Paul Simon's long association with Saturday Night Live began in October 1975, when he hosted the second-ever episode of the show, then still called Saturday Night. Simon's music-heavy appearance came as the fledgling programme was still finding its comedic identity, and it set the pattern for what would become one of television's most enduring host-artist relationships, with Simon later becoming a fixture for anniversary episodes and other special occasions.

The episode leaned almost entirely on musical performances rather than sketches, with the Not Ready For Prime-Time Players featuring only briefly. Simon opened the show singing "Still Crazy After All These Years", performed his monologue as a rendition of "Loves Me Like A Rock" with the Jesse Dixon Singers, and later performed alongside Art Garfunkel, while Randy Newman and Phoebe Snow also appeared. Comedy was largely confined to pre-taped segments featuring Jim Henson's Muppets and Albert Brooks. Simon went on to host and perform on SNL many times over the following decades, including a memorable turkey-costume performance in 1976 and an appearance on the first episode after the 11 September 2001 attacks.