2013-11-04
Explanation
The Joke
A blues musician is performing on stage, singing about having "the blues" -- but his lyrics describe the condition in clinical neuroscience terms: "parasites on my cortex, decreasin' my serotonin." The caption below explains that "the free market had finally produced a median average blue-ish hue" and that the performer names his songs because "those unaware are in my data."
The Humor
The comedy comes from the collision between the blues music genre -- traditionally an emotional, raw art form rooted in personal suffering -- and cold, clinical scientific language. Instead of singing about heartbreak or hard times in poetic metaphors, this blues singer describes his depression using neuroscience terminology like "parasites on my cortex" and "serotonin." The joke plays on the double meaning of "the blues" as both a music genre born from emotional pain and as a colloquial term for depression, which can now be described in biomedical terms. It satirizes the idea that reducing human suffering to biochemistry strips it of its emotional power and artistic resonance.
References
- The Blues: A music genre originating in the Deep South of the United States, characterized by lyrics about hardship, loss, and sorrow.
- Serotonin: A neurotransmitter often associated with mood regulation; low serotonin levels are popularly (though simplistically) linked to depression.