"Dick in a Box" | |||||||||||
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Single by The Lonely Island featuring Justin Timberlake | |||||||||||
from the album Incredibad | |||||||||||
Released | December 16, 2006 | ||||||||||
Format | Digital download | ||||||||||
Recorded | November 2006 | ||||||||||
Genre | Comedy, R&B | ||||||||||
Length | 2:41 | ||||||||||
Label | Universal Republic | ||||||||||
Writer(s) | Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, Jorma Taccone, Asa Taccone, Justin Timberlake, Katreese Barnes | ||||||||||
Producer(s) | Jorma Taccone, Katreese Barnes, Asa Taccone | ||||||||||
The Lonely Island singles chronology | |||||||||||
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"Motherlover" | |||||||||||
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Single by The Lonely Island featuring Justin Timberlake | |||||||||||
from the album Turtleneck & Chain | |||||||||||
Released | May 9, 2009 (broadcast) April 19, 2011 (single) |
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Format | Digital download | ||||||||||
Recorded | May 7–8, 2009 | ||||||||||
Length | 2:49 | ||||||||||
Label | Universal Republic | ||||||||||
Writer(s) | Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, Jorma Taccone, Drew Campbell, Asa Taccone, Justin Timberlake | ||||||||||
Producer(s) | No I.D., Justin Timberlake, Drew Money | ||||||||||
The Lonely Island singles chronology | |||||||||||
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"Dick in a Box" is the debut single by American comedy troupe The Lonely Island, featuring singer Justin Timberlake. The song and music video debuted on Saturday Night Live as an SNL Digital Short on December 16, 2006. The video depicts two early-1990s R&B ballad singers Andy (Andy Samberg) and Raif (Justin Timberlake) crooning a holiday song about making a gift for their girlfriends of their penises wrapped in boxes (strategically placed) topped with bows.
The song originated from Saturday Night Live executive producer Lorne Michaels, who asked Samberg to write a track to showcase Timberlake's singing abilities. "Dick in a Box" was recorded in one night while its music video filmed the following day. After being screened by NBC executives for content, the short debuted less than a few hours later. In its original network airing, the word "dick", a recurring word in the chorus, was bleeped 16 times.
Saturday Night Live producers made the decision to publish the uncensored version of the short online after its broadcast debut under the titles “Special Treat in a Box” or “Special Christmas Box”. Like its predecessor, "Lazy Sunday", "Dick in a Box" became a major viral hit on the Internet. It received a very favorable audience and critical reception. The song won the Creative Arts Emmy Award for Outstanding Music & Lyrics in 2007. The popularity of the short led to ongoing collaborations with Timberlake in his succeeding SNL visits, in 2009 with "Motherlover" and "3-Way (The Golden Rule)" in 2011.
The music video portrays two balladeers (played by Andy Samberg and Justin Timberlake) aka "2:30 AM," singing about giving Christmas gifts to their sweethearts (played by Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig, respectively). Each singer has a gift-wrapped box attached to his waist. The lyrics include step-by-step instructions on how to create the "gift" (1: "Cut a hole in a box", 2: "Put your junk in that box", 3: "Make her open the box... and that's the way you do it!"). They also sing about how a "dick in a box" is better than other gifts and is suitable for any holiday or occasion. At the end of the film, they are both arrested and taken away by the NYPD, presumably for indecent exposure, after they bring their boxes "backstage at the CMAs".