| "Jack Sparrow" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by The Lonely Island featuring Michael Bolton | ||||
| from the album Turtleneck & Chain | ||||
| Released | May 7, 2011 | |||
| Recorded | 2011 | |||
| Length | 3:07 | |||
| Label | Universal Republic | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, Jorma Taccone, Michael Woods | |||
| Producer(s) | Michael Woods | |||
| The Lonely Island singles chronology | ||||
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| Michael Bolton singles chronology | ||||
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"Jack Sparrow" is a song by American comedy troupe The Lonely Island featuring singer-songwriter Michael Bolton. The song and music video debuted on Saturday Night Live as an SNL Digital Short on May 7, 2011. The plot follows the troupe inviting Bolton to work on a new hip hop track, in which the members rap about meeting at a club and taking women home. Bolton ruins the group's song by instead singing choruses about the Pirates of the Caribbean film series and its primary protagonist Captain Jack Sparrow, but also with references to Forrest Gump, Erin Brockovich, Scarface and Jerry Maguire.
The track was written by The Lonely Island during the production process of their second album, Turtleneck & Chain, in the summer of 2010. With an initial premise concluded, the members settled on contacting Bolton to make an appearance for the track. The trio relentlessly begged Bolton, who was initially uneasy to commit due to the track's coarse language. After recording the track, the troupe recorded a music video with Bolton as Jack Sparrow, protagonist of the aforementioned film series. The clip, on which Bolton noted the trio intended to go "above and beyond", was recorded over two days. After its initial debut as an SNL Digital Short, the video was uploaded to YouTube and subsequently attained much online popularity, amassing more than 235 million views as of October 2023.[1] In addition to its status as a viral hit, the song has received positive reviews from many media commentators and independent reviewers.[2][3][4][5][6]
- ^ Jack Sparrow (feat. Michael Bolton), May 7, 2011, retrieved October 27, 2023
- ^ "Watch: The Lonely Island ft. Michael Bolton - "Jack Sparrow"". Consequence. May 8, 2011. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
- ^ "Watch the Video for the Lonely Island's Collaboration With Michael Bolton: "Jack Sparrow"". Pitchfork. May 9, 2011. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
- ^ elenasquareeyes (April 11, 2018). "J is for Jack Sparrow by The Lonely Island ft. Michael Bolton". Elena Square Eyes. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
- ^ "The Lonely Island Featuring Michael Bolton - Jack Sparrow". Critic Jonni. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
- ^ "The Lonely Island "Jack Sparrow" (ft. Michael Bolton) (video) | Exclaim!". exclaim.ca. Retrieved July 19, 2022.