If you understand every reference Monty Python ever made, then get thee to a Jeopardy contestant search. From Flying Circus and Holy Grail to Life of Brian and The Meaning of Life, the British troupe’s comedy has endured not just because it’s peerless absurdity, but also because that its six creators were eggheads. From constitutionalism to religious hypocrisy to class politics to the Spanish Inquisition, their material often featured commentary on smart topics that required their audience to at least have paid attention in history class if not also gotten a degree in it. And nowhere is the gang’s range of academicism—or at least their ability to mock said academicism—more apparent than in their songs.

read more And Now, It’s Monty Python’s 10 Brainiest Songs | Underwire | WIRED.