10 Rock Songs Written As Jokes

[@RockedNet]

Know of another song written as a joke? Leave a comment and let everyone know! Use code POGROCKEDAUG16 for 16 FREE MEALS across 7 boxes + 3 surprise gifts at strms.net/RockedHelloFreshAugust Please check out more of our videos below: 10 Great Soundtracks For Bad Movies = kzbin.info/www/bejne/nJWToH18pr2cqac 10 Great Metalcore Albums (yes, really) = kzbin.info/www/bejne/qZuyYYemnsppd6M 10 Reasons Why Kid Rock Is Awful = kzbin.info/www/bejne/iJmQlqeXes2Im7c 10 Reasons Why Trent Reznor Is Awesome = kzbin.info/www/bejne/o6LXh3WCZqeNeZI 10 Bands With Great Gimmicks = kzbin.info/www/bejne/paC3qqqFac99m5o

[@OH_MY_DOGGG]

If Vicinity of Obscenity isn't a joke song. I don't know what is.

[@theactualdice5865]

Green Day-Pulling Teeth

[@MenChooseSlavesObey]

Your virtue signalling over "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" is just pathetic.

[@davidmatheny1993]

Peter Steele tried to infuse some dark humor into most of Type O Negative's music, and "Christian Woman" went to another stratosphere.

[@sashngs]

R.E.M. Shiny Happy People

[@pandanarkystudios5198]

People forget Kurt was more than just angst or whatever you wanna call it. He was hilarious! An incredibly light hearted in person and on stage. There are a thousand examples of a sweet yet cheeky ass Kurt

[@nannettefreeman7331]

💯✌🏼

[@jordanmurray410]

That Top of the Pops performance comes to mind 😂

[@Nazuiko]

I was expecting In Bloom to get named. "He's the one Who likes All our pretty songs And he Likes to sing along but he Don't know what it means Don't know what it means Don't know what it means

[@lurklingX]

wish we could have had him around longer, see where he decided to take his career. : (

[@Frankie5Angels150]

Oh yeah, I heard he was giggling like a school girl when he blew his brains out.

[@geekymetalhead5112]

I think metal should be allowed to be serious AND stupid, without gatekeepers and metal elitists that live in the 80s getting their panties in a genjutsu

[@RockedNet]

I agree. You can have both.

[@geekymetalhead5112]

@@RockedNet tbh I'm surprised people can't even grasp the idea of learning to live with both

[@ryanahr2267]

Yeah but then you end up with Gwar.

[@geekymetalhead5112]

@@ryanahr2267 yeah. There's Also a balance to be set between the 2

[@josephconnole4222]

Metal is a joke.

[@andrewteichroeb8886]

I have to mention the song, Paranoid, by Black Sabbath. It was also recorded last minute as filler for the album. It wasn't really a joke song, but it was definitely not intended to be the iconic song that it has become. But they named the album after it, so they still saw something in it.

[@AntAnt69Petitt]

They wanted the album to be called War Pigs at first, but the record company wouldn't let them.

[@andrewteichroeb8886]

@@AntAnt69Petitt Yes, that's the detail I was forgetting. Thank you

[@roqueadeleon]

The album was gonna be called War Pigs and the artwork they (the label?) had created was also for War Pigs. Which is kinda interesting to think about. Also random fun fact but the original/early version of War Pigs “Walpurgis” has very different lyrics and is much more occult.

[@andrewteichroeb8886]

@@roqueadeleon Yes, I remember reading an article about it several years ago, but I couldn't remember the whole thing. Thanks for reminding me. I still have that old magazine kicking around the house somewhere. I should crack it open again.

[@roqueadeleon]

@@andrewteichroeb8886 Ozzy’s book has lots of interesting bits of information as well regarding the early years of Sabbath. Worth checking out as well if you are into Black Sabbath or just music history in general.

[@seanwilkinson7431]

"Free Fallin'" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers is another one of those cases of "nonsense song written to troll the record execs, but it went over their heads and made the band famous."

[@imandan1966]

they were already incredibly famous

[@seanwilkinson7431]

@@imandan1966 famouser

[@Shadrach92]

“Free Fallin” is solo Petty.

[@ihurtmyi90]

Running down a dream is my favorite song by petty

[@johnnyboykidman3287]

@@seanwilkinson7431 I’d say it solidifies Tom petty (free fallin’ was post heartbreakers era but still they are included in this statement) as immortal, cause as pointed out before and as you corrected yourself Tom and the broken up band were already p damn famous(they were supposed to star in a movie that the ramones ended up staring in called Rock n Roll High school, the whole og band fought their label and won and got to keep their record prices like 2+ bucks less than basically all other records because they wanted everyone the chance to get an album rather than the label and maybe themselves make money, and also kept their concert tickets cheap af too cause again they wanted anyone to be able ti afford it, super cool down to earth real rock and roll shit like that) but free fallin’ is unfortunately collectively their most universally recognizable song by far

[@ohsoedgy6888]

Honorable Mention:Led Zeppelin Immigrant Song which the band wrote as a tongue in cheek homage to Iceland and their fanbase there.

[@thereturnofdarthcaedus]

i always enjoyed that song and band

[@kings6143]

@@thereturnofdarthcaedus me too brother me too

[@donHooligan]

Valhalla, i am coming...

[@MrBrezelwurst]

Well, thank god for iceland then

[@kateealer7]

Always loved that song, and everything worked out, because now we have Of Monsters And Men straight out of Iceland.

[@swankelly]

I like how he says members of the MCR Army may not know they have a cheeky side lol My Chemical Romance fans are well aware of that! They all have cheeky sense a humors and on stage and off. They also have A LOT of tongue and cheek lyrics in their music.

[@EvelynSucksAtLife]

Yup. We all know the sassy gerard, the unicorn loving mikey and cupcake frank

[@threearrows2248]

My sister sent me a picture of them performing a couple of weeks ago, Gerard wearing a nurse outfit 😒

[@swankelly]

@@threearrows2248 lol yeah. There's all these new pictures coming out from shows of Gerard wearing random costumes the last month or so. I'm seeing them next week. I wonder what he'll wear.

[@Drekon009]

you're MCR fan, you'd most probably know it 😅

[@slowjoemccorkle1123]

Lol the song literally starts with “3, 2, 1, we came to f**k”

[@dori4nflor1an]

I just think that the difference is that MCR are a bunch of total nerds who grew up on stuff like Transformers series and Watchmen comic book so I'm pretty much sure that it's completely different for them to contribute to something that they have warm feelings toward than to something new and trendy since they've always felt like outcasts in popcultural interests

[@Alex_Jam]

The song “big balls” by AC/DC is literally a song about genitals. Was surprised that wasn’t in here

[@anunearthlychild8569]

Big balls is still harmless. 🤣 Colloquially, "The Jack" means nothing more than Gonorrhea. Told Angus in the AC/DC biography.

[@karebear9128]

Also Aerosmith, "Big 10 inch Record" 😂😂

[@wheresmymuffins]

not to be confused with "she's got balls" which is (arguably) about c*caine

[@kingetzel2755]

That one is obvious. The intent here is to look at seemingly serious songs written as jokes, not joking songs.

[@jeffrykopis5468]

It's actually about "dress balls"...like the Met Gala...but the double entendre is a riot 😂

[@asheetzmdrawrz7411]

KISS wrote I Was Made For Lovin' You as a joke about disco and it became one of their most popular songs

[@thebilldozer7970]

I love that and Detroit Rock City, really nothing else I have heard from them.

[@hinzster]

I bet "God of Thunder" was not entirely serious either. Give that one a listen.

[@alukuhito]

I've actually heard that song a few times.

[@chickenlolipop7501]

@@thebilldozer7970 you're missing out imo, they're albums "creatures of the night" and "psycho circus" are great and they have tons of other great music should probably check it out

[@redrock717]

@@hinzster God of Thunder was an ego challenge. Paul wrote out of spite because Gene dared him.

[@Twisted_Haze]

Black N0.1 by Type O Negative, the song was meant to make fun of peter steeles ex girlfriend who dressed like a goth and then song ended up attracting even more goths to their fan base, rip Pete 💚🖤

[@donHooligan]

excuse me.... you think "Kill all the White People" was a serious suggestion?

[@donkeypunchbandit]

There were a LOT of songs TON did that were just jokes

[@HeathenMetalhead221]

The whole band and image was satire of goth culture. They were the best at it.

[@alastair852]

There are shirts that say "Black No.1 was written about me." A shirt that can only be worn by someone with zero self awareness, because humans are incapable of being that ironic on purpose.

[@tmamone83]

Funny thing is I remember watching a show on MTV way back in the late '90s about, well, the '90s, and the hosts said how "Loser" was this Gen X slacker anthem. I'm thinking, "Why, just because Beck says, 'I'm a loser, baby, so why don't you kill me?'" Sometimes music journalists try way too damn hard, y'know?

[@TimmyTickle]

First Date was apparently written in similar circumstances to The Rock Show. Possible honourable mention: Warrant - Cherry Pie. Written in a short amount of time because the label wanted a single filled to the brim with innuendo.

[@RockedNet]

The label definitely got what they wanted with "Cherry Pie".

[@someguy3752]

**Crash Thompson reference goes here**

[@marks2807]

Yep Def Leppard just hit it big with "Pour Some Sugar on Me", and the record company told them to make a song like that. I also saw an interview where a band was told to make a song like Aerosmith's "Love in and Elevator", but could not find that interview now. Still in the 80's record companies wanted songs with innuendos.

[@adventurercj6333]

According To Travis Barker, Rock Show and First Date were both written, one by Mark and one by Tom, to appease the label that wanted radio single like the songs on Enema.

[@bonecanoe86]

I really hate how "Cherry Pie" fucked Warrant and Jani Lane. They were a much better band than "Cherry Pie" would lead you to believe. "Uncle Tom's Cabin" is possibly my favorite song from the whole genre.

[@josephconnole4222]

In-a-gadda-da-vida by Iron Butterfly was how their lead singer, Eric Barnett, would say in the garden of eden when drunk. It was their only hit, making it to #30.

[@Protostarofficial]

The Lead singer of Iron butterfly was Doug Ingle, tbh i dont know who Eric Barnett is but i assume you mean Erik Brann, the guitarist of Iron Butterfly between 1967-1969

[@l.salisbury1253]

"The three most indentifiable songs in the English language are: 'Happy Birthday to you', 'Auld Lang Syne' and 'In-a-gadda-da-vida'!" -Cheech n Chong '72

[@54raynor]

Hey Marge…remember when we used to make out to this hymn?

[@riddypr]

Many of the songs here I had no idea were written as jokes, mainly 'Sex On Fire' and 'Sweet Child Of Mine'. It's pretty fascinating learning about how songwriting processes can go with this video. One example I can think of (that's not rock, I'll admit) is 'Love Song' by Sara Bareilles. The label pressured her to write safe, radio-friendly songs after most of the songs she sent to them got rejected. So she wrote 'Love Song' as a tongue-in-cheek, passive-aggressive response to the label being like "Is this what you want? Is this what you want?"... and they accepted it.

[@NachoTimelord]

The English band McFLY did the same with the song 'One for the Radio' on their fourth album...I love a little sassy backstory like that. 😊

[@brandonjackson5865]

So many of GNR appetite songs were joke songs or at least started as jokes or friends hanging out making up jingles night train and paradise city were joke songs more than sweet child of mine I bought the white pony on release day and then had to buy a second version with mini maggot on it I always thought mini maggot was sorta the Def Tones Polaris in relation to Holy Wars on that album because it’s a rework of the pink maggot, also I was the kid Chino was talking about smoking cigarettes and sipping vodka lol

[@turntablesrockmyworld9315]

Sweet Child of Mine was not made as a "joke" but more taking an idea (guitar drill) and goofing around with it.

[@riddypr]

@@turntablesrockmyworld9315 "Goofing around" isn't too dissimilar from a "joke" in my eyes.

[@turntablesrockmyworld9315]

@@riddypr Many songs are written by goofing around and jamming on ideas. It doesn't mean they are intentionally "joke" songs.The famous one is Dust in the Wind that was a guitar exercise pattern expanded into a great song.

[@lena7623]

Lesson of today: record companies do not get jokes, especially ones at their expense.

[@jaimerosado3896]

Many people think that Hall and Oates’ “I Can’t Go for That” is about an overbearing woman, but that too is about the record industry.

[@flatebo1]

Or perhaps they just don't care if the joke is at their expense when the song is legitimately awesome. Success excuses many sins, including mocking the people who make that success possible.

[@Capnsensible80]

Correction: Kurt wasn't dating Kathleen, he was dating her bandmate Tobi Vail. Kathleen wrote the line on Kurt's wall because she and Vail had been joking about the name of the deodorant and how stupid it was, wondering if Teen Spirit smelled like weed and sweat or when you vomit on your hair at a party. Kurt didn't know the deodorant brand and thought it was a sarcastic reference to their discussion earlier that day about teen revolution

[@cherylmaden5989]

To be fair there's only a fairly small range of girls that probably remember the deodorant

[@JC42023]

Whether you feel positively or negatively about the Twilight films, their soundtracks were actually pretty stellar most of the time. Same with Transformers

[@JordonTheo]

Paramore's "Decode" was on there. That alone is enough for me.

[@Indijana]

Exactly. I think it easier to put your nose up at certain things when you're younger. It seems like a such a stand you're taking, but once you become older you realise how little that matters.. and probably see the value in a different kind of collaboration, which might explain the Transformers collab. That's just my opinion on it, though. I obviously don't know their thought processes. But it's interesting.

[@belle.m]

I liked the Linkin Park song too

[@elliecarroll8752]

like spotlight by mutemath? supermassive black hole by muse?? in just the first movie like

[@brandonhey7797]

i do like both movie serieses, but the soundtracks are pretty good, even if the movies themselves are not all that great.

[@ExUSSailor]

You forgot to include Kid Rock's entire discography. It might be a BAD joke, but, it's definitely a friggin' joke!

[@peterf.229]

🤣

[@NegoClau]

Comment is the year!!

[@tubensalat1453]

Yeah, thought of Kid Rock, too.

[@donHooligan]

his PSA was pretty good. steal everything. he says "steal my music" i'm rich!

[@matzmieze464]

😂😂😂

[@edlib02169]

Quiet Riot’s cover of Slade’s “Cum On Feel The Noize” was done under pressure from a producer. They didn’t like the song, so they played it as sloppily as they could get away with in the studio. They treated it like a joke. It became their biggest hit ever, and afterwards they went on to cover other songs by Slade.

[@TimmyTickle]

And it contributed to their album “Metal Health” topping the Billboard 200 (becoming the first metal album to do so)

[@hyprspacd_alt8147]

Kevin and Frankie had planned to sabotage the recording and do it badly, in fact they never rehearsed it. But according to Frankie when he started playing it, it just felt good and Kevin couldn't mess up on purpose because he was too much of a perfectionist. The recording you hear was supposed to be a warm up but Frankie told the engineer to record it because he thought it would be funny.

[@uuouuo5480]

They went on to cover *one* other song by Slade. Slade used unkunvinshuhnal spellings in their song titles. That's why _Metal_ _Health_ has "Cum On Feel the Noize" while the other songs are spelt normally. Likewise, another album has "Mama Weer All Crazee Now" and all the _other_ songs are spelt normally/properly. Kevin Dubrow later said he wished the band hadn't done the second cover because he disliked that 2 of their biggest hits were covers.

[@heathermiller5765]

@Fred Flynn I just learned about this last night! I was thinking about this song when I watched the video

[@1970jmozzy]

Slade was goofy to begin with

[@krisherdown]

While i did know Slash's intro was a warm-up exercise, it never occurred to me about "where do we go" and I'm just laughing at myself.

[@davidduffy5433]

My goodness, how could you miss the RAMONES. Many MANY of their songs show a really twisted sense of humor, "We're a Happy Family" and "Beat on the Brat" come to mind.

[@bnicethegaynerd6025]

Band: let’s make this song as a joke song that sounds like what the producers want us to do Song: blows up and becomes there biggest hit Band: that wasn’t what was supposed to happen

[@AimingWanderously]

There's a reason management wants that stuff, it sells and they all makes the moneys.

[@The_Sunny_One]

Proof that producers are right about what will work but record labels don’t really care about genuine thought, art and talent in the songs lol

[@efficiencygaming3494]

The first time my mom heard "Song 2" on the radio, she thought it was stupid and said, "That song's proof that anybody can make a rock song. All you have to do is say 'Woo-Hoo!' a bunch of times." She didn't realize that the song was written like that on purpose. Blur did a good job of making a stupid song sound awesome, though. One that comes to mind is "Glass Onion" by the Beatles. John Lennon wrote it as a sarcastic response to fans breaking down Beatles songs and analyzing the lyrics for hidden meanings. He filled it with references to their previous songs that were intentionally meant to be confusing. Another fairly obscure example is "Pop Is Dead" by Radiohead. It was written as a satire of the music industry and featured deeply cynical and sarcastic lyrics. The band actually regrets making that song and they hate it so much that they removed it from streaming services.

[@ziggyszmulewitz7712]

Glass Onion references another song John wrote to fuck with people who took his lyrics too seriously, especially school teachers, I am the Walrus.

[@Vidchemy]

So Beatles' fans were a precursor to Q?

[@TimmyTickle]

@@ziggyszmulewitz7712 Supposedly, after recording it, John said “Let’s see the bastards figure that one out!”

[@buddhafyre]

Wait until she hears ' Justified And Ancient' by KLF featuring Tammy Wynette. A global smash about time traveling aliens roaming about in an ice cream truck....

[@kateealer7]

@@ziggyszmulewitz7712 My favorite is when The X-Files writers were in on the joke and wrote that the inscription on "the Lazarus bowl" read "I am the walrus, I am the walrus, Paul is dead, kookookachu." (David definitely wrote that.)

[@chevand8]

I was trying to think of one from Tool-- it's pretty well established that they've got a pretty sharp sense of humor. They actually have a surprising amount of joke material. Most of the ones that came to mind immediately weren't so much 'songs' as they were 'segues' between songs: "Useful Idiot" is the sound of a record skipping for the sake of trolling listeners who have _Ænima_ on vinyl, "Message to Harry Manback" is an actual threatening phone message that Maynard's roommate received (which the band set to romantic piano music as a goof), "Intermission" is an organ intro to "jimmy" à la _Monty Python and the Holy Grail._ "Die Eier Von Satan" is probably their best joke: a cookie recipe read in German to make it sound like a fascist rally. In terms of actual joke _songs,_ though, the only one I could think of is "Maynard's Dick", which is about... pretty much what the title indicates.

[@sentientcardboarddumpster7900]

Plus Ticks and Leeches is a direct "fuck you"...to alot of people lol

[@CascadesHomebrew]

I am not sure it is a "joke", but I love the title of "Hooker with a Penis" along with the not so subtle middle finger at fanboys. "I sold my soul to make a record, dipshit, and then you bought one." I also love how they are not afraid to title songs like "Stinkfist" and "Prison Sex" with lyrics that could actually be about just that.

[@johnjohn37371]

The Gaping Lotus Experience on Opiate has always cracked me up....the lyrics are sensational...

[@jonathonsanders2508]

Rosetta Stoned is also a long joke. Tool is awesome.

[@moonshootr]

And Rosetta Stoned, unless aliens really told Maynard the fate of humanity.

[@ghclimer]

Cherry Pie - Warrant. It was last minute filler meant to serve as a "Love in an Elevator" type groove. The album and tour were supposed to be Uncle Tom's Cabin. It was a done deal. Jani Lane knocked out Cherry Pie in a matter of minutes and the rest was hair metal history.

[@sportsmom165]

AND he HATED the song!!

[@TimmyTickle]

@@sportsmom165 He clarified in an Interview that he didn’t exactly hate the song, he didn’t want his entire career to be defined by that one song. Given that every news report after his death went something along the lines of “Cherry Pie singer dies”… yeah, he didn’t get his wish.

[@sportsmom165]

@@TimmyTickle Uncle Tom's Cabin was amazing!!! As well as I Saw Red!

[@justinwallace4688]

All by Myself by Green Day was a song definitely meant as a joke. I don’t exactly remember how they came up with it, but Tre had a pretty good answer when asked in an interview

[@CBRHurricane6]

So was “dominated love slave”

[@xxth3plagu3d0ctorxx]

It was just tré being tré

[@j.pnewcomer1069]

it was something Tre Cool (drummer) did while fooling around in the studio; it's about masturbating

[@carlosjuarez8761]

Spot on on Nirvana. I love them, but many fans try to hard to see depth, transcendent meaning and life changing lyrics where there is none. Most of their lyrics are rarely inter connected phrases / sentences / verses which sometimes rhyme sometimes they don’t, or simply fit into the metrics of the melody of the song, without coherence with other verses in the same song, or without having an overall song subject or meaning, and this doesn’t take away from Kurt as a song writer, he is still one of the best of the grunge era.

[@Axetwin]

I was never a fan of Nirvana growing up, so I didn't hear Something in the Way for the first time until The Batman came out. I was listening to the song and making it a point to pay attention to the lyrics and was genuinely surprised when I realized it was nonsense.

[@peterf.229]

songs like Polly had a point . ironically the song Rape Me also has a point and also is a joke

[@doctorrobert1339]

The amount of people thinking that ''I hate myself and I wanna die'' is a serious song is astounding lmao

[@skeletonmodel]

@@Axetwin was it? I always thought it was about when he was kicked out of his home and lived underneath the wiskah bridge for a while. It’s ok to eat fish… line a ‘joke’ because he is Pisces and felt everyone was against him at that time

[@PickassoEnt]

Okaaaay BUUUT if you're looking for "Sense" in lyrics you could do the SAME with ANY Band. Not even just rock. Trying 2 "Understand the lyrics" is for the DULLARDS imo.

[@Microplancakes]

The song “Hook” by Blues Traveller’s” was written to show how easy it is to write a hit song!! Lol!! If you listen to the lyrics you’ll get what I’m saying! I find this song quite cleverly done!!

[@Bloodglas]

another thing to mention about Vampire Money is that Danger Days was released about a year and half after Watchman, which features MCR's cover of Desolation Row. I guess it's different when the song is actually put in the movie and not just on the soundtrack?

[@dori4nflor1an]

Let's not forget that MCR are a bunch of total nerds who grew up on stuff like Transformers series and Watchmen comic book so I'm pretty much sure that it's completely different for them to contribute to something that they have warm feelings toward than to something new and trendy

[@Bloodglas]

@@dori4nflor1an yeah I think the more likely thing is they just hate Twilight specifically.

[@STARPHASE]

@@dori4nflor1an Not to mention that cover is dope. It is more likely that they write/let their songs be featured in films they like. Not necessarily that they're trying to get their songs on the soundtracks like Twilight.

[@swankelly]

@@dori4nflor1an They've said, it was more the fact that people wouldn't stop telling them they should do it for the money and more fame than the movies themselves, that inspired the song. They were also kinda bothered by vampires becoming more mainstream and commercial, because they were always into that lore( and of course one of their first songs was "Vampires will never hurt you." And yes i agree with you, especially Watchmen was a great fit for them.

[@swankelly]

They were also on Yo Gabba Gabba lol

[@954dragracer]

"Hook" by Blues Traveler is another classic example. Even the opening lines of the song, "It doesn't matter what I say.... As long as I sing with inflection" The song was written totally tongue in cheek and turned out to be one of their biggest hits.

[@wallflowerwithoutperks]

Sara Bareilles's "Love Song" was meant as a big middle finger to her record company because they kept on trying to get her to write one

[@thornbrain]

Apparently two of the most seminal Goth Rock/"vampire" songs were jokes, or at least not serious at all: "Bela Lugosi's Dead" by Bauhaus and "Release the Bats" by The Birthday Party (Nick Cave's first band). The former was a riff on Dub, and the latter is clearly an over-the-top joke, but oops! Here comes a whole subculture.

[@blueblank8287]

I mean, as a goth person, I feel like you can’t take yourself too seriously if you want to be goth; there’s often an element of camp to it.

[@thornbrain]

@@blueblank8287 Definitely, it's pretty theatrical

[@josephwest124]

Not sure how you can consider "Bela Lugosi's Dead" to be a "joke" or "not serious." David J (bassist for Bauhaus) describes the song as their take on dub and the band describe dub as a major musical influence. As an artist, you don't typically "joke" about musical influences, especially with your early work; it's way too easy for the public to misunderstand your intentions.

[@K0sm1cKid]

@@josephwest124 You can write campy goofy songs in genres you respect as well. It doesn't make it an insult toward the genre.

[@Brandonmtlhd]

I find it hilarious how bands write these songs like ok, you want dumb, cheesy and poppy? Here you go! It's the ultimate social experiment, to see if the audience will lap up a song that sounds stupid and took nothing to write and is basic af. Then of course, it becomes a top 10 hit, or even #1. Meanwhile, all the other songs on the album that took a lot of hard work, talent and the band put their heart and souls in, get ignored.

[@alexscott1251]

If people like it, they like it. For example, Zappa. I don't fuckin like a lot of his ultra sperg shit.

[@kateealer7]

Less rock and more pop, but Sara Bareilles wrote "Love Song" as a joke to her producers because they told her they wanted her to write a love song instead of the harder, more serious stuff she was writing. (As an alt and classic rock girl) When I heard this hit was actually a hit piece on the record label, I started to love it. The fame she got from the song pretty much started her career and she ended up writing the music for Waitress among other things.

[@MLennholm]

Deep Purple's _Highway Star_ was written as a joke. The band would let journalists travel with them on their tour bus for the purpose of interviews and during such an interview with Ritchie Blackmore, he was asked "How do you write songs?". Blackmore responded "Like this", picked up his guitar and started picking an open string while casually carrying on the conversation. Ian Gillan joined in and started improvising vocals and it evolved from there. They performed an early version of the song on their show that same night.

[@TheRareVideosXL]

I love "The Rock Show" by Blink 182.

[@matthewcranney6576]

Let's Get Rocked and Make Love Like A Man by Def Leppard were meant to be humourous and satirical. They were basically both written as a way to try and brighten up the recording sessions after Steve Clark died.

[@GunsoftheArchangels]

Kurt was actually dating Tobi Vail (also of Bikini Kill) at the time he penned "Smells Like Teen Spirit". Kathleen Hanna is the one who graffiti'd it on his wall.

[@GTRrocker84]

Coldplay yellow was written as a joke when Chris Martin was singing it like Neil Young and they made it into a song. He told the story on Howard stern.

[@SurrealiamPrime]

the only reason i can think of MCR doing a transformers track is that Gerard Way is a huge nerd. remember, MCR also contributed a track to The Watchmen which was one of Gerard’s and many others favorite comic book.

[@thedinkster5772]

Still waiting for Song 1

[@FullmetalNinja25]

I wouldn't feel too bad for Damon Albarn, after all not long after Song 2 came out he would join forces with Jamie Hewlett and Gorillaz would was born and pretty much no one remembers Song 2 after that lol. Edit: To clarify I mean no one remembers Song 2 compared to everything Albarn has done with Gorillaz.

[@seanwilkinson7431]

Gorillaz' self-titled album (with "Clint Eastwood" on it) has a song called "Punk" that's like a spiritual sequel to "Song 2."

[@damienrowley443]

@@seanwilkinson7431 that’s cool. I didn’t know that. Will have to check it out. Love the Gorillaz.

[@rustybarber3016]

Everyone remembers Song 2!

[@lukeberrie3942]

You have to be joking, right?

[@eminemfan50098]

...literally everyone remembers song 2. Just as much as Gorillaz.

[@stephenpaules3543]

My dad would say that all of Nirvana's songs were written as jokes because he hates them lmao Also I have a new video idea: 10 Talented Musicians Who Are Terrible People

[@waylandcool]

There could be parts 1-100 on that particular list.

[@bonecanoe86]

John Lennon

[@nannettefreeman7331]

It's already been done, & yes, Lennon was on there. ✌🏼

[@nannettefreeman7331]

@@waylandcool I worked in the music industry for a good part of my life (the late 80s & almost all of the 90s) & I met WAY more artists who were totally cool & down to Earth then ones who were jerks. Roughly the same ratio of "cool vs a-hole" with the majority falling somewhere in between, that I've encountered amongst regular people in day-to-day life, coz at the end of the day, famous musicians ARE just people who happen to possess a certain talent we, as a society, reward with fame. I think most of them "get" that. Perhaps the balance has changed since I dropped out of the scene & got a "respectable" job, firmly believing that the music industry should employ those who are in the trenches with their finger on the pulse, so to speak. I wouldn't doubt it, as "back in my day" a lot of artists were in it because they were into the art, the music itself, & nowadays everyone (not just musicians, but EVERYONE) seems to be chasing that fame. ✌🏼

[@stephenpaules3543]

@@nannettefreeman7331 Link?

[@ianstratton]

Me: "Hey Axl! 'One In A Million' was a joke too, right?" Axl: "...." Me: ".......RIGHT???"

[@Joemama55122]

I hope it was i wondered if the n word bit was more like referencing NWA and rap as a joke esp the po-lice pronouncation or its the most racist thing ever created

[@dreibel]

Smashmouth's "All Star". Same basic story, while working on their second album, the suits at the label said they couldn't hear a single, could you come up with one? Their guitarist proceeded to write a song with every known cliche in the book. and with nonsense lyrics. Sent it to the record company expecting it to be rejected - nope, the label loved it, asked them to record it.. It sent the band's career into the stratosphere. I have a feeling that the same thing was true of Sugar Ray's "Fly". It certainly sounded really jokey! Queen's "Fat Bottomed Girls". Brian May admits he wrote this because he thought it would be funny to have little Freddie sing a song where he was all loving on voluptuos women. Of course Freddie did it justice!

[@robmitchell3039]

Sugar Ray started out as a pretty heavy band, but they intentionally changed their style to be popular and sell albums, so Fly might be kind of a joke song, but mostly it was written as a pop hit single.

[@kennethpowers82982]

As for the all star one, I wonder if Shrek had a hand in that one. lol

[@Ravenscannotfly]

To give MCR credit they didn't contribute a song to the transformers movie as the song was already made. The movie studio just payed for the rights to use it

[@merelymayhem]

I'm not at all into the transformers franchise (exept the bumblebee movie, that was fun) but it makes sense that mcr gave them a song from danger days, they are massive nerds after all In one of my fav interviews gerard talks about his hobbit sword replica and painting orc figures and then there's all the comics n stuff :D

[@imdoneplus]

I don’t want people to get confused about Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit;” Kurt was “with” Tobi Vail of Bikini Kill and Kathleen Hanna, their lead singer, was saying Kurt smelled like Tobi’s deodorant. That’s where you get the title. I don’t want people thinking Kurt and Kathleen Hanna were together lol.

[@unfiltered577]

what was the thing he couldn't say in the video? I never heard that part.

[@imdoneplus]

@@unfiltered577 sex mate. He was implying they had sex and Kurt came out smelling like Teen Spirit deodorant. I was making a point that he had sex with Tobi Vail and not Kathleen Hanna.

[@unfiltered577]

@@imdoneplus ohhh gotcha. Figured it was something like that. Dude just made it seem more gross

[@johnd5398]

Username checks out.

[@venomousnate7263]

It’s very interesting how jokes songs written for a laugh become big Top 10 hits, not that the songs are bad, it’s just very weird. Guess some things never change.

[@stevester9148]

I can't be the only one who realized some 20 years later that the first line in Loser's chorus is in Spanish.

[@johnnyutah482]

Probably...should have been 20 seconds

[@donHooligan]

@@johnnyutah482 perdador sounds like a kiddie diddler, though. too similar to predator. never would have guessed that translation.

[@CBRHurricane6]

Soooooyyyyy un perdedor Translates to (you guessed it) I’m a loser fits the rhythm better than saying I’m a loser twice

[@cdifreakguy]

Yeah, I used to think it was, 🎶Soooooooooo oPEN THE DOOR🎶

[@stevester9148]

@@cdifreakguy Me too

[@surreallifeartist6461]

"This Corrosion" by the Sisters of Mercy. The lyrics are a pisstake of Wayne Hussey (who'd left the Sisters to form The Mission) who wanted to make music with deeper themes. So Andrew Eldritch wrote down a whole bunch of stuff that sounds deep but is utterly meaningless. And it's still great.

[@meg5323]

I can't believe my favourite song of all time was written as a joke. I wonder what that says about me. 🥲

[@Aster_Risk]

@@meg5323 Don't worry about it. I unironically love a ton of songs that were meant as jokes.

[@matthicksxx]

What a fascinating list. Another song that I can think of is “I Am the Walrus” by The Beatles. John Lennon composed the piece to perplex listeners who had over-analyzed the meanings of other Beatles songs. “I Am the Walrus” is just nonsense

[@xPepper360]

Same with Glass Onion on the White Album intentionally trolling people who thought Paul died in a car crash. And people to this day still use the "the Walrus was Paul" line in their conspiracy theories.

[@TharinYoung]

Moon Zappa wrote Valley Girl making fun of most of her classmates. The joke flew so far over almost everyone's' heads that it became a major fashion trend in the early '80s

[@robertsmithii6947]

Her father Frank Zappa wrote the song. He had her doing the talking parts just because he could

[@ajl5128]

"Hook" by Blues Traveler is another Troll song that is worth mentioning. Written just to prove no one listens to lyrics.

[@pencraft3179]

Knights of Cydonia by Muse was a joke. They said they laughed the whole time recording it and thought everybody would think they lost their mind. Now it is the closer for almost all their shows and a fan favorite.

[@MyLadyPanda]

Wasn't 'Creep' by Radiohead supposed to be a snark song?

[@zombiejager9735]

Huh. So that’s why Sweet Child O Mine was chosen as the theme for Love & Thunder.

[@TitaniaBird]

"Road Hog" by Stone Sour has to have been written as a joke, because it's just too dang goofy not to be. It may not have been a hit like some of the ones on Luke's list, but it fits the criteria for clearly being a parody of rebel motorcyclists who are really just awful people with an underdog complex. Corey Taylor just goes ham on it, and at the end, you can hear the rest of the band cracking up while Corey just keeps screaming "Yeah!" over and over again until he also starts laughing.

[@AwaitingNonExistence]

I have to agree. I love the song because it's got some good groove and Corey kills the vocals but everytime I listen to it I can't help but to laugh at the lyrics. I've always felt like it wasn't a serious song and definitely poking fun at the stereotypical MC guy that takes themselves too serious and thinks they're a hard ass just for wearing a leather jacket and riding a motorcycle when they aren't even in deep with any type of organized crime and probably just a pencil pusher or desk jockey 5 days of the week

[@josephconnole4222]

Song 2 by Blur was also written to poke fun at Oasis. Most of Blur's music is more pop than rock. After Oasis fell apart, Blur was the "winner" because their style of brit pop won the day.

[@storytellingsnek5255]

There's a little bit more lore about the Vampire Money. It's rumoured that the writer of Twilight based a titular character off of Gerard Way and would have liked them to play said prorag vampire. It's somewhat well known among the fans. I have no idea of this is actually a thing but it was a widely circulated legend.. at least.

[@BreezyStreamy]

I could see that.

[@MikeyLew47]

“Hook” by Blues Traveler. That thing just drips with contempt when you actually follow the lyrics. “It doesn't matter what I say So long as I sing with inflection That makes you feel I'll convey Some inner truth or vast reflection But I've said nothing so far And I can keep it up for as long as it takes And it don't matter who you are If I'm doing my job then it's your resolve that breaks Because the Hook brings you back I ain't tellin' you no lie The Hook brings you back On that you can rely”

[@donHooligan]

the Peter Pan part is better. epic, i would say. Peter fkng Pan, man. ...is featured in this song. such a fun song.

[@andrewbishop4447]

Great example

[@flerbus]

@@donHooligan peter pan motif actually fits in great with the theme of this song...arrested development (both musically and personaly)

[@donHooligan]

@@flerbus poor Wendy didn't know... the Hook brings you back. when i first realized what he was saying i thought it was genius...possibly because i sang along 100 times before realizing it. now that i think about it...my own 'arrested development' brought me much pleasure, in regards to this song.

[@dontyouworryaboutit_]

Vampire Money is actually a fucking bop. Love that song

[@robertmckinnon7003]

No. He's allowed to mock his brother. If it were a stranger; that would be terrible; and they and we would suck for it. We can also laugh. As we are invited in.

[@miserirken]

*Blur* 🤝 *Deftones* _Making a joke song_ _poking fun at a 90s'_ _music genre, just to_ _write one of the best_ _songs in said genre_

[@nikguimont8546]

I am the walrus was written because John Lennon heard teachers were using Beatles songs to teach writing analysis so he wrote a song with no meaning

[@nannettefreeman7331]

Not just "teachers," but a secondary school teacher (possibly the headmaster) of Lennon's that he particularly did not like, apparently. Alternately, I've also heard it was to trip up music critics, to tease fans whom he felt were reading too much into the band's lyrics, or my personal favorite, as a jab at Bob Dylan & his nebulous style of songwriting. Maybe all of the above. In any event, mostly pure gibberish, intentionally. You'll also, if you listen very carefully, you'll hear lines 249-262 of Act IV, scene 6 of Shakespeare's "King Lear" starting at the 3:52 mark of the track, lifted from a BBC broadcast of a dramatic reading of the play that Lennon briefly tuned into while fumbling with an AM radio in the studio as the band was recording the song.

[@wstine79]

Hello Fresh is the Metallica of food services compared to the Kid Rock and Buckcherry Fast Food options.

[@sonder152]

Metallica is the Justin Beiber of metal

[@coolguyfunguy2307]

The Judas Priest song "Eat Me Alive" has been often reported as being a joke to make fun of the sort of explicit material floating around that made people like Tipper Gore mad. Like, the band says this.

[@Ellthom]

If this video made me realise something is we don't get songs ribbing on other musical genres anymore. At least from more serious acts :P

[@lemurdream]

I'm glad I watched this. I always hated "Song 2" with a passion. Now at least I can rest in the knowledge that it was a joke.

[@andyb1653]

Famously, Black Sabbath's timeless "Paranoid" was initially just slapped together as album filler, much like "Sweet Child O' Mine".

[@edgarpryor3233]

In a different genre, You Never Called Me By My Name (the perfect Country and Western song) was written as joke poking fun at the formulaic "Bro Country" of the time. It's one of David Allen Coe's biggest hits.

[@alexshaw639]

The only perfect country song is one not played in the first place

[@backelie]

@@alexshaw639 You might want to check out "Pandering" by Bo Burnham

[@anneonymous8359]

The late, great John Prine co-wrote that song with Steve Goodman. John Prine’s introduction to the song on a live album tells some of the story.

[@MGTV1]

3:42 fun fact #2 - song two is _still_ the goal song of the ottawa senators to this day.

[@alukuhito]

Let's Go to Bed by The Cure was a parody of the music they hated, but ended up being a big hit for them in the early 80s.

[@linnpatterson222]

First off: it's amazing to me that Beck is most known for a goofy song about nothing in particular but the incredibly serious _Morning Mood_ is what actually netted him a Grammy. Second: I have two potential candidates for songs written in jest: 1. I'm not sure if he could count, but Ben Folds wrote "Rockin' The Suburbs" as a jab at the generic sounds of the nu metal genre after one of said bands (dunno which) insulted him directly. 2. The song "Music That You Can Dance To" by Sparks was written as a sarcastic joke by the Maels when they wanted to take their album of the same name in a darker direction but the label wanted them to make "music you can dance to" when they otherwise weren't interested (and like a lot of the songs on the list, the label didn't get it and released it as a single without listening to the very bitter lyrics).

[@TimmyTickle]

I think it was Korn who insulted him

[@DavidGowers]

I'm pretty sure it wasn't a response to a direct insult against him, but more of a pisstake aimed at bands like Korn and their followers. I'm happy to be proven wrong, though, because Korn are kinda shit at times

[@karnickel-s33d16]

Not a rock song, but Safety Dance by Men Without Hats was written as a joke because bouncers wouldn't allow people to pogo at rock shows in Canada. That's why the actual safety dance described in the song is so lame.

[@jmiddlefinger]

It’s such a bummer that Blur’s Coffee & TV wasn’t anywhere near as popular as Song 2. That song and it’s video are among my favorites of all time!

[@j.pnewcomer1069]

Yes! I love that song and played it for my dad (professional musician, drummer in a band) and was surprised when he said he thought it was one of "those new indie bands" and I was like no dad it's Blur!

[@Awells89]

Maybe not made as a joke per se but Korn's Ya'll Want a Single was made as a giant middle finger to the record label at the time while they were making Take A Look in the Mirror. The label wanted Korn to make a single specially for radio play and Korn pretty much said "Oh we'll give you a single alright" and thus one of the most profanity laced songs ever made was born.

[@CivilianSatellite]

"Die Eier von Satan" by Tool. The first time I heard it, I was just playing Ænima as background music while I worked. As the song began to build, it caught my full attention and I began to wonder if I really should be playing it. When I found out what the lyrics translated to, I laughed my head off. "Mantra" is another good one.

[@salemtrials7432]

MCR also remade Dylan’s “Desolation Row” for the Watchmen soundtrack. Makes some sense given Gerard’s affinity for Comic Books.

[@TheBattlesword]

Korpiklaani - VODKA! I don't need to explain myself here. They might not be well known outside of Finland, but it's their most famous song, and it was obviously never meant to be taken seriously.

[@Falxifer95]

Apologies for the rant. But I hate how if you wanna stream White Pony, you get either the re-release with Back to School, or the 20th anniversary which has remixes, and this peeves me because I prefer full albums with the original track list, sure I can skip 1 track, but its still a nuisance.

[@SpacemanHardy]

I have to admit, even though the Deftones themselves hate it, I really like Back to School. It’s a catchy tune and It got me to buy the album, so there’s that.

[@laurisaarinen1126]

I'm a huge fan of Beastie Boys. One time i was talking to my friend about them and he just said "oh yeah, Fight For Your Right is great" Then i explained how it's a joke song about that kind of stuff, i played Sure Shot for him and said "this is more what they're actually about" and he didn't comment anything but "okay" and changed the subject.

[@jaimerosado3896]

The bottom line is the Beastie Boys were trying to mock the hair bands and failed miserably.

[@wheresmymuffins]

@@jaimerosado3896 as it turns out, partying is fun? and people like having fun? wild ik

[@ChickenRockstar]

When I saw the pic of Axl, I thought you were going with their remake of “Live and Let Die”. The story goes, a record critic gave a bad review of GNR. Axl found out that the song that critic hated the most of all time was, you guessed it…”Live and Let Die” by Paul McCartney. So as an FU to the critic, they recorded that song knowing that the critic they hated would have to listen to it…over and over again. The ultimate revenge.

[@lutfimakarim8258]

Personally, when I saw Axl, I was thinking of the song Used To Loved Her.

[@deementia6796]

@@lutfimakarim8258 That was what I thought as well.

[@takodabostwick8507]

I named my college radio show The Rock Show after the Blink 182 song! I play a ton of rock, punk, and metal music for my show! I didn't want to name it The Punk Rawk Show or The Metal Show because it would be exclusively punk or metal, so putting rock in the name made a whole lot of sense since I play rock music!

[@thepancakereviewer]

Blinded By The Light is the loser of the 70s in a way. Just Springsteen saying a bunch of random shit to expieriment with rhyming and rhythm. Turn that into a 7 minute long pop-prog piece from the dude that made "Do wah Diddy Diddy" that uses an interpolation of chopsticks in a piano interlude and you have a classic pop rock track from the 70s.

[@goatboy150]

Springsteen's version is way better, but MM's take has so much to love about it.

[@wespapes2054]

Another good one is Belmont's "Country Girl". They were just messing around in the studio and wrote this joke country track.

[@l.salisbury1253]

Not exactly Rock but remember this really depressing pop hit from the tail end of the 70s "Just when I needed you most" by RANDY VANWARMER? Reportedly that song was about his CAR! Which conked out for good when he desperately needed it !

[@Gloryosky]

Korn/Fred Durst's "All in the Family", especially in its 'radio teaser' form. It's two nu-metal front-men playing The Dozens. That was the thing meant to build hype for _Follow the Leader._

[@frogdishon]

They wrote that song when they were all shit faced. Johnathan didn't even know it was going to be on the album.

[@galacticcaveman4045]

Just about every limp bizkit song is a joke.

[@Joemama55122]

@@galacticcaveman4045on purpose but still are good songs lol

[@galacticcaveman4045]

@@Joemama55122 as i am older i've come to realize, taking things serious is a waste.

[@Nobody_Fn_Important]

since you had BTO I am gonna add the one the only The Guess WHOOOOOOO yea yeah I hear crickets from most of you too but the one song that I hear almost relentlessly by Americans and sung with almost Patriotic fervor is the Iconic (well in Canada anyways) American Woman, which had to be a joke song against the prolific infiltration of American Media in Canada at the time and yet whenever I see it in movies or elsewhere it is almost like a rallying cry for all things American. With lines like "colored lights can hypnotize, Sparkle someone else's eyes" and "I don't want your war machines, I don't want your ghetto scenes" back in the 70's when it was written it was definitely just saying stay away we got our own stuff we dont need your hassle

[@rediron44]

Slash, on WEBN rock station from Cincinnati, Slash claimed " Sweet Child of Mine is the gayest riff I've ever wrote". Yep, he said it. You can probably find the interview

[@iamno1864]

When I noticed G&R on the thumbnail..my brain jumped to “ I used to love her, but I had to kill her”

[@gandlandk]

One from the UK is Ant Rap by Adam And The Ants. Written as a joke with no real verses or chorus and released in protest at their huge popularity in the UK at the time. The song went to number 3 in the charts - one of the first rap songs to get into the charts - and is rumored to be the last straw that led to Adam disbanding the group.

[@lilymarinovic1644]

Do you mean Ant Music? Can't recall a song from them called Ant Rap?

[@lindasmith6316]

@@lilymarinovic1644 You are right, and I love that!

[@djhavenm]

​@@lilymarinovic1644 Both Antmusic and Ant Rap were huge hits for Adam and the Ants in the UK, charting #2 and #3 UK Music Charts in 1980 and 1981 respectively. I loved Antmusic, and it doesn't surprise me in the least that Ant Rap was intended as a joke. I'm definitely not so much of a fanof Ant Rap. I'm surprised Ant Rap charted as well as it did, but maybe it's because Rap was still relatively new to white people.

[@Mario_Gillette]

Crazy little thing called love was sort of a joke song. Freddie Mercury was talking with a producer who wanted a pop song from Queen. Freddie Said anyone could write a bullshit pop song and grabbed a pen and paper, and ten minutes later returned with Crazy Little thing call love.

[@toddwebb7521]

The Quiet Riot version of Cum on Feel the Noise was done because the record company wanted a filler track and the producer suggested that cover song. They where trying to do it badly compared to the Slade original and came up with a good sound on accident.

[@ReligionOfSacrifice]

"Sweet Child 'O Mine" exists because the exercise was made off of the song "Xanadu" by RUSH.

[@bertrammanly6001]

Lair by Rollins Band started at a gag song they would play at soundcheck, but their record label convinced them to finish and record the track.

[@donHooligan]

every US politician should have to play that in their TV ads. like a child safety cap for TV zombies.

[@dalime605]

"I am the walrus" by the Beatles was written when John Lennon found out a school somewhere was talking about their music and analyzing their lyrics. So that (combined with weird stuff they saw on LSD.) That song came out.

[@ratedrhuxie1828]

Black no 1 by Type O Negative

[@iamnoob108]

Dose anyone remember hook by blues traveler that is the ultimate joke song