After the release of Liberation, Neil Hannon collaborated with Sean Hughes. Neil Hannon was asked to write the music for four of Sean’s poems. In addition to ‘Funny’ the three others were ‘Melbourne’, ‘Swimming With Dolphins’ and ‘Happiness’.

Sean: “The Divine Comedy's album is really beautiful and I'm hoping Neil might put some music to some of the poems as well. It could make it really tremendous if you just got the right measure of it all.” [1]

Neil Hannon even wished Sean to sing them, but things never got beyond the demo tape stage: “I just haven’t got round to it really. It’s very difficult when I desperately doing my own stuff and he [Sean]’s thoroughly into his own stuff. I’ve done four songs of his poems, and they’re quite good, I think, but I don’t think if they’ll ever see the light of day. To get him to sing them, that’ll be a laugh.” [2]

[1] Sean Hughes interviewed by Lorraine Freeney, Hot Press
[2] Neil Hannon interviewed by Lorraine Freeney, Hot Press 04/05/1994