C’mon, Lorne Michaels, let The Mountain Goats replace Ed Sheeran on SNL

Ed Sheeran was supposed to be Saturday Night Live’s musical guest on November 6, but he tested positive for COVID. So now, it’s time for the show to scramble to find someone who’s a good replacement for the ginger singer. Thankfully, that’s pretty easy, and there are some viable contenders who’ve volunteered themselves for the gig.

The Mountain Goats made their intentions clear with a tweet that reads,“Lorne M please be advised that the Mountain Goats are in NY right now and are well loved by the TikTok Dancing Massive. Get well soon Ed & holler at me Lorne.”

The Mountain Goats frontman John Darnielle isn’t kidding about the TikTok thing. The band’s song “No Children” from their acclaimed 2002 record Tallahassee has unexpectedly become part of the latest TikTok dance craze. In the TikTok videos, people choreograph themselves “drowning” to the part of the song that goes, “I am drowning/There is no sign of land/You are coming down with me/Hand in unlovable hand.”

It’s unclear why the kids love Darnielle’s depressing song about the fictional miserable Alpha couple, but The Mountain Goats’ music getting attention is never a bad thing.

This TikTok thing has gotten to the point where “No Children” has surpassed “This Year’s” number of streams on Spotify.

Writer James Shotwell compiled a Twitter thread with some of the most popular TikToks featuring the Mountain Goats song, including Hank Green’s contribution to the trend.

If by some internet miracle The Mountain Goats get to perform SNL, at least they’d also have something to promote. The band put out a record this past June called Dark In Here, that was well-received by fans.

And think about it: Twitter would absolutely lose its shit at having Kieran Culkin host the same night that The Mountain Goats are performing. Even those people who complain about SNL would likely tune in to see that magic happen. So, come on Lorne Michaels, buy into the bit. Make some kids and Gen Zers happy.