The Beatles and Humour - Mockers, Funny Papers, and Other Play

The Beatles are known for cheeky punchlines, but understanding their humor goes beyond laughing at John Lennon''s memorable "rattle your jewelry" dig at the Royal Variety Performance in 1963. From the beginning, the Beatles'' music was full of wordplay and winks, guided by comedic influences ranging from rhythm and blues, British radio, and the Liverpool pub scene. Gifted with timing and deadpan wit, the band habitually relied on irony, sarcasm, and nonsense. Early jokes revealed an aptitude for improvisation and self-awareness, techniques honed throughout the 1960s and into solo careers. Experts in the art of play, including musical experimentation, the Beatles'' shared sense of humor is a key ingredient to their appeal during the 1960s-and to their endurance. offers innovative takes on the serious art of Beatle fun, an instrument of social, political, and economic critique. Chapters also situate the band alongside British and non-British predecessors and collaborators, such as Billy Preston and Yoko Ono, uncovering diverse components and unexpected effects of the Beatles'' output.>

Product details

• Authors: Matthias Heyman, Katie Kapurch, Richard Mills
• Assisted by: Matthias Heyman (Editor), Katie Kapurch (Editor), Richard Mills (Editor)
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 20.03.2025
• EAN: 9781501379352
• ISBN: 978-1-5013-7935-2
• No. of pages: 280
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Music > General, dictionaries; Rock, Popular Culture, Rock & Pop music, Individual composers & musicians, specific bands & groups, MUSIC / Individual Composer & Musician, MUSIC / Genres & Styles / Rock, HUMOR / Topic / Celebrity & Popular Culture, MUSIC / Instruction & Study / Songwriting, Humour, Music recording & reproduction, Popular Music, Musicians, singers, bands and groups, Composers and songwriters, Theory of music and musicology