Top 10 British Comedy Songs
Published on August 31, 2007 - 17 Comments
This list looks at some of the best comedy songs released in Britain in the last 50 years. Since the renaissance period, man has used music as a form of comedy and the modern times are no exception. Here are the top 10 British Comedy Songs.
1. The Fastest Milkman in the West - Benny Hill
This song reached number 1 and stayed there for 4 weeks. It is typical Benny Hill.
2. ‘Ello John, Got a New Motor - Alexei Sayle
Alexei Sayle is famous for the anarchic comedy the Young Ones, but deserves a lot of recognition for this track. It shows just how alternative the charts could be in the early eighties in England.
3. With My Little Stick of Blackpool Rock - George Formby
George Formby was a pioneer of early comedy songs and famous for his double entendres. His songs may seem a little tame nowadays, but the BBC banned his tune Cleaning Windows for being too suggestive. Strangely With My Stick of Blackpool Rock is far worse.
4. Every Sperm is Sacred - Monty Python
There were many Monty Python songs, but this is one of the funniest. Many religious people were not overly impressed.
5. The Chicken Song - Spitting Image
“Skin… your-… self alive;
Learn to speak Arapho;
Climb inside a dog
And behead an Eskimo!
Eat a Renault 4;
Wear salami in your ears;
Casserole your Gran;
Disembowel yourself with spears!”
Released in 1986 and hitting number 1, this is another example of how alternative the UK charts were in the eighties. Spitting Image was a deeply satirical TV show using vile looking puppets to parody celebrities and politicians. The Chicken Song is a spoof of catchy novelty songs and the bizarre chorus stays in your head for days.
6. The Ying Tong Song - The Goons
The hilarious Goons Show in the fifties was where Peter Sellers and Spike Milligan made their name. This song is a good example of their surrealist humor.
7. Jilted John - Graham Fellows
Graham Fellows is an underrated comic, mostly because his humor is so subtle. Like his other creation, John Shuttleworth, Jilted John is funnier the more you watch it. Jilted John is a rare example of someone daring to parody punk in the seventies. And he was young too.
8. Do the Funky Gibbon - The Goodies
This song is so stupid that you really do not want to find it funny, but unfortunately you cannot help but laugh along to their good-natured antics. The Goodies released a few songs into the charts including A Man’s Best Friend is a Duck.
9. Lily the Pink - Scaffold
An Interesting band that included poet Richard McGough and Paul Mc Cartney’s brother Michael. The song begins relatively straight, but deteriorates into something quite bizarre. It stayed at number 1 for four weeks in 1968.
10. Divorce - Billy Connelly
Billy Connelly based this on a song by Tammy Wynette about two people who spell out the word divorce when they want to discuss it in front of their child. Billy Connelly replaces the child with a dog.
Contributor: Simon Arms
Technorati Tags: comedy, Humor, songs
Related ListsTop 10 Weird Al Yankovic SongsTop 10 Comedy Performances To Remember Top 10 News Goofs Top 15 Beatles Songs |
SubscriptionsLike this article? Subscribe to the RSS feed to keep 'em coming, or subscribe via email: |
If you find this site helpful, please leave a donation so you can enjoy the spirit of giving too.
Email This Post


1. Joe - August 31st, 2007 at 6:14 am
Hermans Hermits’ “Henry the 8th I Am” is pretty funny, don’t know if it was a hit in Britain though.
2. jfrater - August 31st, 2007 at 6:21 am
Joe: I have heard of the Hermits and the song but haven’t heard the song. I am not from Britain though so I don’t know whether the British would know it.
3. curious jim - September 4th, 2007 at 5:35 am
what about Napoleon XIV - theyre coming to take me away?
4. rpenberg - September 6th, 2007 at 1:36 pm
Thanks for the Alexei Sayle video, loved his standup and his work on “Young Ones”. Now I have to go to youtube and try to find his bit about the taxi driver, a true classic.
5. rpenberg - September 6th, 2007 at 1:57 pm
Whoot! found it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....mp;search= .. Alexis starts at about 1:30 of the clip and does a solid 4min
6. Christopher Swyer - September 10th, 2007 at 7:02 pm
Wow! What a list! Haha!
It’s been a LONG time since I heard the Chicken Song… takes me back to my school days!
7. Christopher Swyer - Jarrow - September 10th, 2007 at 7:04 pm
And if every sperm actually IS sacred like the Pythons say, then I’m definately going to HELL! Haha!
8. Barb - September 21st, 2007 at 7:05 am
I would like to add ‘Living Doll’ by Cliff Richard and the Young Ones. “Well I feel sorry for the elephant.”
9. jfrater - September 21st, 2007 at 7:08 am
Barb: I used to love that song.
10. slipstick - November 4th, 2007 at 12:14 am
What about Tongue Tied or the Theme from Red Dwarf?
11. Tony LaRocca - November 29th, 2007 at 7:48 pm
Every Sperm is Sacred IS a classic, but how about “I’m a Lumberjack?” (Python)
12. miss_ali1984 - December 19th, 2007 at 7:39 pm
Man, it’s good to see that someone else knows about all these British comedians!
Alexi Sayle is the best. Anyone seen “Stuff”?
I think Python should have their own song list.
Hey, George Formby reminds me of Arthur Atkinson from The Fast Show! Where’s me washboard, eh?
13. Vodie - February 6th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
I was waiting for “Combine Harvester” by the Wurzels. Their genre is literally “Scrumpy and Western”.
I too wanted to see the Lumberjack song from Python up there.
Perhaps in a future list? (I smell a trilogy, much like the Bizarre Video trilogy)
14. Deano - February 22nd, 2008 at 7:02 am
What about “Little Miss Munter” by Inherent Woods. Hilarious!!! Should be a karaoke classic. check out the video on YouTube!!!!
15. me! - February 29th, 2008 at 11:30 am
what about Hugh Laurie´s “mistery”???? that one is great!
16. warningdontreadthis - May 4th, 2008 at 11:27 am
Jfrater: Nice to see a Pyton song here. Well I would have killed you if there were none. But why every sperm is sacred(it is a great song) and not “Always look on the bright side of life”?
By the way you should really look at some of the Fry and Laurie stuff
America
Steffi Graff
Mystery
And Little Girl very funny songs.