Need to laugh? Then why not get your giggle on with some funny songs by artists in various genres? Obviously, some of these nutty songs are by Weird Al Yankovic, but there are some gems from artists you might not expect to be found in the comedy genre.
If you’re in a goofy mood or need to lift your spirits, check out the best funny songs that will make you crack a smile.
Contents
- Always Look on the Bright Side of Life – Monty Python
- My Ding a Ling – Chuck Berry
- Big Bottom – Spinal Tap
- The Witch Doctor (Oo Ee Oe Ah Ah) – Ross Bagdasarian
- Tribute – Tenacious D
- I’m on a Boat – The Lonely Island
- Welcome to the Internet – Bo Burnham
- I’m Henry VIII I Am – Herman’s Hermits
- Spanish Flea – Herb Alpert
- White and Nerdy – Weird Al Yankovic
- Business Time – Flight of the Conchords
- I Am a Cider Drinker (Paloma Blanca) – The Wurzels
- Midweek – John Shuttleworth
- Livin’ in the Sunlight, Lovin’ in the Moon Light – Tiny Tim
- Prejudice – Tim Minchin
- Lunchtime Lover – Brett Domino
- Life’s Been Good – Joe Walsh
- Eric the Half a Bee – Monty Python
- Ernie – Benny Hill
- Yakety Sax – Boots Randolph
- Shia LaBeouf – Rob Cantor
- Short People – Randy Newman
- The Streak – Ray Stevens
- Surfin Bird – The Trashmen
- Amish Paradise – Weird Al Yankovic
- The Sideburns Song – Toby Turner
- United States of Whatever – Liam Lynch
- Friday – Rebecca Black
- One Piece at a Time – Johnny Cash
- Threw It on the Ground – The Lonely Island
- Subway System – Jimothy Lacoste
- Sweat (A La La La La Long) – Inner Circle
- Carol Brown – Flight of the Conchords
- 29 / 31 – Garfunkel and Oates
- Auf Wiedersehen Mate – Goldie Lookin Chain
- Things That Never Cross a Man’s Mind – Kellie Pickler
- Coincidance – Handsome Dancer
- Royal Jelly – John C. Reilly
- Sexy and I Know It – LMFAO
- Satan Gave Me a Taco – Beck
- Man’s Not Hot – Big Shaq
- Took Problem Chimp to the Ideal Home Show – Half Man Half Biscuit
Always Look on the Bright Side of Life – Monty Python
Part of why Monty Python has endured is thanks to the versatility of its members. Their productions would combine a mixture of absurd comedy, the occasional surreal cartoon, and music. The most famous of these songs comes from the film ‘The Life of Brian.’ The film follows the unlucky life of Brian, who was born across the street from Jesus and ended his life by crucifixion, with the song ‘Always Look on the Bright Side of Life’ playing.
Related: Live it up with the best songs that relate to life.
My Ding a Ling – Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry is known as the father of rock and roll, and his music has inspired generations of musicians. One would assume that if he had only a single number-one hit in America, it would be his iconic ‘Johnny B. Goode,’ right? It turns out not only was his only number-one hit a song that he didn’t write, but it was a novelty song called ‘My Ding a Ling.’ Berry was always known to see the positive side and said he loved the song because of its humor and because it made him a lot of money.
Big Bottom – Spinal Tap
For a band that was invented for a fake documentary, Spinal Tap has had a surprisingly significant influence on pop culture. Everything about Spinal Tap was intended to poke fun at, mock, and satire the music industry. This act included writing blatantly offensive songs that they ‘defended’ as art. ‘Big Bottom’ was one of those songs doing just that. They did so well at pretending to be a band that they found legitimate success in selling albums and going on tour.
The Witch Doctor (Oo Ee Oe Ah Ah) – Ross Bagdasarian
This well-known song was created from Ross Bagdasarian’s reading of a book called ‘Dual with the Witch Doctor’ and a desire to experiment with his tape player. His goal was to create a song in which he could sing two different sides of a conversation. After completing a demo at home, he took it to a studio for recording. This innovative and irritatingly catchy song ended up being the lifeline Liberty Records needed to avoid filing for bankruptcy. As soon as the record executives heard it, they had records heading to market within twenty-four hours.
Tribute – Tenacious D
Tenacious D is a band whose two founding members are Jack Black and Kyle Gass. Their songs are known for storytelling that treads over classic rock motifs and branches out into new unexplored areas of absurdity. For example, the song ‘Tribute’ features the band’s two members forced to confront a demon. The demon promises to let them live if they play the best song ever written, which they do; however, the song ends with the band forgetting what song they played and ends as a joke on the listener.
Related: Listen to more great stories with these narrative songs.
I’m on a Boat – The Lonely Island
The Lonely Island is a group who have managed to combine an outrageous style of comedy that would be too offensive to deliver on its own. However, their genius is in rapping the comedy in a song that asserts itself in ways you wouldn’t expect. The fact ‘I’m on a Boat’ is filmed mostly on board a boat helps to ground an otherwise surreal comedy experience.
Related: This song features on our list of songs about sailing away.
Welcome to the Internet – Bo Burnham
Bo Burnham’s best-known song is from a Netflix special called ‘Inside.’ The song is a quick-paced word salad of the duality of the internet. Its overwhelming delivery conveys the mixture of genuinely interesting and horrifying poles the internet can rapidly swing between. The internet, being the internet, took to the song, and it quickly was viewed by millions and almost as quickly parodied and used by other artists.
I’m Henry VIII I Am – Herman’s Hermits
While no longer a household name as it was during the British Invasion, the band Herman’s Hermits scored a series of hits in the UK and US. One of their best-known was a 1910 British music hall song, ‘I’m Henry VIII I Am,’ which surprised the band because most number-one hits don’t require knowledge of history to appreciate them fully. Still, this song’s instrumentation is retroactively seen as a protopunk style that would influence the Ramones and is most evident in the song ‘Judy is a Punk.’
Spanish Flea – Herb Alpert
‘Spanish Flea’ by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass was first released as an instrumental B-side in the 1960s. While lyrics would later be added to the song, this instrumental is most famous for being used on the long-running game television game show “The Dating Game.” The song itself may not be “funny,” but its historical use in comedies has helped to make people associate it with comedy.
White and Nerdy – Weird Al Yankovic
Weird Al is the most successful artist in parody and comedy music. This very funny song is a parody of ‘Ridin” by Chamillionaire and Krayzie Bone. The infectious music is used to celebrate all things geeky, ranging from Dungeons & Dragons and comic books to action figures. This brilliant song is one of Weird Al’s most successful singles; it cracked the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at number nine.
Related: Keep the crowd laughing with these hilarious karaoke songs.
Business Time – Flight of the Conchords
The comedic New Zealand duo Flight of the Conchords is best known for its HBO comedy series that lasted for two seasons. The show explores the misadventures of the duo in New York City. It plays up the folksy New Zealand origins as they frequently fail to understand American culture, leading to disastrous results. The music was built directly into each episode; in this case, ‘Business Time’ is about an attempt at romance.
I Am a Cider Drinker (Paloma Blanca) – The Wurzels
The Wurzels are a cornerstone of British pop culture. Having been around for 56 years, it is safe to say they are here to stay! ‘I am a Cider Drinker (Paloma Blanca)’ is famous for being about West English country life. This song is a cover of Dutch musician George Baker’s music. The song is full of countryside details, including rabbit stew, combine harvesters, and spending the evening at the local pub.
Related: Whether it’s cider, tea, or something stronger, enjoy these popular drinking songs.
Midweek – John Shuttleworth
John Shuttleworth is a character created by musician and actor Graham Fellows. This character is known for being a quiet, shy nerd who lacks awareness. Playing music is his only way of expression, but he also thinks he can be more successful than he truthfully can. ‘Midweek’ diverges from almost every song about celebrating the weekend and instead celebrates the middle of the week. The song is clearly absurd and captures the essence of the character of Shuttleworth.
Related: Not a midweek person? Here are some songs for the weekend.
Livin’ in the Sunlight, Lovin’ in the Moon Light – Tiny Tim
Tiny Tim made a reputation for playing familiar songs with a ukulele and his falsetto voice. This particular and distinct cover of the song has been used in several shows, including SpongeBob SquarePants. The singer’s falsetto voice adds a dimension of humor that couldn’t be found in other covers. Even before Tiny Tim’s cover, this song was well-known and had a long history of high-selling performances by several other recording artists.
Prejudice – Tim Minchin
In this song, Tim Minchin uses humor to bring attention to the difficulties associated with prejudice and discrimination. The listener needs to pay attention to the song’s lyrics; otherwise, they may mistake the absurdity of prejudice against ginger-colored hair people as being just humorous. Instead, the lyrics are intended to be a sincere criticism of double standards in how slurs are used to insult people. His other work often combines this same mix of eloquent playing with razor-sharp wit and is worth listening to.
Related: Check out our list of best human rights songs.
Lunchtime Lover – Brett Domino
Do you have a nostalgia for 1980s synthpop and keytars? The fictional Brett Domino may have your number, and he’s ready for you to dance. ‘Lunchtime Lover’ is everything you want in a 1980s love ballad, plus hilarious lyrics detailing the difficulty of affording dates while living on an artist’s salary. He begs his girlfriend to consider going on an incredibly cheap lunch date because he spent almost all of his money on the previous night’s dinner.
Related: Is your lunchtime lover spending all your money? Here are some songs about money problems.
Life’s Been Good – Joe Walsh
Joe Walsh is known equally for his solo work, being a part of the Eagles, and playing with Ringo Starr. Having made millions of dollars, he has first-hand experiences with how toxic life as a famous rocker can be. The lyrics of ‘Life’s Been Good’ are a pastiche of his contemporaries who trashed hotel rooms and casually crashed one-of-a-kind luxury cars. The song’s narrator is a clinical and self-destructive narcissist, making one laugh at his misfortune while making the listener grateful not to be friends with the singer.
Related: If you’re on top of your game, you’ll love our winning songs playlist.
Eric the Half a Bee – Monty Python
Composed by Eric Idle and John Cleese for the comedy troupe Monty Python, ‘Eric the Half a Bee’ is a joke song about a man trying to get a pet’s license for his half a bee. The “pet” was accidentally bisected, but Cleese’s character doesn’t care—he wants a license for Eric! Oddly, the ridiculous song is a bit of a philosophical piece, asking if half a bee is actually a bee or not.
Related: Listen to these great songs with animals in the lyrics. They’re about whole animals!
Ernie – Benny Hill
British comedian Benny Hill had his own show for nearly three decades, “The Benny Hill Show,” from 1955 to 1989. The comedy show was filled with crazy sketches, silly songs, and funny societal commentary. One of the songs Hill is most known for was ‘Ernie (The Fastest Milkman in the West),’ a play on several things all at once. Funny enough, the song was written through experience—Hill was a milkman when he was a teenager.
Yakety Sax – Boots Randolph
If the title ‘Yakity Sax’ feels familiar but slightly off, it’s because the title is a play on the 1958 song by the Coasters’ ‘Yakity Yak.’ The saxophone-based instrumental song became popular on the Benny Hill Show during scenes when the police and angry women chased Hill. Since then, the silly instrumental song has appeared on multiple other comedy shows and sketches. Boots Randolph, the saxophonist on the song, was a pretty serious sax player, though, on some other songs you’d know, like ‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree’ by Brenda Lee.
Related: You won’t want to miss these songs with sax.
Shia LaBeouf – Rob Cantor
So, yes, the song ‘Shia LaBeouf’ is about the actor. The singer-songwriter, Rob Cantor, was inspired by the simple “dramatic whispering” of the actor’s name in his ear. His imagination ran away with him, imagining what the actor would be like if he was a hermit cannibal in the woods. There’s no evidence of the actor ever responding publicly to the hilarious song despite appearing at the end of the music video.
Short People – Randy Newman
While the title ‘Short People’ might at first blush seem like Randy Newman is making fun of people who are vertically challenged, it’s actually about Newman poking fun at people who are small-minded and short-tempered. Because of the initial confusion over the title, many radio stations initially banned the song.
The Streak – Ray Stevens
‘The Streak’ is a comic song by Ray Stevens about the college prank of streaking. At the same time as the song came out, a bunch of others on the same topic came out. Apparently, this was when the prank became a thing, and so the topic’s popularity boomed, and Stevens was impressed at how quickly the others got out their comical songs.
Surfin Bird – The Trashmen
Made up of choruses from classic 60s R&B doo-wop groups, the Rivingtons, ‘Surfin Bird’ by The Trashmen is one of those goofy songs you can’t help but smile over. The band themselves was a garage band from Minneapolis, which makes the blend of surf rock and doo-wop even funnier since the band has no foothold in the musical genre otherwise. Ultimately, the song was inspired by their trip to California in 1963 when they soaked up the sun for a little while and wanted to express that experience through song.
Related: Head over to our list of beach themed songs perfect for surfing.
Amish Paradise – Weird Al Yankovic
The parody king could probably have many more songs on this list, but one of his funniest songs is most definitely ‘Amish Paradise,’ a play on the Coolio song ‘Gansta’s Paradise.’ The ridiculous song finds itself in an odd place, as the original involved a lot of grown-up topics that the closed Christian group (the Amish) would directly oppose. And like many of his music videos, Weird Al Yankovic didn’t hold back on the bizarre components of the one for this song. Enjoy all the ridiculousness!
The Sideburns Song – Toby Turner
Created by Toby Turner, Sean Klintzer, and Jack Douglass, ‘The Sideburns Song’ is a goofy number from the trio collectively known as the Sideburns Crew, partially due to this silly song. The song is an ode to Turner’s sideburns, exaggerating and comparing his desire for them to one might desire a newborn child. The goofball song has had over 7 million hits in the years since its upload in 2012.
Related: See more on our list of songs about hair.
United States of Whatever – Liam Lynch
In the mid-90s, Matt Crocco and Liam Lynch created some short sock puppet song sketches and submitted them to MTV. The channel started airing them as indents, or in-between clips between videos of other songs, and eventually gave them a whole series (that lasted two seasons) for the sock puppet insanity, called “Sifl & Olly.” One of the most popular songs they did was the goofy one, ‘United States of Whatever.’
Related: Hear this song on our playlist of the best short songs.
Friday – Rebecca Black
‘Friday’ as recorded by teenage singer Rebecca Black wasn’t intended to be the funniest song, but rather an innocent song recorded by a young teen exploring the world of the music industry. The song, however, received a lot of negative criticism and turned into an internet meme. Some folks think it sounds like the singer is saying “fried egg” instead of the title word, which is where many of the memes came from. Despite all that, the song ultimately played a joke on the haters—it hit the top 20 on iTunes sales charts.
Related: Celebrate the weekend with the best TGIF songs.
One Piece at a Time – Johnny Cash
A novelty song from Johnny Cash, ‘One Piece at a Time’ is its own anti-establishment protest song at the same time. The song’s story is of a guy who works at a Cadillac factory and slowly sneaks out one piece of a car at a time so he can build himself a Cadillac he would never be able to afford off his salary at the factory. As he assembles the pieces, he discovers they’re from different models and winds up one with one unique car.
Related: Drive over to our list of the best car themed songs.
Threw It on the Ground – The Lonely Island
Coming from the comedy group The Lonely Island, ‘Threw It on the Ground’ is a goofy single or SNL digital short from Saturday Night Live in 2009. The song was on their second studio album, “Turtleneck & Chain.” The song’s concept is Andy Samberg cast as a Millenial anti-establishment hipster fighting the system by literally throwing innocuous objects “on the ground” as his protest. Elijah Woods and Ryan Reynolds were in the video for the song, as well, in case that helps you tune in visually for the ridiculousness.
Subway System – Jimothy Lacoste
‘Subway System’ is a single from Jimothy Lacoste, from Camden, North London. Rapper/musician is known for bedroom pop and DIY genres. He is now known as Timothy Gonzalez. The song is a fun piece that looks at the UK subway system, complete with a video that actually got taken down because it wasn’t filmed in the most intelligent ways (it was thought to be a bit unsafe). The song has been rereleased with a letter from the subway system that objected to its filming.
Sweat (A La La La La Long) – Inner Circle
Coming from Jamaican reggae fusion group Inner Circle, ‘Sweat (A La La La La Long)’ was a lead single from their twelfth album and came out in 1992. The comedy song is about spotting a girl that’s super attractive to the singer, his approach to her, and what he’s got to say about it to her. The song is definitely a grown-up song, though, so don’t let the silliness of the lyrics “a la la la la long” fool you.
Carol Brown – Flight of the Conchords
Written as an homage to the Paul Simon song, ’50 Ways to Leave Your Lover,’ the song ‘Carol Brown’ by the Flight of the Conchords offers some silly and ridiculous ways to try and leave a bad relationship. The twist is Jemaine from the duo having some fun at his own expense, describing how partners have left him over the years, including the titular character who booked it out of town on a bus. For the backing, multiple women play his ex-girlfriends and tell the audience why they’d all leave him.
29 / 31 – Garfunkel and Oates
If you enjoy comedic music duos, you’re probably already familiar with Garfunkel and Oates, a hilarious duo of actresses Riki Lindhome (Garfunkel) and Kate Micucci (Oates). In the song ’29 / 31,’ they play the same character two years apart in age. Optimistic 29 has a happy outlook on life, while her 2-year-older self has other thoughts that aren’t so cheerful. The hilarious duo really rips at the gender struggles women have without being preachy, and it’s hilarious.
Related: Age gracefully with these songs about growing older.
Auf Wiedersehen Mate – Goldie Lookin Chain
Goldie Lookin Chain isn’t likely the first name that pops into your head when you think of Welsh hip hop. But the quirky, nerdy band has helped to make some waves in the comedy music genre for sure, especially with their lowbrow novelty rap song, ‘Auf Wiedersehen, Mate’ or the ‘EU Brexit Song.’ The song is surprisingly full of both witty and bittersweet thoughts while you keep laughing, too.
Things That Never Cross a Man’s Mind – Kellie Pickler
The title introduces the theme of this song, ‘Things That Never Cross a Man’s Mind.’ Kelly Pickler has some fun poking at gendered stereotypes, referencing the things women are expected to think about and do while the men “let women do their thing.” She mentions never having anything to wear despite a full closet, cuddling, thick steaks, too-cold beer, and too-red lipstick. If you want to laugh (or maybe just commiserate), the song’s a good one.
Coincidance – Handsome Dancer
Telling the story of two dancers who meet by ‘Coincidance,’ this comedy song is all about the video. The song has a short snippet of admiring dialogue on the TikTok video, followed by a short, ridiculous dance in which they try to make each other laugh with abandon. The song was originally uploaded several years back, but since the influx of TikTok popularity, the song has found its new life in the dance meme craze and fun times the platform offers. If you need a good laugh, it’s definitely a video worth watching.
Royal Jelly – John C. Reilly
Getting farcical, John C. Reilly has some fun in his song parodying Bob Dylan in the film Walk Hard. ‘Royal Jelly’ in real life is the stuff that queen bees make that feeds the hive (and gets used in many skincare products and health foods), but the song is a bit far from that in its nonsensical lyrics. “Mailboxes drip like lampposts in the twisted birth canal of the coliseum. Rim job fairy teapots mask the temper tantrum. O’ say can you see ’em. Stuffed cabbage is the darling of the laundromat.”
Sexy and I Know It – LMFAO
Looking for a funny song for your next party? Well, this one’s a winner, as it was intentionally written as a tongue-in-cheek party song by the American electro-hop duo LMFAO. The joke is on an older song by Right Said Fred that was released 20 years earlier, and the duo doing it is having a blast rapping about their own unorthodox style as it turns comical.
Satan Gave Me a Taco – Beck
Some have called ‘Satan Gave Me a Taco’ Beck’s most infamous song. The lyrics are unique, that’s for sure! The song is full of food references and weird reactions to the food, including things like food getting stuck in the throat, the meat being raw, and the sauce stains from the tacos burning holes in the clothes of the singer. It’s a dry, tongue-in-cheek piece Beck wrote in a single afternoon during his lunch break. Apparently, the song references some real tacos he ate.
Related: Is it Taco Tuesday yet!? Check out these delicious taco songs. (But maybe avoid the tacos Beck had.)
Man’s Not Hot – Big Shaq
An atypical hip hop/R&B song, ‘Man’s Not Hot’ comes to us from Big Shaq. According to an interview, the song is basically a love song to his jacket—the one he wears all the time, everywhere, “Whether I’m in the sauna, whether I’m on the beach, whether I’m with my girl at the spa, man’s never hot.” Apparently, he won’t take his jacket off for anyone, no matter who the person asking might be. So, this song is about that and how annoying it can get when people ask him to take it off.
Related: Which piece of clothing do you struggle to part with? Find it on our list of songs about clothes.
Took Problem Chimp to the Ideal Home Show – Half Man Half Biscuit
When the song first comes on, ‘Took Problem Chimp to Ideal Home Show’ likely won’t strike you as a comedy song. The instrumentation is highly skilled and sounds like a classically influenced rock song is coming your way. And technically, it is. But it’s a bonkers song about a menagerie of topics and pop cultural references. “Took Problem Chimp to the Ideal Home Show. Once in a while, I need these childish kicks. Took Problem Chimp to the Ideal Home Show. God speed the trial to cite my childish kicks.”
Related: Listen to more tunes about chimps on our list of songs with monkeys in the title.
