'I Started A Joke (Bee Gees) ... what does this song mean?

In the VH1 clip Robin doesnt really say what its about. He and his brother only state what others have said about the religious aspect. They seem baffled as to what it means at all. So I think its open. And I also think that its a personal song about being a BeeGee.

My take:

Obviously there are some messiah complex flavors running througout the song. If you start though with the chord pattern of G, Bmin, C, G, D youll notice the opposing words conflicting with the chords. G a happy strong chord which then ends up on Bmin with the word "joke". Joke ending on that chord doesnt make it very funny. Its a melancholy pattern and melody on words that usually are related with happiness. So the mood is one of opposite reaction than expected. Which fits the story. Not so much regret but rather slightly exasperated with the outcome of the subjects actions. The subject seems to be looking at this with more objectivity but also curiousity. He is a bit confused at the reaction of others but eventually explains in the last lines that he understands.

I believe that the song is also a be careful what you ask for, it can be full of pressures you didnt realize. And you lose yourself.

There is a redemptive aspect to the song that reflects the Christ story. Not an uncommon reference in songs of this nature.

"Til I finally died
Which started the whole world living"

I think this is a figurative "death". So much pressure as a star. We boys just wanted to make a living singing. Just a joke really. And then it became very serious. Relationships, the world etc all became complicated. We made music that made the world smile (laugh) and then it got turned around as this giant thing and the joke was then on us.

Whatever has the subject in dire straits, the apex of the song is that he gets to the point of pleading to the sky above with covered eyes and then further to completely near to the end of his rope as he "falls out of bed". Falling out of bed in the middle of a sleep or perhaps from this dream he is having about this epic world impact reaction (things are always bigger in dreams) is one of the most jarring things one can do.

He finds himself finally dieing to self, the entrapments that his "dream" has created. And that redemption of turning from one way of approaching the joke and the crying and to embracing it, allows him to start living again. The "whole world living" isnt the world of all the people, but rather the way he now sees the world as alive and reimpassioned to embrace life once again from a new perspective.

Coming to grips with being a big star and famous group is how I see this as far as the Bee Gees on a personal level.

And on an universal level, how we all struggle for others to see us for who we are and how we have to change our way of thinking despite of what others see us as, in order for us not to become isolated and driven to madness.

Its about losing and finding yourself and what really matters. A very simple song to express this, but lovely.

 

Two cover versions I like (though not better than the original) are by The Beautiful South and Pet Shop Boys.

 

Based on what I think the songs about, I believe the song is very subconcious. That Robin was expressing something but that he wasnt certain what was going on. Fame can be confusing. I dont think he was being coy at all or deflective.

 

To me the gist of the lyrics is 'I am the world's biggest loser'.

 

That sums it up very neatly, yes.

 

Lots of songwriters aren't always sure about what they meant by what they wrote. In many cases they just happened to capture a vague, passing emotion. Makes for lyrics which can be interpreted plausibly in a number of ways - the sonic equivalent of an impressionist painting. A guy named Dylan was pretty good at this sort of thing.

 

Thats interesting. I wonder if the falling out of bed was a literal reference to the crash? If he was asleep when it happened. Or perhaps the crash woke up something in him. A sense for mankind. When one rescues many people it changes them I would assume. Tragic and violent circumstances can do a number on a meeker fellow like Robin.

People sometimes dont understand how much it really can. I hesitate to bring this up, but I took care of a baby in ER two days ago that had a head injury. Today a fellow PA text me and said the papers mentioned the father had been arrested for throwing the infant across the room into a wall. Unbelievable was all I could text back. A beautiful baby. The baby was transported to another facility, so I do not know the outcome.

I can understand the affect the train wreck must have had on Robin. And how you gain a world perspective on mankind.

 

It's always about LSD, isn't it????

 

I have always believed that it was written while in a state of depression. It is not unusual for an individual to look back on something written while depressed, and not be able to, or want to explain why they wrote it. It is often private and embarrassing.

 

It was inspired by this hit from 10 years earlier, which features the same chord progression and similar lyrical themes:

 

Buddy Holly & Ritchie Valens, Pasty Cline, Eddie Cochran, Ronnie Van Zant & Steve Gaines, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Cliff Burton, Duane Allman & Berry Oakley, Jim Croce; all died while in some kind of travel accident and those are just off the top of my head.

Think about the headlines. "Hither Green derailment; 49 dead, 78 injured. Pop star & passenger Robin Gibb assisted with rescue effort" vs "Hither Green derailment; 50 dead, 78 injured. Pop star Robin Gibb, 18, among the dead."

He was 18 year olds and the Bee Gees had their first number one hit. He was on top of the world. Some people have that kind of brush with death and shake it off. Others are haunted by it for life.

 

curious re the opening line of their first big hit;

'...in the event of something happening to me...'

now, what does 'Red Chair Fadeaway' mean....?

 

Nice post, I like both songs, but have never before noticed that similarity.

 

This is the first Bee Gees song I heard in my lifetime, well this and "How Deep Is Your Love" and I thought it was about drugs or a bad drug trip.

 

I would have liked to produce an Alex Chilton session were he chose to record covers of
both 'I Started A Joke' and The Beach Boys/Dennis Wilson song 'Celebrate The News'.

 

sounds like the mind of a tortured genius or someone on the negative end of bipolar

 

This post may be 5 years old but I will still give it props.

 

Other then a bit of the intro being similar to the melody of Robins vocals on his outgo I don`t hear a lot similar.
The musical tune seems to be close to Skeeter Davis`s End Of The World though.

 

The cover version by The Reels was inspired by Ronald Reagan's joke about outlawing Russia and the bombs falling. If you take the lyrics in that context it makes a lot of sense.

 

That's exactly what we thought when it was on the charts (the "we" being my 7th grade classmates in Catholic School).

 

That is a heavy story indeed and I hope the baby is ok.

I do believe Hither Green had a profound effect on young Robin based on his songs from then through '73 or so.

 

I hope so also. She haunts my thoughts.

 

On the other hand, it may just be the random song craft of a 19 year old kid trying to marry together a melody with some clever lyrics that really don't "mean" anything other than the random ruminations of a 19 year old kid.

 

Who's the blistering lead gtr on WORLD,Jeff Beck?

 

This is pretty much always been my take also. The pain of being so isolated and contrarian that absolutely nobody understands you and more importantly nobody cares to, to the point of nobody would even notice or care if you die. It's always resonated with me and as I get older becomes more and more relatable. The pain and silent screams of isolation that go unnoticed. It's reality for a few of us unfortunately.