ABSTRACT
An essential part of human expression, humor plays a role in all forms of art, and humorous and comedic aspects have always been part of popular music. For the first time, The Routledge Companion to Popular Music and Humor draws together scholarship exploring how the element of humor interacts with the artistic and social aspects of the musical experience. Discussing humor in popular music across eras from Tin Pan Alley to the present, and examining the role of humor in different musical genres, case studies of artists, and media forms, this volume is a groundbreaking collection that provides a go-to reference for scholars in music, popular culture, and media studies.
While most scholars, when considering humor’s place in popular music, tend to focus on more "literate" forms, the contributors in this collection seek to fill in the gaps by surveying all kinds of humor, critical theories, and popular musics. Across eight parts, the essays in this collection explore topics both highbrow and low, including:
- Parody and satire
- Humor in rock and global music
- Gender, sexuality, and politics
- The music mockumentary
- Novelty songs
Humor has long been a fixture of the popular music soundscape, whether on stage, in performance, on record, or on film. The Routledge Companion to Popular Music and Humor covers it all, presenting itself as the most comprehensive treatment of the topic to date.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part 1|36 pages
Historical Antecedents
chapter 2|9 pages
What Might Have Been Left Behind
part 2|58 pages
Humor in Rock Music Genres
chapter 5|11 pages
Grumbly Grimblies, Frozen Dogs, and Other Boojums
part 3|54 pages
Humor in Global Music
part 4|44 pages
Selected Artists I
chapter 19|8 pages
The British Invasion of the Wild West
part 5|52 pages
Selected Artists II
chapter 25|9 pages
Mountain Butterfly
part 6|36 pages
The Music Mockumentary
chapter 29|11 pages
“It’s such a fine line between stupid and clever”
chapter 30|7 pages
“We must be flipping out”
chapter 32|9 pages
This Chapter Goes to Eleven
part 7|38 pages
Popular Music and Humor on Screen
chapter 33|10 pages
“Goodnight to the Rock ’N’ Roll Era”
chapter 34|9 pages
Looking for the Joke with a Microscope
chapter 35|11 pages
Humor in the “Booty Video”
chapter 36|8 pages
Of Shreds, Spoofs, and Participatory Cultures
part 8|51 pages
Gender, Sexuality, and Politics