I Started a Joke
| "I Started a Joke" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Single by Bee Gees | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| from the album Idea | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| B-side |
"Kilburn Towers" "Swan Song" (France) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Released | 21 December 1968[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Format | 7", 45 rpm | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Recorded |
25 June 1968 IBC Studios, London | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Genre | Soft rock, psychedelic pop, baroque pop | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Length | 3:05 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Label |
Polydor (United Kingdom) Atco (United States) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Writer(s) | Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Producer(s) | Robert Stigwood, Bee Gees | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bee Gees singles chronology | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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"I Started a Joke" is a song by the Bee Gees from their 1968 album Idea, which was released as a single in December of that year.
Following the release of the album in September. It was not released as a single in the United Kingdom, where buyers who could not afford the album had to content themselves with a Polydor version by Heath Hampstead. This is Vince Melouney's last single with the Bee Gees to feature his guitar work as he left the band in early December after this song was released as a single.
The song's B-side was "Kilburn Towers", except in France, "Swan Song" was used. "I Started a Joke" was written by Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb, and produced by them with Robert Stigwood, Colin Petersen, and Vince Melouney (as the Bee Gees).
Composition and recording
Songs for the Idea album were completed on 25 June (except for the song "I've Gotta Get a Message to You" which was recorded on 12 July during the Odessa sessions) including "I Started A Joke".[2]
According to Robin Gibb, the melancholic melody of the song was inspired by the sounds on board an aeroplane:
| “ | "The melody to this one was heard aboard a British Airways Vickers Viscount about a hundred miles from Essen. It was one of those old four engine 'prop' jobs, that seemed to drone the passenger into a sort of hypnotic trance, only with this it was different. The droning, after a while, appeared to take the form of a tune, which mysteriously sounded like a church choir. So it was decided! We accosted the pilot, forced him to land in the nearest village and there; in a small pub, we finished the lyrics [with Barry]. Actually, it wasn't a village, it was the city, and it wasn't a pub, it was a hotel, and we didn't force the pilot to land in a field... but why ruin a perfectly good story?"[3] | ” |
"There was a lot of that in those days" Barry laughed, "There was a lot of psychedelia and the idea that if you wrote something, even if it sounded ridiculous, somebody would find the meaning for it, and that was the truth".[4] Robin Gibb told The Mail on Sunday on 1 November 2009 about "I Started a Joke": "This is a very spiritual song. The listeners have to interpret it themselves, trying to explain it would detract from the song".[5]
Structure and release
It was written by Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb. On its beginning, a bass line in the key of D, Db, B, A and G was heard. On the first verse of the song, the chords were: G, B minor, C and D and back to G, The chords at the song's refrain was E minor, B minor, C, G, B minor, E minor, A minor, D7. The chords on the second verse was same like the first verse. On the second verse refrain, it features the vocals work by Barry and Robin. On the second refrain, Robin sings strongly on the line I looked at the skies/Running my hands/Over my eyes.
The promotional video for "I Started a Joke" was directed by Jean Christophe Averti. It was filmed in Brussels as part of the Idea TV Special and features floating question marks on the song while Robin sings. In the video, Maurice is shown playing a Rickenbacker 4001 and Vince Melouney playing a Gibson ES-335.[4]
The song reached #1 in Canada, New Zealand and Australia, In Canada, it spent two weeks as the number one in RPM charts. "I Started a Joke" debuted at #66 at the United States Cashbox magazine in the week of 14 December 1968.[6]
Robin Gibb's son played "I Started a Joke" on his phone just after his father died from kidney failure on 20 May 2012. Robin-John Gibb told The Sun:
When he passed away we went out, they took the equipment away and we came back in, I picked up my phone and found "I Started a Joke" on YouTube and played it. I put the phone on his chest and that was the first time I broke down. I knew that song and its lyrics were perfect for that moment. That song will always have new meaning to me now.[5]
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Cover versions
Faith No More version
| "I Started a Joke" | |||||||
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| Single by Faith No More | |||||||
| from the album 'Who Cares a Lot?' | |||||||
| Released | 21 September 1998 | ||||||
| Format | CD | ||||||
| Recorded | Early 1995 | ||||||
| Genre | Easy listening, pop rock, alternative rock, soft rock | ||||||
| Length | 3:03 | ||||||
| Label | Slash | ||||||
| Writer(s) | Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb | ||||||
| Producer(s) |
Billy Gould Dean Menta | ||||||
| Faith No More singles chronology | |||||||
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Faith No More originally covered "I Started a Joke" as a b-side for their 1995 single "Digging the Grave". It also appeared on some versions of their fifth studio album King for a Day... Fool for a Lifetime but following the band's dissolution in 1998 it was released as their final single with their greatest hits album Who Cares a Lot?. The music video was filmed on 8 September 1998,[15] after Faith No More had disbanded five months earlier and featured none of the band members. It was directed by Vito Rocco, filmed by Nick Sawyer with make-up by Julie Nightingale and Dani Richardson with Gabi Norland as the clapper-loader. British actors Martin Freeman and Shaun Dingwall both feature in the promo, along with performance artist David Hoyle as the karaoke singer, and also stars Michelle Butterly of the ITV series, Benidorm. Derren Litten, the writer of Benidorm and a contributor to The Catherine Tate Show, is also seen in the video.[15] The track was also used in the soundtrack for Zoolander.
Track listing
- Disc one
- "I Started a Joke" – 3:03
- "The World Is Yours" – 5:52
- "Midnight Cowboy" (Live) – 1:01
- Disc two
- "I Started a Joke" – 3:03
- "This Guy's in Love with You" (Live) – 4:20
- "We Care a Lot" (Live) – 3:55
Live tracks recorded on 21 October 1997 at the Horden Pavilion, Sydney, Australia by MTV Australia.
Charts
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart[16] | 49 |
| Australia ARIA Charts | 58 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Charts[17] | 38 |
Other versions
- Richie Havens on his album Stonehenge (1969) with Havens on vocals and guitar, Eric Oxendine on bass and Bill LaVorgna on drums.[18]
- Lulu covered this song and released on Lulu's Album in 1969.[19]
- The Cascades released this song as a B-side of "Sweet America" on Can-Base Records in 1972.[20]
- Ronnie Von had a Portuguese version, called Comecei uma Brincadeira and translated by himself, on his psychedelic-rock-album "A misteriosa Luta do Reino de Parassempre contra o Império de Nuncamais" from 1969.
- Between 1972 and 1974, this song was covered by Singapore-based female singer Ervinna, backing music by The Stylers, on her LP album Top Hits with the local White Cloud Record.
- Benny Mardones covered the song for his 1978 debut album Thank God for Girls.[21]
- In 1996, Skibby did a reggae version of this song, which has been released as part of the sampler CD set "It's Reggae" in 1996.
- Jamaica, a British R&B girl group included the song on their album, Sisters In Pain. Jamaica was Veronica 'Vee' Morris, Joyce Morris and Coral Spencer. The album was produced by Mickie Most.
- In 1998, Robbie Williams with The Orb released on the Gotta Get A Message To You - A Tribute To The Bee Gees.
- In 2001, The Wallflowers was featured in the Zoolander movie soundtrack.
- In 2001, Shannon Wright covered the song on the EP Perishable Goods
- Tim Rose on his 2004 album The London Sessions.
- In 1982, the Mexican band, Pegasso did a cover of this song titled "Yo Comence la broma" from their album "Se Tambalea" (It Staggers) in 1982, which had become a hit all over Mexico and Southern United States.
- Artists like The Beautiful South, The Dirtbombs, Vonda Shepard, indie pop bands The Lucksmiths and Low, British singers Lulu and Kathryn Williams have also recorded covers of the song.
- Low covered the song with Mimi Parker on vocals and released it in the A Lifetime of Temporary Relief boxset
- There are several instrumental versions with Francis Goya on guitar in his album Romantic Guitar[22] and James Galway on flute in his 1988 Greatest Hits album.[23]
- Ventriloquist Terry Fator sometimes performs an excerpt as part of his live show, generally following Stayin' Alive
- Angela Chang, a popular Taiwanese singer, sang a cover of the song in her sixth studio album.
- Comedian Neil Hamburger released a 7" single of his country-western version of the song, backed by Nashville guitarist Dave Gleason and members of The Tubes. A performance of the song also appears on his Western Music and Variety DVD.
- Micheal Castaldo recorded an Italian version of the song on his 2010 album Aceto.
- Pet Shop Boys covered the song for their 2012 single Winner as a tribute to Robin.
- Barry Gibb featured the song on his 2013 Mythology tour. Barry sang the first verse of the song, then handed the vocal over to Robin, featured in a filmed performance.[24][25]
Parodies
"I Started a Joke" was parodied by a Radio Free Vestibule sketch in which a voiced-over commentary takes the lyrics completely literally, appeared on the film Zoolander as covered by The Wallflowers; It was featured heavily in the ending of the film Penn & Teller Get Killed, which features the two magicians playing a succession of increasingly elaborate practical jokes on each other with a fatal conclusion. The song was recited in The Fighter, when Dickie Eklund (Christian Bale) sings it in an attempt to console his mother Alice (Melissa Leo) following an attempt by him to hide his crack addiction. The song appeared in one of the sketches in MTV's The State comedy television show.
References
- ↑ mookid (8 April 2011). "I Started a Joke / Kilburn Towers by Bee Gees (Single, Pop): Reviews, Ratings, Credits, Song list - Rate Your Music".
- ↑ Joseph Brennan. "Gibb Songs: 1968".
- ↑ p.188, Bee Gees Anthology, Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1991.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Hughes, Andrew. The Bee Gees - Tales of the Brothers Gibb. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Songfacts.com. "Bee Gees - I Started a Joke".
- ↑ "Cash Box Top Singles". Cashbox Magazine Archives. December 14, 1968. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 7.9 7.10 7.11 "Songs Written by the Gibb Family on the International Charts - Part 1" (PDF). brothersgibb.org. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
- ↑ "Bee Gees - I Started A Joke". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
- ↑ "Bee Gees - I Started A Joke". ultratop.be. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Bee Gees - I Started A Joke". Dutch Charts. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Bee Gees - I Started A Joke". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
- ↑ "Bee Gees Chart Singles Discography". musicvf.com. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
- ↑ "Cash Box Top 100". Cashbox Magazine Archives. February 8, 1969. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
- ↑ "Cashbox Top 100". Cashbox Magazine Archives. March 1, 1969. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Faith No More – "I Started a Joke". mvdbase.com. Retrieved on 1 June 2008
- ↑ chartstats.com page on Faith No More, retrieved on 27 January 2008
- ↑ "charts.org.nz - Faith No More - I Started A Joke". charts.org.nz. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
- ↑ "Richie Havens - Stonehenge". Discogs. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
- ↑ "Lulu - Lulu's Album". Discogs. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
- ↑ "The Cascades - Sweet America". Discogs. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
- ↑ "Benny Mardones - Thank God for Girls". Discogs. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
- ↑ Francis Goya - The Belgian Pop & Rock Archives
- ↑ Sir James Galway-Discography
- ↑ "Barry Gibb Mythology Tour Thread (Bee Gees) | Steve Hoffman Music Forums". Forums.stevehoffman.tv. Retrieved 2014-04-07.
- ↑ Video on YouTube
External links
- A short "I Started A Joke" background and song themes
- List of Bee Gees song parodies, including "I Started a Joke"
- Full lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
| Preceded by "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" by The Beatles |
New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart number-one single 21 March 1969 – 2 April 1969 |
Succeeded by "Fox on the Run" by Manfred Mann |
| Preceded by "The Star" by Ross D Wylie |
Australia Kent Music Report number-one single 1969 |
Succeeded by "Lily the Pink" by The Scaffold |
| Preceded by "Wichita Lineman" by Glen Campbell |
Canadian RPM number-one single 20–27 January 1969 |
Succeeded by "Crimson and Clover" by Tommy James and the Shondells |
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