"Dick in a Box" is a song by the American comedy group The Lonely Island featuring American singer Justin Timberlake. The trio—Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone—co-wrote the song with Timberlake, Katreese Barnes, and Asa Taccone. Barnes and Asa Taccone co-produced it with Jorma Taccone. Saturday Night Live (SNL) creator and producer Lorne Michaels asked Samberg to write a musical sketch for the 2006 Christmas episode with Timberlake, who was returning as both host and musical guest. Samberg developed the concept with other members of the group before working with Timberlake on December 14. They recorded the track around midnight and spent the next day and a half filming the corresponding music video.
The sketch depicts two early 1990s R&B singers, played by Samberg and Timberlake, singing a holiday song about making a Christmas gift for their girlfriends of their penises in boxes. The sketch premiered on SNL as a Digital Short on December 16, 2006. The word "dick" was bleeped 16 times following an agreement with the Federal Communications Commission. SNL producers published an uncensored version of the sketch online right after its broadcast debut, a decision criticized by the Parents Television Council. In 2009, the song was released digitally as a single and included on The Lonely Island's debut studio album, Incredibad.
"Dick in a Box" became a viral hit on the internet, and had generated more than 28 million views on YouTube by October 2007. The song received generally positive reviews from both television and music critics, who praised its raunchy humor and Timberlake's performance. "Dick in a Box" has been recognized retrospectively as The Lonely Island's signature song and one of the best Christmas-themed SNL sketches. The track won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics in 2007, and appeared on the Australian and Canadian single charts in 2009. Samberg and Timberlake reprised their roles in two Digital Shorts sequels, "Motherlover" (2009) and "3-Way (The Golden Rule)" (2011).
Background
Akiva Schaffer, Andy Samberg, and Jorma Taccone met while attending junior high together in Berkeley, California. They decided to move to Los Angeles in September 2000 and formed the comedy trio The Lonely Island, named after the nickname they gave to the apartment they shared. They hosted several short films on their website before signing to the variety show Saturday Night Live (SNL) in late August 2005. Samberg was promoted as a performing member for the 32nd season, while Taccone and Schaffer joined the show as writers. In December, the trio wrote and recorded "Lazy Sunday" with fellow cast member Chris Parnell, which was broadcast as their second Digital Short. The gangsta rap song received over five million views on YouTube by February 2006, becoming the first television clip to go viral on the online video platform. The track's popularity contributed to the success of YouTube and reintroduced SNL to a younger audience.
Justin Timberlake first appeared on SNL as a musical guest in 2000, performing as a member of the American boy band NSYNC. He subsequently appeared as both host and musical guest in an episode in October 2003, in which he demonstrated his acting potential with an impression of Jessica Simpson and his work with Jimmy Fallon on The Barry Gibb Talk Show sketch. "Hosting SNL was something I'd always wanted to do. The show allowed me to play to my strengths—mixing music with comedy seemed like a way into that world", Timberlake recalled. After the show, he received several acting offers and spent the next two years launching his acting career. He shot four films, including Edison Force (2005) and Alpha Dog (2006), before working on his second studio album FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006). In late November 2006, Timberlake announced his return to SNL for the December 16 episode as host and musical guest.