Marc Cohn‘s signature song “Walking in Memphis” got the Staten Island treatment during Saturday Night Live on Nov. 20.
In a black-and-white musical parody titled “Waking in Staten,” SNL‘s Pete Davidson pays tribute to the New York City borough with the help of rapper Big Wet, who previously appeared alongside the comedian in a Squid Game skit. Sporting black “I (Heart) Staten Island” hoodies, they riff on Staten’s endless bagel and pizza spots before pointing out the area’s enormous amount of cops and pills.
“Put on my bootleg Jordans and get on the train … yeah we got like 80 bagel spots and every block has a pizza place,” Davidson sings. “Yeah, we’re walking in Staten.”
Less than two minutes into the sketch, Cohn reluctantly joins the spoof. “No, I don’t want to be in a parody of my own song,” the singer-songwriter says on a phone call minutes before the airing of SNL. “What do you mean I’m already in it?” The next scene shows Cohn wearing the same black hoodie while standing alongside Davidson and Big Wet, and then seated at a piano wondering if “this strip club used to be a McDonald’s.”
Cohn’s “Walking in Memphis” peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1991.
Moments later in the pre-taped sketch, Wu-Tang Clan’s Method Man joins the mix wearing a Yankees ball cap and giving the middle finger to Boston. While drinking a White Claw in a bar, Method Man is asked by another patron if he’s Italian. “Man, I am tonight!” the rapper shouts.
Watch the “Walking in Staten” musical sketch below, and see the full SNL episode on Hulu here. The streaming service is currently offering a 30-day free trial, which you can sign up for here.
