Lehrer’s Wit Stands the Test of Time
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Sometimes, when I'm enjoying the cultural fruits of the day (whether green, ripe, or over-ripe), I have to wonder what will really last (whether cool, critically-acclaimed, or just plain popular) - and what will fade away. I'm a little torn about the rediscovery of great artists who were previously lost to obscurity. It was wonderful that British folk-jazz singer-songwriter-musician Nick Drake, whose early death snuffed out a major talent, achieved a measure of posthumous fame. But I'll admit that the elitist in me was kinda pissed that Drake's virtues were being extolled by new people beyond his cult of original fans. Hey, chump! We always knew how remarkable our Nick was.
I'm not so proprietary about Tom Lehrer - a satirical American composer, vocalist and pianist whose relatively short songbook has seen few additions since the 1960s. Despite the brevity and age of his discography, there was one of Lehrer's four-decades-old ditties, ready to stream on a recent post by MOGger extraordinaire Anna - a relentlessly modern woman known for her fervent crushes on certain wiry young British rocker-boys. Of course, Anna is a smart cookie with a dark-yet-sprightly sense of humor - and Lehrer's songs, even those burdened by dated references, are witty and astute. I'd say that he still deserves to be heard and enjoyed.
Lehrer was, in fact, a renowned professor of mathematics - a Harvard grad and a Phi Beta Kappa who taught at MIT, Harvard, and eventually, after receiving acclaim as a musical satirist, on the sylvan campus of the progressive University of California at Santa Cruz. My introduction to him was a copy of his album That Was the Year That Was, collecting a lot of his work as designated songwriter for the U.S. version of the British satirical TV news show "That Was the Week That Was." The material on the album was uniformly, unflinchingly sharp, topical and crazy-funny, from the calypso-infused eco-doom & gloom of "Pollution" to the cheerful blasphemy of "The Vatican Rag" to the jaunty militarism of "Send the Marines" to the Cold War-inspired future-nostalgia of "So Long, Mom" (A Song for World War III)" - and most of them remain pretty relevant today.
Novelty tune pasha Dr. Demento and song parodist "Weird Al" Yankovic swear by the guy. Though I think you can get Lehrer's various albums on individual CDs, there's now a box set, The Remains of Tom Lehrer, that includes live and studio versions of his first two albums, plus That Was The Year That Was; tunes he wrote for the educational TV series for kids, "The Electric Company"; previously unreleased material; and a booklet with the lyrics to all of the songs.
I've attached "Who's Next," a rollicking number about nuclear proliferation in the '60s, to the MOG Player on top of the post. As Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tours the Far East and attempts to diplomatically curtail North Korea's nuclear program, you can't tell me that the sentiments of "Who's Next" aren't right in the pocket.
If you'd like the pleasure of seeing the unflappably droll Lehrer perform a few more of his barbed odes, take a look at the vintage (1967) clips below. But be advised: A sense of humor is required.
"Pollution":
The Vatican Rag:
"Send the Marines":
"So Long, Mom":
Comments (11)
Bravo. I am on Mog record as an old and faithful Lehrer fan. I think "The Vatican Rage" is the best, and I'm also partial to "National Brotherhood Week" ("Oh, the Catholics hate the Protestants/and the Protestants hate the Catholics/and the Hindus hate the Moslems/and everybody hates the Jews"/but during National Brotherhood Week..Lena Horne and Sheriff Clark are dancing cheek to cheek...") and (for some reason) "New Math." He was/is fabulously smart and witty
Great bit of pop culture trivia: Lehrer attended summer camp along with another bright, original songwriter, Stephen Sondheim....
That's "Rag," not "Rage." duh.
deedee: Now that's a factoid to remember. I expect that, in Lehrer's hands, Sondheim's classic would have become "Send in the Clones."
A most excellent choice of song. My favorite line is "South Africa wants two, that's right: One for the black and one for the white." followed by "Egypt's going to get one, too, just to use on you know who." You were right, it rings true to this day.
Sondheim is indeed one other original voice.
I am similarly proprietary about Nick Drake and hold no shame about music snobbery of this sort. (;
poe: Isn't it amazing how his stuff resonates in the 21st century? More evidence of our devolution, if you ask me. And I'll admit it. I want to jealously guard my underground discoveries from the hoi polloi even as I lament that popular acclaim eludes them. Oh, the conundrum!
Great post, Mike. Lehrer's timeless, isn't he? Sometimes I find myself wanting to guard myself from the realization that the hoi polloi have somehow overdosed on what I thought were my undergound discoveries.
mike this was so nice to listen to tonight, makes me realize there is so much out there I have never been exposed to
Didn't know anything about Lehrer so this has been interesting & entertaining. I needed the laugh too! It's amazing how pertinent his songs are to what's going on in the world now.
Spike: Whether it's the hoi polloi or the Great Unwashed, they can make me uneasy, whatever they do...
Rawk: I'll say! But MOG and MOGgers manage to fill in so many gaps - and build bridges to lots of quality new stuff. Although you can die of exposure, there's the good kind, too.
August: Glad to bring it to you. And so true about its continuing value.
Who is that Anna you mention? I bet she's blushing to her ears while reading that second paragraph of yours :$
Thank you so so very much for this post.
Professor of mathematics! Didn't see that one coming. That box set must be mine, it must!
I can't believe how many different subjects he can touch in such a devilishly clever manner... Pollution, war, love, religion... it's really impressive. And how effortlessly he maintains his style and humour throughout them.
Again, Mike, this is much appreciated!
I should be thanking you, Anna. It was your post that provoked me to reacquaint myself with Lehrer's canon. What's that famous quote by Santayana? "Those who cannot remember the past (as satirized by a brainy, piano-playing singer-songwriter) are condemned to repeat it."