# Is “Yakety Sax” inherently funny, or are we just conditioned into considering it funny by Benny Hill? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [November 7, 2020, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-yakety-sax-inherently-funny-or-are-we-just-conditioned-into-considering-it-funny-by-benny-hill/924942 "2020-11-07T00:37:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2020, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-yakety-sax-inherently-funny-or-are-we-just-conditioned-into-considering-it-funny-by-benny-hill/924942/1 "2020-11-07T00:37:45Z")
Random question that came to mind just now. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2020, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-yakety-sax-inherently-funny-or-are-we-just-conditioned-into-considering-it-funny-by-benny-hill/924942/2 "2020-11-07T00:48:55Z")
There was a thread here about which song would be the soundtrack to your murder spree, and someone said Yakety Sax. How do you top that?? ---
**Author:** ![Arkcon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Arkcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arkcon)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2020, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-yakety-sax-inherently-funny-or-are-we-just-conditioned-into-considering-it-funny-by-benny-hill/924942/3 "2020-11-07T01:37:45Z")
I suppose if the song “Munumana” also tracks with funniness, then you have collaboration with whatever point of view. Meanwhile, “Raindrops keep falling on my head” isn’t inherently funny, except when Benny Hill sings it in his affected manner. Pretty much anything played along with “Yakity Sax” is funny. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2020, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-yakety-sax-inherently-funny-or-are-we-just-conditioned-into-considering-it-funny-by-benny-hill/924942/4 "2020-11-07T01:40:20Z")
I thought it was inherently funny long before I’d ever heard of Benny Hill. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2020, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-yakety-sax-inherently-funny-or-are-we-just-conditioned-into-considering-it-funny-by-benny-hill/924942/5 "2020-11-07T02:21:56Z")
I prefer the Chet Atkins version [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/BK7T4LHjln4/hqdefault.jpg "Chet Atkins - Yakety Axe Live 1991") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BK7T4LHjln4) ---
**Author:** ![saucywench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@saucywench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saucywench)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2020, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-yakety-sax-inherently-funny-or-are-we-just-conditioned-into-considering-it-funny-by-benny-hill/924942/6 "2020-11-07T02:53:10Z")
Cool. Another chance to post this… [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/3PwsKzWli94/maxresdefault.jpg "The Song That Truly Makes Every Movie Scene Better") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PwsKzWli94) ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2020, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-yakety-sax-inherently-funny-or-are-we-just-conditioned-into-considering-it-funny-by-benny-hill/924942/7 "2020-11-07T02:58:43Z")
When played at that speed with those articulations, I think there is a certain jovial, wacky energy to it. I admit that it sounded less wacky on guitar. ---
**Author:** ![glowacks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/glowacks/32/5548_2.png) [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2020, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-yakety-sax-inherently-funny-or-are-we-just-conditioned-into-considering-it-funny-by-benny-hill/924942/8 "2020-11-07T03:04:11Z")
The Benny Hill rendition of the tune is inherently funny, yes. The Chet Atkins version, while clearly the same song, lacks the same lack of gravitas. ---
**Author:** ![Didi44](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@Didi44](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Didi44)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2020, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-yakety-sax-inherently-funny-or-are-we-just-conditioned-into-considering-it-funny-by-benny-hill/924942/9 "2020-11-07T04:15:34Z")
This. I heard it long before _Benny Hill_ and it’s always been associated with a humorous situation. Trivia. That upbeat “circus theme” we associate with the entrance of the clowns is _Entrance of the Gladiators/Entry of the Gladiators_ and is a military mach. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entrance\_of\_the\_Gladiators](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entrance_of_the_Gladiators) ---
**Author:** ![GMANCANADA](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gmancanada/32/2837_2.png) [@GMANCANADA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GMANCANADA)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2020, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-yakety-sax-inherently-funny-or-are-we-just-conditioned-into-considering-it-funny-by-benny-hill/924942/10 "2020-11-07T13:01:36Z")
Great video. I think that answers this post. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2020, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-yakety-sax-inherently-funny-or-are-we-just-conditioned-into-considering-it-funny-by-benny-hill/924942/11 "2020-11-07T13:04:01Z")
> [@Didi44](#): > > Trivia. That upbeat “circus theme” we associate with the entrance of the clowns is _Entrance of the Gladiators/Entry of the Gladiators_ and is a military mach. Oh wow. Trivia I didn’t know I needed. Of course it’s a military march, now that I sit back and pay attention to the song itself. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2020, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-yakety-sax-inherently-funny-or-are-we-just-conditioned-into-considering-it-funny-by-benny-hill/924942/12 "2020-11-07T13:06:46Z")
> [@Didi44](#): > > Trivia. That upbeat “circus theme” we associate with the entrance of the clowns is _Entrance of the Gladiators/Entry of the Gladiators_ and is a military mach. I’ve not been able to confirm it but I heard decades ago the band master at Ft. Knox got into hot water. When visiting dignitaries would arrive he had the band play a stirring march. Unfortunately, one of them was a circus buff and recognized the tune: _Here Come the Clowns_. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2020, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-yakety-sax-inherently-funny-or-are-we-just-conditioned-into-considering-it-funny-by-benny-hill/924942/13 "2020-11-07T13:45:05Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > Oh wow. Trivia I didn’t know I needed. Of course it’s a military march, now that I sit back and pay attention to the song itself. Are you not entertained? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2020, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-yakety-sax-inherently-funny-or-are-we-just-conditioned-into-considering-it-funny-by-benny-hill/924942/14 "2020-11-07T14:57:55Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > When played at that speed with those articulations, I think there is a certain jovial, wacky energy to it. “Jovial, wacky energy” is a good way to put it. There’s a reason Benny Hill chose that piece of music and not some other. But I don’t know if we’d think of it as inherently funny if it hadn’t been used the way it has by Benny Hill and others. So I think it’s at least partly right that we have been conditioned to consider it funny. Benny Hill has ruined “Yakety Sax” in much the same way that Monty Python ruined Sousa’s “Liberty Bell March.” ---
**Author:** ![Didi44](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@Didi44](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Didi44)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2020, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-yakety-sax-inherently-funny-or-are-we-just-conditioned-into-considering-it-funny-by-benny-hill/924942/15 "2020-11-07T15:40:48Z")
_Yakety Sax_ was inspired by _Yakety Yak_ - by _The Coasters_ which was a lighthearted, almost nonsense song. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakety\_Yak](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakety_Yak) I stand by _Yakety Sax_ being inherently humorous, though perhaps not actually funny without a visual element. Benny Hill is to be credited with combining it with the Keystone Cops chase and becoming associated with it, but I’m not sure it’s not a 100% original combination as I’m sure I’ve seen it earlier. ---
**Author:** ![2\_More\_Bits](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/2_more_bits/32/4148_2.png) [@2\_More\_Bits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2_More_Bits)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2020, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-yakety-sax-inherently-funny-or-are-we-just-conditioned-into-considering-it-funny-by-benny-hill/924942/16 "2020-11-07T15:44:14Z")
Only because you haven’t heard the [Glen Campbell version.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9D12PAhOK8) ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2020, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-yakety-sax-inherently-funny-or-are-we-just-conditioned-into-considering-it-funny-by-benny-hill/924942/17 "2020-11-07T16:43:08Z")
I’d say that it has become inherently “unfunny” from overuse. Filming a bunch of people running around chasing each other like idiots, speeding up the film and overlaying that song has basically become a cliché meant to tell the audience “this scene is absurd or funny”. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2020, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-yakety-sax-inherently-funny-or-are-we-just-conditioned-into-considering-it-funny-by-benny-hill/924942/18 "2020-11-07T17:00:52Z")
Of course the song was inherently funny, or else why would Benny Hill choose it as his theme? ---
**Author:** ![saucywench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@saucywench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saucywench)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2020, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-yakety-sax-inherently-funny-or-are-we-just-conditioned-into-considering-it-funny-by-benny-hill/924942/19 "2020-11-07T17:09:04Z")
Purrfect answer! ---
**Author:** ![Didi44](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@Didi44](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Didi44)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2020, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-yakety-sax-inherently-funny-or-are-we-just-conditioned-into-considering-it-funny-by-benny-hill/924942/20 "2020-11-07T18:57:48Z")
While not definitive, it would be interesting to play the song for those who have never seen the Benny Hill Show and ask their opinion of the song. Amusing, funny, hilarious? Inherently funny implies something that crosses age and cultural background. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-yakety-sax-inherently-funny-or-are-we-just-conditioned-into-considering-it-funny-by-benny-hill/924942.md?page=2)