If you’re aiming for the funny bone, give your gags a boost with this curated playlist of royalty-free comedy tracks from the PremiumBeat library.
Maybe you’ve heard the saying “Dying is easy. Comedy is hard.” Perhaps you’ve heard the classic joke: What’s the secret to comedy? They both sort of speak to the same truth: funny ain’t easy.
While the Sacred Art of the Ha-Ha is certainly a difficult one to perfect, one that takes years and years of perseverance, practice, and polish, you can do your next comedy project a favor by giving it a comedic soundtrack (see the curated playlist of royalty-free comedy tracks at the bottom of this post) that creates the kind of lighthearted atmosphere that makes your audience more prone to laughter.
Work with What Works
Using the right music in your comedy clips, skits, and sketches can help you create a shortcut to Comedy Gold if you’re willing to lean on the approach taken by some of the true masters of the craft, like Larry David, who introduced the world to one of television’s all-time great themes, comedy or otherwise.
David first heard the song — “Frolic” by Italian composer Luciano Michelini — in a bank commercial, two years before he put it to use with Curb Your Enthusiasm. He bookmarked the tune in his brain after immediately recognizing its comedic value.
At this point, “Frolic” is Larry David, and the song’s loping tuba blurts and plinky-plunky mandolins are synonymous with the observational traumedy-of-error moments that define the best parts of Curb Your Enthusiasm. If you’re hoping to cook up some of that hilarious Curb-type magic, a royalty-free track like “Tarantella” by Adieu Adieu might be just the secret ingredient you need.
Sell the Silly With Show Tunes
As we dug through PremiumBeat’s collection of royalty-free comedy tracks, a common thread emerged: a lot of great comedy music swings with a certain Broadway attitude, which makes sense if you squint hard enough.
One could argue that the show tune DNA found in a lot of successful comedy music comes from the vaudeville traditions of the legendary comedy institutions—The Second City, the Groundlings, and Saturday Night Live—where so many of our favorite funny people got their start. Take 30 Rock, for example, the brainchild of SNL-by-way-of-Second City superstar Tina Fey.
The theme song’s big band sound is bold enough to belong in the opening scene of a Broadway musical where the chorus comes stomping out of the side-of-the-stage shadows. It’s bigger than a genre. It’s bigger than the cast. It’s a tone setter that’s just big, perfect for a show that ripples with authentic NYC energy.
That same energy and urgency pulses in songs like “Tiny Wildlings” by Firefly Music, and it’s easy to imagine this royalty-free comedy track behind a scene of Liz Lemon frantically searching the halls of NBC for Tracy Jordan in order to stop him from Tracy Jordaning all over everything.
A 19-Song Royalty-Free Comedy Tracks Grab Bag
The curated comedy playlist below is clown-car-packed with tunes that bring the zaniness, wackiness, and hardy-har-hars. All of them are yours in perpetuity with a simple $49 Standard License. Pick a couple that tickle your fancy, and let the laugh riot begin.
Cover image via Ollyy.
Header image via Fer Gregory.
Playlist header image via nito.
Looking for more royalty-free music playlists? Well, you’re in luck!
- Royalty-Free Soundtrack Suggestions for Vloggers
- Sound as Lighting: The Mood-Altering Magic of Atmospheric Royalty-Free Music
- Slinky, Smooth, and Slow: A Sensual Royalty-Free Music Playlist
- Embrace the undeniable Power of Sad Music
- Choice Cuts: Check Out July’s Best New Royalty Free Music
- It's Always Sunny in California By Haim Mazar
- Upbeat and light, featuring pizzicato strings that create a cheerful mood.
- Arty Party By Porter Productions
- Light and happy-go-lucky, featuring pizzicato strings, woodwinds, organ, percussion, and bells that create a hopeful, optimistic mood.
- Tarantella By Adieu Adieu
- Warm and flowing, featuring mandolin and accordion creating a positive, feel-good mood.
- Hurry Hurry By Sonny Lauderdale
- Fun and driving, featuring flute, alto and bari saxophones, upright bass, and drums that create a positive, upbeat mood.
- Tiny Wildlings By Firefly Music
- Bouncy and animated, featuring pizzicato strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion creating a quirky, humorous mood.
- Peculiar Perks By Jack Pierce
- Bouncy and jovial, featuring light orchestra and woodwinds that create a mysterious, whimsical mood.
- The Great White Way By Sunshine Music
- Bright and bouncy, with jazz swing and kids / children lively elements featuring enthusiastic woodwinds, pizzicato strings, and brass to create a fun and playful mood.
- Soda Pop Hop By Doo Dah Music
- Bouncy and silly, featuring kazoo, marimba, acoustic guitar, upright bass, and drums that create a playful, quirky mood.
- Halloween Time By One Wave
- Bouncy and whimsical, featuring theremin, choir, pizzicato strings, brass, organ, and percussion creating a spooky, playful mood.
- Xi Dixi By Dominik Schwarzer
- Sunny and bouncy, with kids / children lively and indie pop elements featuring playful whistle, kazoo, ukulele, and male aahs to create a happy-go-lucky and cheerful mood.
- My Cartoon Friends By Dr. Hollywood
- Upbeat and lively, featuring pizzicato strings, woodwinds, mallets, brass and percussion creating a fun, quirky, and hectic mood.
- Senor Strut By Jonathan Boyle
- Light and groovy, featuring a cha cha feel, electric guitar and flute melody that creates a seductive mood.
- Sly Endeavor By Daniel Belardinelli
- Bouncy and shimmering, with production / film scores dramedy elements featuring sneaky pizzicatio strings, flute, and percussion to create a goofy and playful mood.
- Mad House By Firefly Music
- Bouncy and playful, with dramedy elements featuring circus organ, pizzicato strings, percussion to create a whimsical and zany mood.
- Quirky Caper By Jack Pierce
- Animated and quirky, featuring mischievous strings, whimsical woodwinds, and playful mallets creating a cheerful, curious mood.
- Off Broadway By Yanis S. Sousa
- Bouncy and light, in the style of Swing Jazz, featuring upright bass, sax, trombone and piano that create an optimistic mood.
- The Big Time By Sunshine Music
- Bright and bouncy, with kids / children lively elements featuring playful strings, woodwinds, and brass to create a cheerful and energetic mood.
- Chocolate Avenue By Espresso Music
- Light and bouncy, featuring shimmery pizzicato strings, woodwinds, piano, and percussion creating a jovial, happy mood.
- Dr Banjo and the Funny Men By RimskyMusic
- Upbeat and bright, featuring a Dixieland feel, banjo and acoustic guitar that create a celebratory mood.