The earliest recorded joke in human history is about flatulence, made thousands of years ago by the Sumerians. This joke showcases how humans have always found crudeness funny. Flatulence and general toilet humour have been found as a common element in jokes across cultures and time periods. Martha Bayles posits that this is the case for fart jokes because flatulence shows our “uncontrollable physicality”, and because farts — a universal bodily function — represent equality. Read full article here
Oddities
Why Do Modern Pop Songs Have So Many Credited Writers?
The music industry has changed dramatically over the last few decades – with the number of songwriters credited on number one hits more than doubling. This is due to a combination of factors, including money, the computer and a changing definition of what songwriting is. For example, if The Beatles’ classic “I Feel Fine” was released today, it would likely have four writers credited instead of two, due to the influence of producers, samples and interpolations. With the rise of lawsuits, artists now preemptively add songwriter credits to their songs, even if the similarities between their song and the source material are coincidental. It all goes to show that the music industry is becoming more complex and competitive. Read full article here
Merv
March 29, 2023
