We think of Jackson Browne as the epitome of the sensitive singer-songwriter. In some of his most famous songs, his self-awareness about his flaws and his reasoned takes on doomed romance constantly shone forth.

But the guy knew how to step back occasionally and leave the serious stuff at the door. Here are four Jackson Browne songs that aim for the funny bone and don't miss.

Coming from his second album, For Everyman, this track lets Jackson Browne indulge in a little bit of a down-and-dirty, uptempo rocker. It's a far cry from the deliberate pace he usually kept in his songs around that time. And it's apropos, because his lyrical approach also changes up from the norm. The narrator is giving consolation to a "Pretty little one" whose life is falling apart. Her parents aren't quite giving her the foundation she needs. He wants to break her out of her cloistered shell. "I think the damage would do you good," he winks. The title refers not to another human, but instead, thanks to Browne's double entendre, to a certain part of the narrator's anatomy that he wants to "Introduce" to her.

Here's another one where Jackson Browne sneaks a sexual reference, almost unbeknownst to the listener, at least unless you're paying close attention. First, he sets the stage. The narrator is a roadie who is trying to impress a groupie, which means the song fits well into the road-warrior theme of Running On Empty. Unfortunately, he can't hold her attention, especially not when the drummer enters the picture and sweeps the girl off her feet. "It's not who you look like, it's who you are," the roadie concludes. Left to his own devices, he hooks up with the titular character. But a close inspection of the refrain ("You wear my ring," "I've got to hand it to me") reveals that he's actually going to be alone for this rendezvous.

The tricky thing about "Lawyers In Love" is that it's a topical song, but it's hard to tell just what that topic is at times. Ostensibly, the song is commenting on the US public's preoccupation with the Soviet Union around that time, perhaps to the detriment of other issues that needed more attention. In any case, Jackson Browne's one-liners are particularly biting. He lampoons a TV-addled public: "Eating from TV trays/Tuned into Happy Days." There's also a dig at consumerism: "Among the human beings/In their designer jeans." In the final verse, he imagines a scenario where Russia gets one over on the US. Even the title is a stinging joke about yuppie culture.

I'm Alive represented Jackson Browne's return to writing heavily about relationships. In fact, most of the album dives into the denouement of his relationship with actress Daryl Hannah. Many songs land on raw emotional real estate. "My Problem Is You", by contrast, deals with it all via gallows humor. The narrator compares his insistence on coming back again and again to this girl with clawing his way back into prison. The title itself is a blunt assessment of what's gone wrong in his life, although he's not saying it in a nasty way. As the song comes to a close, Browne mentions all the things that are dwarfed in importance compared to his ex, including the ozone layer and the antics of Madonna.