Are Atonal Musicians Even Allowed To Have A Sense Of Humor?

A country singer walks into a recording studio and reminisces in song about his late father who was a composer of atonal music. No, it’s not the setup line to the latest joke at the expense of atonal composers, it’s a real thing.

While there’s no shortage of tongue-in-cheek fun, this is a real song, Copyright 2019 Merle Songs (ASCAP), written by Merle Hazard. Right out of the gate, the lyrics are a grabber:

My dad was a composer. Modern was his style.
His music always made you think. It never made you smile.

If nothing else, don’t miss Alison Brown’s atonal banjo solo set over bluegrass key changes. #AwardWorthy

I dare you not to hum this tune later in the day.