Hey, the song had a beautiful melody and some lovely oboe in it. Give it a break, for Christ's sakes.
I think the Gibb boys wrote some very nice songs in those days. I was in a band that did To Love Somebody, and I always thought it was a great song. I also like Got to Get a Message to You, Massachusettes and the Mining Disaster one (whatever it was called).
It occurs to me that the Gibbs were writing songs for the times. When psychedlic, poetic, trippy songs were popular, that's what they wrote. When disco came bumping in, Barry turned on a dime and started knocking out that kind of stuff. I happen to have been more of a psychedelic trippy guy than a disco dude, so I liked the first phase and not the second, but you have to admit they were pretty successful with both.

Those of you who play guitar might strum through this. It really is a very nice melody.

I Started A Joke
Bee Gees

D F#m
i started a joke
G A D F#m G
which started a whole world crying      
A D F#m G
oh if i'd only seen      
A D F#m G
that the joke was on me   

II.
D F#m
i started to cry
G A D F#m G
which started the whole world laughing
A D F#m G
oh if i'd only seen      
A D
that the joke was on me

chorus:
Bm A
I look at the sky
G
running my hands
D
over my eyes

Bm F#m
and i fell out of bed
G
hurting my head
A
from things that I said

III.
D F#m
till i, finally died
G A D F#m G
which started the whole world living   
A D F#m G
oh if i'd only seen      
A D F#m G
that the joke was on me      

(repeat intro)