Oct 10 2010
The first way is when serious artists get clever
Music and humor can intersect in one of three ways.
The first way is when serious artists get clever. This would be The Whos Squeeze Box, The Ramones I Want to be Sedated, or Aerosmiths Dude Looks Like a Lady.
The second time music and humor converge is via quirkiness. This is when serious musicians write and record offbeat and weird material but yet still maintain a smattering of professionalism.
Then there are the artists that try to be funny all the time. Regardless of their talent level, these artists forgo being taken as serious musicians just so they can make us laugh.
Youd think music and humor would be more intertwined. After all, they both elicit primal, emotional responses and, at least in regards to rock music, they are both rather destructive. Rock music is all about rebellion and remember what Steve Martin said, comedy isnt pretty.
Part of the reason is a lot of comedy is self-effacing or at least paints the singer in a bad light. This contradicts the driving force behind popular music since Big Joe Turner sang Shake, Rattle and Roll, that is of course getting laid.
Maybe if he had sung about something other than the commercialization of a dead Egyptian Pharaoh his catchy tune would still be relevant. As it is now, King Tut is only slightly less worthless than Cheaper by the Dozen 2.
Paul McCartneys original lyrics for Yesterday were Scrambled Eggs. That song most certainly would have not been covered a gazillion times had it been about breakfast food instead of despair and heartbreak.
One of the earliest examples of music and humor were opera buffa, developed in the 18th century. These works first appeared as short one-acts that catered to the common folk. Today it would be equivalent to switching to Dancing with the Stars when American Idol went to a commercial break. Opera buffa eventually evolved into a full fledge genre before fading away.
The torch of music and humor was picked up in the 20th century by Lindley Armstrong Jones, also known as Spike Jones. Jones didnt so much write music that was humorous but he took serious songs and made them funny–similar to what Joss Stone does. In 1942, Jones scored a huge hit with Der Fuehrers Face.
The song was featured in a Walt Disney propaganda film and ridiculed Adolf Hitler by following the word Heil with a razzbery sound:
…Heil, (razzberry), Heil (razzberry), right in Der Fuehrers face!
It should be noted that besides his highly skilled parodies, Yankovic also does these wonderful polka medleys of current hit songs. They are roll out the barrel funny.
In the 21st century, the banner of music and humor is being carried (literally, they had one made at Kinkos and they take it with them everywhere they go) by Flight of the Conchords. This duo, Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement, are from a place called New Zealand. Were not sure but we think they made it up.
Music and humor has greatly benefited from the personal computer and the internet. Now amateurs can channel their inner Stan Freberg or Sheb Wooley to write and record their own comedy songs and post them on hip networking sites like YouTube, Facebook, or the Drudge Report.
However, I strongly believe, and you may laugh at this, but the future of music and humor looks hilarious.
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