42 Musician & Rock Star Jokes: The 2021 “Drivers License, Happier Than Ever & The Renaissance of Rock” Edition

In 2021, music was our ticket to normalcy. Olivia Rodrigo became the biggest pop star overnight, Adele returned to remind us how to cry, and Kanye West took up residence in a stadium to finish an album. It was the year Måneskin brought rock back to the radio, and we all learned that life is “Good 4 U,” as long as you have a good internet connection.

The 2021 Soundboard Top 10: “Drivers License, Montero & The Silk Sonic Groove”

1. The Olivia Rodrigo “drivers license” Blast: Why the traffic jam? Because an 18-year-old Disney star released a bridge so emotional it made 40-year-old men cry in their cars while actually driving to get groceries.
2. The Lil Nas X “Montero” Controversy: Why the lap dance for Satan? Because Lil Nas X decided that if he was going to be a pop star, he was going to be the most provocative, creative, and hilarious one on the internet.
3. The Silk Sonic “Leave the Door Open”: Why the velvet suits? Because Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak decided that 2021 needed to smell like 1974, expensive cologne, and smooth soul.
4. The Adele “30” Return: Why the TV special? Because Adele returned after six years to explain her divorce, causing a global shortage of tissues and wine within 24 hours of release.
5. The Måneskin Eurovision Shock: Why the leather pants? Because a glam-rock band from Italy proved that you could win a pop contest with raw energy and a cover of “Beggin'” that stayed on TikTok for 12 months.
6. The Kanye West “Donda” Wait: Why the stadium sleepover? Because Kanye moved into the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, wore a stocking on his head, and held three listening parties just to prove that an album is never really finished until he says so.
7. The Billie Eilish “Happier Than Ever”: Why the blonde hair? Because Billie ditched the neon green for a classic Hollywood look and a rock-heavy title track that proved she could scream just as well as she could whisper.
8. The Taylor Swift “Red (TV)”: Why the 10-minute song? Because Taylor released a version of “All Too Well” so long and so good that Jake Gyllenhaal had to turn off his phone for a month.
9. The Justin Bieber “Peaches”: Why the Georgia vibe? Because Bieber proved he could make a breezy summer hit that made everyone want to go to California, even if we were still just going to the kitchen.
10. The Glass Animals “Heat Waves”: Why the slow burn? Because this 2020 song spent 59 weeks climbing to #1, proving that a catchy synth-line and a pandemic-mood are the ultimate long-term investment.

The Full 2021 Musician & Rock Star Archive

11. The Doja Cat “Planet Her”: Why the “Kiss Me More”? For Doja proving she was the most versatile pop-rapper of the decade with a voice that could do anything.
12. The Bo Burnham “Inside”: Why the “Bezos I”? For the comedy special that captured the collective mental breakdown of 2021 perfectly while having better production than most pop albums.
13. The Lorde “Solar Power”: Why the beach? For the girl who traded the “Melodrama” for the sun, a cult, and an acoustic guitar, confusing everyone who wanted more synth-pop.
14. The Drake “Certified Lover Boy”: Why the pregnant emojis? For the album that dropped right after Donda, proving that the Drake vs. Kanye war was the most entertaining thing on the internet.
15. The ABBA “Voyage” Return: Why the digital avatars? For the legends returning after 40 years to prove that their melodies are eternal, even if they’re now 1s and 0s.
16. The Ed Sheeran “=” (Equals): Why the “Bad Habits”? For Ed trading the acoustic guitar for a vampire outfit and 80s dance-beats.
17. The Machine Gun Kelly (Pop-Punk Peak): Why the pink hair? For proving that the “Tickets to My Downfall” era wasn’t a fluke and that pop-punk was officially back in the mainstream.
18. The Foo Fighters “Medicine at Midnight”: Why the dance-rock? For Dave Grohl and the boys proving they could find the groove even in a garage.
19. The Megan Thee Stallion “Thot S*”:** Why the viral dance? For Megan continuing her run as the most unapologetic and powerful force in rap.
20. The Wolf Alice “Blue Weekend”: Why the Mercury Prize hype? For the band making a cinematic rock masterpiece that proved they were the best in Britain.
21. The Cardi B “Up”: Why the “I’m stuck”? For the song that proved Cardi could follow up the “WAP” madness with another massive #1 anthem.
22. The Tyler, The Creator “Call Me If You Get Lost”: Why the DJ Drama tags? For Tyler going back to his rap roots with a travel-inspired record that won him another Grammy.
23. The Lana Del Rey (Double Year): Why Chemtrails and Blue Banisters? For Lana being more prolific than ever, writing the soundtrack to a very specific kind of American nostalgia.
24. The Turnstile “Glow On”: Why the pink cover? For the band that made hardcore punk sound like a summer party and became the darlings of the indie world.
25. The Japanese Breakfast “Jubilee”: Why the persimmons? For Michelle Zauner turning grief into a bright, joyful celebration of indie-pop.
26. The Coldplay & BTS “My Universe”: Why the collab? For the moment the kings of stadium rock and the kings of K-Pop joined forces to create a global unity anthem.
27. The Halsey “If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power”: Why Trent Reznor? For the pop star going industrial and dark, creating a cinematic album about motherhood and horror.
28. The Kid Laroi “Stay”: Why the Justin Bieber feature? For the Australian kid who had the biggest song in the world for what felt like forever.
29. The Little Simz “Sometimes I Might Be Introvert”: Why the grand orchestra? For the best UK hip-hop album in years, proving that Simbi was in a league of her own.
30. The Silk Sonic (The Grammys Sweep): Why the “smoking out the window”? For the duo making everyone feel like they were back in a 70s variety show.
31. The Travis Scott (Astroworld Tragedy): Why the silence? For the tragic events in Houston that changed how we look at concert safety and the responsibility of superstars.
32. The Wet Leg “Chaise Longue”: Why the furniture? For the duo that released the most infectious indie-rock debut of the year by just singing about muffins and beer.
33. The Iron Maiden “Senjutsu”: Why the Samurai Eddie? For the legends proving they could still write 10-minute epics that topped the charts worldwide.
34. The Death of Charlie Watts: Why the heartbeat of the Stones? For the loss of the most elegant and steady drummer in rock history, leaving the Rolling Stones without their engine.
35. The Death of DMX: Why the “Ruff Ryders” cry? For the loss of a legend who wore his heart and his pain on his sleeve, leaving a void in the hip-hop world.
36. The Death of Sophie (Visionary): Why the future of pop? For the tragic loss of an artist who was literally designing the sound of the 21st century.
37. The Death of Dusty Hill: Why the ZZ Top beard? For the loss of the bassist who helped define the Texas blues-rock sound for 50 years.
38. The Death of Michael K. Williams (Music Impact): Why the “Omar’s Whistle”? For the actor whose presence in music videos and the culture was as powerful as any rock star.
39. The Free Britney Movement: Why the victory? For the year Britney finally won her freedom, proving that a fanbase can actually change the course of a superstar’s life.
40. The NFT Hype: Why the Bored Apes? Because for about six months, every musician from Snoop Dogg to Kings of Leon tried to sell us a JPEG of a monkey.
41. The TikTok “Sea Shanty” Trend: Why the “Wellerman”? Because for a brief moment in early 2021, we all collectively decided that 19th-century whaling songs were the future of music.
42. The 2021 Final Music Vibe: Why did the year feel like a rebirth? Because we spent the year getting our drivers licenses with Olivia Rodrigo, waiting for Donda on a stadium floor, and watching ABBA turn into holograms, while realizing that even if the world was messy, the groove was finally back.