2018/07/03 by Matthew McKeague · 1 citation
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Gender, Feminism, and Media #Media, Gender, and Advertising #Music History and Culture
paper · doi:10.1080/2040610x.2018.1494360
openalex publication_date 2018/07/03 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2025/11/06
Comedic representations of the counterculture have been primarily investigated in literature, television, and film studies across the world, though music depictions of these movements remain relatively unexplored. This gap in analysis misses a number of musicians and comedians expressing their anti-status quo viewpoints via song. In this paper, the researcher briefly covers this history of funny music counterculture, leading up to a focus on one of the most successful comedy singers, ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic, who for over 40 years has been addressing the importance of fighting peer pressure while mocking the elite. A central argument in this paper involves Yankovic combining various elements of popular culture and mixing in defiant themes, making them palatable for wider audiences through a rebellious perspective, often pointing out the absurdities and tropes of the pop music industry in the process. Beginning his career in the late 1970s, Yankovic has not only continued to cover relevant cultural issues through his parodies and original songs, but has also served as a court jester who pokes fun of the lifestyles and extravagance far out of reach from the general population.