Songs Can Be Funny

I love a song that makes me laugh (sometimes called a “humorous” or “novelty” song).

And one of my recents faves of this type is a song by the amazing singer/songwriter, Vance Gilbert. It’s from his Good Good Man album, and the song is “Zombie Pattycake”. Even the title makes me giggle! 

Anyone who has ever spoken with Vance for five minutes comes away with a face sore from laughing so much. He’s a fun guy (and I don’t mean a mushroom…). But Vance’s songs are not all humorous - they range from introspective to sad to sweet to serious to uplifting to…  well, you get the idea. Dude has range. 

Here, have a listen to Vance Gilbert’s Zombie Pattycake.

So, what makes this song work? On the surface, it’s a pretty standard pop song with verses, bridge, chorus, etc. Here’s my thinking:

First, he’s created a character that - despite being a zombie - is otherwise pretty relatable and certainly distinctive. Next, he mostly speaks - rather than sings - the verses, and that (in addition to the first person perspective) helps to connect to the listener. And the lyrics? C’mon - hilarious! My favorite part is in the last verse, “We thought about breakdancing, but…”. LOL. 

I’ve also tried writing novelty songs before… I had pretty good luck with one I call “Dinner Guests” (unrecorded) from a few years ago. Then there are the “accidental” humorous songs - ones that I start out as serious in tone but end up being funny. I live with it; I don’t question the Muse…