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+--- Thread: Humour in music (/showthread.php?tid=16787)
Humour in music - bob_32_116 - 29-08-2016
Is there a place for it? I think so.
I'm not referring to comedy recordings as such. Where they are set to music, the music tends to be rather basic and banal, it's not the reason for listening. There are a few examples though of songs that are great in their own right, without even paying attention to the lyrics, but the fact that the lyrics are genuinely funny makes the songs even better.
The Who honed this to a fine art on the album "Sell Out". Several of the songs on this album are hilarious, but not only that, they are great tunes as well. In fact the whole album is genuinely funny. If you didn't know, it's a good-natured spoof on the pirate radio stations that were broadcasting into the UK at the time.
[video=youtube;A4BfI7bv56U]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4BfI7bv56U[/video]
Genesis were a band who were not afraid to inject the occasional bit of silliness into their songs. Some that come to mind are Harold the Barrel, Get 'Em Out By Friday, The Battle of Epping Forest and many of the songs on The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, the whole storyline of which is somewhat Pythonesque in itself. After Peter Gabriel left, the remaining members continued the tradition for a while with songs like Robbery, Assault and Battery, and All In a Mouse's Night.
Do you have any favourites?