We can only hope glasses of ice water were distributed to those lucky enough to sit in Studio 8H for Saturday night’s episode of Saturday Night Live. As if Bridgerton‘s “dreamboat Duke” Regé-Jean Page appearing as an “extremely hot sex man” guest host (as Aidy Bryant put it) weren’t enough, musical guest Bad Bunny put things over the top in the hunk department.
The 26-year-old Puerto Rican singer (whose non-malicious leporine name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio) opened big, sharing the stage with Rosalía, the 27-year-old singer from Barcelona, Spain, performing their just-dropped single “La Noche de Anoche.” Its 6.63 million Spotify streams on its first day was a record for a Spanish-language song.
“La Noche de Anoche” translates as “Last Night’s Night,” but one hardly needs a Spanish-to-English phrasebook to understand what’s happening between these two. Were this a Max Fleischer cartoon, all of us viewing on the couch would have our mouths agape making olde timey car horn sounds.
The song was co-written by Bad Bunny, Rosalía, Chris Jeday, and Tainy, and the lyrics concern two lovers recounting their first night of intimacy.
The clip is below.
Fans had a good time reacting on social media as I am sure you can imagine.
Musical guests singing in languages other than English are rare on SNL, but not unheard of. BTS sang in Korean in 2019, Shakira and Alejandro Sanz performed “La Tortura” in Spanish in 2005, Luciano Pavarotti sang in Latin (!) in 1998, and the Gipsy Kings sang their Spanish hit “Bamboléo” in 1989. When Queen Ida & the Bon Temps Zydeco Band performed in 1985, they most likely sang in French, but video evidence is hard to come by. It’s entirely possible The Pogues slipped in a little Gaelic during their 1990 St. Patrick’s Day performance; it’s hard to understand exactly what Shane MacGowan is saying.
More Great Stories From Vanity Fair
— Carl Lentz and the Trouble at Hillsong
— How Kate Middleton’s Fashion Could Change When She Becomes Queen
— Britney Spears and the Mainstream Media’s Matt Lauer Problem
— Meena Harris, Reluctant Influencer, Wants to Democratize Who Holds Sway
— The Joy and Agony of Being @deuxmoi, Instagram’s Accidental Gossip Queen
— Meghan and Harry’s Pregnancy Announcement Is a “Testament to Their Joy”
— 13 Essential Items Inspired by Fran Lebowitz
— From the Archive: How #freebritney Started as a Meme and Grew Into a Movement
— Not a subscriber? Join Vanity Fair to receive full access to VF.com and the complete online archive now.