As regards memory, the brain responds best to repeated patterns, such as the melodic and rhythmic patterns of music  This is why we can remember long strings of information or text, which would normally be impossible to memorize, when they are put to music  Given that music aids memory, it might seem that funny jokes would be easy to remember, since, like music, they normally elicit an emotional response in us  However, jokes are usually very difficult to remember, since 
jokes, unlike music, always have content that is verbal or at least clearly symbolic