🌙 A Song Born from Silence
In late 1968, the Bee Gees were already rising fast. They had conquered charts in the UK and the US with “Massachusetts” and “Words,” and their lush harmonies and heartfelt songwriting were winning over the world. But amid their early fame, one song stood apart — darker, lonelier, and infinitely more personal.
That song was “I Started a Joke.”
Written primarily by Robin Gibb, it was a song that seemed to arrive out of nowhere — a whisper from somewhere deep in his subconscious. It told a strange story of guilt, isolation, and unintended tragedy. Its melody floated like a dream, while its lyrics spoke of something eternal: the loneliness that can come when the world misunderstands your truth.
“I started a joke, which started the whole world crying,
But I didn’t see that the joke was on me.”
It was a riddle, a confession, and a prayer all at once.
🕯️ The Vision That Started It
Robin Gibb said the song came to him during a flight. He was looking out the airplane window when the idea appeared — an image of a man who unintentionally brings sorrow to the world through his own misunderstanding.
“It was a very spiritual song,” Robin once said. “It wasn’t about a joke, really. It was about how you can do something — say something — that the world misunderstands. It’s about unintentional tragedy.”
The imagery of the song feels biblical — “I started to cry, which started the whole world laughing” — as if the singer is trapped in a cosmic paradox. The song’s structure mirrors grief itself: it rises and falls like waves, never truly resolving, always searching for meaning.
Maurice later recalled how Robin came into the studio with the melody already haunting him. “He sang it once, and we all went quiet,” Maurice said. “You could feel it — something was happening.”
🎙️ Recording the Song
“I Started a Joke” was recorded in London during sessions for the Bee Gees’ 1968 album Idea. Produced by Robert Stigwood and the band, it was built around Robin’s voice — fragile, trembling, utterly human.
Barry and Maurice provided harmonies that lifted Robin’s sorrow into something celestial, while the orchestral arrangement by Bill Shepherd added a sense of grandeur to the melancholy.
Robin sang the lead vocal in a single take. You can almost hear his breath shaking between the lines. There’s no drama, no overacting — just a quiet confession wrapped in beauty.
The result was haunting, intimate, and unforgettable.
When it was released as a single in December 1968, “I Started a Joke” soared to No. 1 in several countries, including Canada, Brazil, and New Zealand. In the U.S., it reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. But more than the numbers, it connected deeply with listeners — people who saw themselves in that feeling of being misunderstood, of causing pain when all they wanted was love.
💔 The Pain Behind the Voice
Robin Gibb’s voice had always been unique — part tremor, part plea. But in “I Started a Joke,” it became something else entirely.
After the song’s release, many fans interpreted it as a reflection on depression or the human condition. Others saw it as an allegory for Christ — a man whose words and actions, meant for love, led to suffering.
Robin never confirmed or denied these readings. He preferred to let people find their own meanings. But his performance — delicate, almost broken — seemed to carry real emotion beneath the metaphor.
At that time, the Bee Gees were beginning to experience tension within the group. Robin, in particular, felt overshadowed by Barry’s growing role as frontman. That sense of being unheard, of singing into a void, can be felt throughout “I Started a Joke.”
It’s not just a song about misunderstanding. It’s a song about isolation.
🪞 A Reflection of a Band in Transition
The late 1960s were a turning point for the Bee Gees. They had gone from unknowns to international stars almost overnight. But fame, as it often does, brought fractures.
Robin’s voice had defined their early hits — the quivering soul behind songs like “Massachusetts” and “I’ve Gotta Get a Message to You.” But as Barry began to take more of the lead in writing and performing, Robin struggled to find his place.
“I Started a Joke” was Robin’s way of reclaiming his voice — literally and metaphorically. It was the sound of one brother stepping out of the harmony to sing his truth, even if that truth was painful.
When he performed it live, Robin often closed his eyes, swaying slightly, as if he were reliving something he could never quite explain.
🌍 Around the World
From the moment it was released, “I Started a Joke” resonated everywhere. It became a radio staple in the U.S., a hit in Latin America, and an emotional anthem in Europe.
In Brazil, the song achieved near-religious popularity — it was said to be one of the most played songs on local radio during the late 1960s and 70s.
It also became a staple of funerals, farewells, and tributes — an unintended irony for a song that began as a metaphor.
When Robin Gibb passed away in 2012, “I Started a Joke” was played at memorials across the world. For millions, it had come to represent his voice — fragile, timeless, and filled with empathy.
🎬 The Cover That Brought It Back
In 1998, the American band Faith No More released a cover of “I Started a Joke.” Their version was slow, eerie, and cinematic — a perfect homage to the Bee Gees’ haunting original.
The accompanying music video, released after the death of their frontman, Mike Patton, added a layer of poignancy. It reintroduced the song to a new generation, proving its timelessness.
Even younger audiences — who might have only known the Bee Gees from “Stayin’ Alive” — were discovering that beneath the disco sheen, there had always been poetry and pain.
🕊️ A Song That Outlived Its Mystery
Half a century later, “I Started a Joke” remains one of the most haunting songs ever written. Its meaning continues to elude clear definition — and perhaps that’s the point.
It’s not about one event, or one man. It’s about the universal experience of sorrow — the moment when laughter turns to tears, and you realize the joke was on you all along.
Robin’s falsetto rises near the end, trembling as he sings:
“’Til I finally died, which started the whole world living,
Oh, if I’d only seen, that the joke was on me.”
It’s both tragic and redemptive — a reminder that sometimes, from pain comes understanding.
The Bee Gees would go on to reinvent themselves many times — embracing disco, pop, and R&B — but they never wrote another song quite like this. “I Started a Joke” stands as Robin Gibb’s personal masterpiece, a testament to his emotional depth and artistic soul.