to do this song here.” He then launched into “Radio, Radio,” a song critical of corporate control of the music industry.

The switch stunned everyone in Studio 8H, including SNL creator Lorne Michaels. “I was sitting with [producer] Jean Doumanian on home base, just watching him. And I go, ‘Oh, I think we’re being hijacked,’” Michaels recalled in the documentary. Jane Curtin, a cast member from 1975 to 1980, described the immediate reaction: “When he stopped, the hubbub in the studio was like, ‘Oh my god. Oh my god, what’s happening?’ You could hear it.”

Despite the chaos, Costello insists the move wasn’t premeditated. “All of this stuff, it gets built up as legend in the retelling. But I didn’t come out there to give a political lecture,” he explained. “I came out there to sort of shake it up. As we finished the song, the initial reaction in the moment was, ‘I think we better get out of here.’”

Contrary to popular belief, Costello was never banned from SNL. “Somewhere in it, somebody said in anger, ‘You’ll never work in American television again.’ But the idea that I was banned from television was nonsense,” he said. Costello returned to the show in 1989 to perform “Veronica” and again in 1991. He even reenacted the moment during SNL’s 25th Anniversary Special in 1999, joining the Beastie Boys for their performance of “Sabotage.”

The documentary, co-directed by Questlove and Oz Rodriguez, is part of SNL’s 50th-anniversary celebrations. A three-hour special, *SNL50: The Anniversary Special*, will air live on February 16, 2025, featuring highlights from the show’s history. Peacock will also stream a four-part docuseries leading up to the event.

Costello, now 70, continues to tour and create music, proving that his rebellious spirit remains intact. “I have a lot of music, and a lot of things are coming,” he said in a recent interview. “I do have to [tour]! I do! Not for philosophical reasons, but because it’s my job.”