# Sgt. Pepper's - What's the "audience" laughing at? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 21, 2011, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sgt-peppers-whats-the-audience-laughing-at/597091 "2011-09-21T17:53:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sgt-peppers-whats-the-audience-laughing-at/597091/1 "2011-09-21T17:53:16Z")
You know what I mean. During the “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” intro before “A Little Help From My Friends,” they inserted crowd noises and applause to simulate a live performance. At one point, there’s a burst of laughter from the “crowd.” I highly doubt there’s an actual factual answer to the question, but if any of the boys have talked about it in interviews or something, please do tell. If not, though, I’m sure some hard-core Beatlemaniacs over the years must have speculated on what the laughter was about. And in the highly unlikely event I’m the first to ever raise the question, feel free to speculate wildly. What’s so funny? ---
**Author:** ![sparky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@sparky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sparky_1)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sgt-peppers-whats-the-audience-laughing-at/597091/2 "2011-09-21T17:55:11Z")
I always figured the ‘band’ was putting on some antics for the crowd. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sgt-peppers-whats-the-audience-laughing-at/597091/3 "2011-09-21T17:58:08Z")
Billy Shears does one of his signature moves so over the top it’s self-parody. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sgt-peppers-whats-the-audience-laughing-at/597091/4 "2011-09-21T17:58:10Z")
I just assumed it was because Ringo is the lead singer. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sgt-peppers-whats-the-audience-laughing-at/597091/5 "2011-09-21T18:12:29Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > What’s so funny? Forget it, man. You had to be there. ---
**Author:** ![Just1Lurk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c0e974/32.png) [@Just1Lurk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just1Lurk)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sgt-peppers-whats-the-audience-laughing-at/597091/6 "2011-09-21T18:57:06Z")
There was a wardrobe malfunction. ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sgt-peppers-whats-the-audience-laughing-at/597091/7 "2011-09-21T19:02:06Z")
> [@sparky\_1](#): > > I always figured the ‘band’ was putting on some antics for the crowd. Me too. And AFAIK the OP is correct – there is no “real” answer. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sgt-peppers-whats-the-audience-laughing-at/597091/8 "2011-09-21T19:06:52Z")
Paul McCartney has said that the random bursts of laughter and applause were inspired by Stockhausen’s composition _Momente_, which includes large choral forces interjecting various whispers, cries, laughter, and assorted other non-singing noises. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sgt-peppers-whats-the-audience-laughing-at/597091/9 "2011-09-21T20:04:48Z")
Oh man…It was sixty years ago today, Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play. ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sgt-peppers-whats-the-audience-laughing-at/597091/10 "2011-09-21T20:11:06Z")
More like sixty-four years! Do you still love it? ---
**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:** [September 21, 2011, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sgt-peppers-whats-the-audience-laughing-at/597091/11 "2011-09-21T22:01:58Z")
The actual bit of taped laughter was of course from the studio sound effects library; If I remember correctly, the source was a Peter Cook-Dudley Moore performance. I too have always imagined the band being funny as they came onstage, maybe someone doing a trademark wave or gesture. It’s wonderfully vague, gets your imagination running in the mood of the piece. . ---
**Author:** ![Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellis_Aponte_Jr)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sgt-peppers-whats-the-audience-laughing-at/597091/12 "2011-09-21T23:35:37Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > Oh man…It was sixty years ago today, Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play. Pardon the hijack, but this lyric has always given me pause. It seems incredible that this one man taught the entire band to play _in a single day_. Also, if they didn’t already know how to play, what business did they have calling themselves a band? ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sgt-peppers-whats-the-audience-laughing-at/597091/13 "2011-09-21T23:46:46Z")
> [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](#): > > Pardon the hijack, but this lyric has always given me pause. It seems incredible that this one man taught the entire band to play _in a single day_. Also, if they didn’t already know how to play, what business did they have calling themselves a band? He merely taught them to play a particular song on that day. It was titled “They’ve Been Going In And Out Of Style.” ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sgt-peppers-whats-the-audience-laughing-at/597091/14 "2011-09-21T23:47:58Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > At one point, there’s a burst of laughter from the “crowd.”…What’s so funny? Well, I do hear tell they’re guaranteed to raise a smile. mmm ---
**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:** [September 22, 2011, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sgt-peppers-whats-the-audience-laughing-at/597091/15 "2011-09-22T00:19:08Z")
Don’t you think the joker laughs at you? ---
**Author:** ![Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellis_Aponte_Jr)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2011, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sgt-peppers-whats-the-audience-laughing-at/597091/16 "2011-09-22T04:14:44Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > He merely taught them to play a particular song on that day. It was titled “They’ve Been Going In And Out Of Style.” Wow. That blows my mind. Still, it seems a bit self-congratulatory to celebrate the anniversary of learning just one song. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2011, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sgt-peppers-whats-the-audience-laughing-at/597091/17 "2011-09-22T07:32:01Z")
In my mind, it’s John (who else?) making fun of the horn section, either by doing an exaggerated trombone+march, or making it seem as if he’s farting the notes. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2011, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sgt-peppers-whats-the-audience-laughing-at/597091/18 "2011-09-22T20:54:49Z")
While we’re at it, who is Billy Shears? ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2011, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sgt-peppers-whats-the-audience-laughing-at/597091/19 "2011-09-22T21:07:54Z")
> [@olivesmarch4th](#): > > While we’re at it, who is Billy Shears? Wasn’t he the leader/ front man of the Lonely Hearts Club band? ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2011, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sgt-peppers-whats-the-audience-laughing-at/597091/20 "2011-09-22T22:17:04Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > Wasn’t he the leader/ front man of the Lonely Hearts Club band? Then why wasn’t it Sergeant Shears’ Lonely Hearts Club Band? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sgt-peppers-whats-the-audience-laughing-at/597091.md?page=2)