Philosophy
Tom Lehrer turns 82.
Bill Ashworth in the Linda Hall Library Newsletter...
Tom Lehrer, American mathematician turned song-writer, was born Apr. 9, 1928. Lehrer studied at Harvard, but in the 1950s he began performing satirical songs that he had written, accompanying himself on the piano. In 1953, he released his first album, Songs of Tom Lehrer, which he recorded in one hour at a studio cost of $15, then had 400 copies pressed, which he sold from his home by mail. His songs embraced such warm topics as dope-peddling, southern conservatism, and obsession with the dead, and consequently, his songs were never played on the radio. His reputation was therefore slow to spread, but spread it did, and by 1959, when he released his second album, he was moderately well-known, at least on college campuses. His appeal lay mostly in the cleverness of his song-writing. His song "Elements", from his second album in 1959, is nothing but a list of the 102 then-known chemical elements, to the turn of the “Major General” song from Pirates of Penzance, but it is just brilliant.
- Funny Songs: The Elements And I Am The Very Model Of A Modern Major-general
My Fellow Comedists, This week I begin work on a new theological tract. Yes, the annual meeting of the Lighthearted Philosophers' Society is almost upon us and my paper needs writing. I am looking at particular mechanisms for non-joke-based humorous...
- The Future Of Tv News
The last couple of weeks have seen a pair of contrasting retirement announcements in the TV news world. On the one hand, there was Katie Couric, a journalistic lightweight who tried to seem more serious with pre-prepared gotcha questions. On the other...
- Are There Songs On Dark Side Of The Moon?
Pink Floyd won in court last week. They were suing their record label EMI who was trying to sell downloads of songs from Dark Side of the Moon on iTunes. The band argued that their contract required that it be sold in album form only -- these were the...
- Cultural Relativism
Today is my birthday and that of Tom Lehrer. One of my favorite songs of his is "In Old Mexico" where he sings of a visit to that country. At one point in the narrative, he is waxing poet about a visit to a bullfight in the style of Hemingway, only with...
- The Feast Of Saint Tom
Friends, I am humbled to share a birthday this week with a true Comedist saint, Tom Lehrer. An undergraduate and masters students at Harvard in mathematics in the late 40s and early 50s, he began to play novelty songs in the Cambridge area. Eventually,...
Philosophy
Tom Lehrer and "The Elements"
Tom Lehrer turns 82.
Bill Ashworth in the Linda Hall Library Newsletter...
Tom Lehrer, American mathematician turned song-writer, was born Apr. 9, 1928. Lehrer studied at Harvard, but in the 1950s he began performing satirical songs that he had written, accompanying himself on the piano. In 1953, he released his first album, Songs of Tom Lehrer, which he recorded in one hour at a studio cost of $15, then had 400 copies pressed, which he sold from his home by mail. His songs embraced such warm topics as dope-peddling, southern conservatism, and obsession with the dead, and consequently, his songs were never played on the radio. His reputation was therefore slow to spread, but spread it did, and by 1959, when he released his second album, he was moderately well-known, at least on college campuses. His appeal lay mostly in the cleverness of his song-writing. His song "Elements", from his second album in 1959, is nothing but a list of the 102 then-known chemical elements, to the turn of the “Major General” song from Pirates of Penzance, but it is just brilliant.
"The Elements"
by
Tom Lehrer
by
Tom Lehrer
- Funny Songs: The Elements And I Am The Very Model Of A Modern Major-general
My Fellow Comedists, This week I begin work on a new theological tract. Yes, the annual meeting of the Lighthearted Philosophers' Society is almost upon us and my paper needs writing. I am looking at particular mechanisms for non-joke-based humorous...
- The Future Of Tv News
The last couple of weeks have seen a pair of contrasting retirement announcements in the TV news world. On the one hand, there was Katie Couric, a journalistic lightweight who tried to seem more serious with pre-prepared gotcha questions. On the other...
- Are There Songs On Dark Side Of The Moon?
Pink Floyd won in court last week. They were suing their record label EMI who was trying to sell downloads of songs from Dark Side of the Moon on iTunes. The band argued that their contract required that it be sold in album form only -- these were the...
- Cultural Relativism
Today is my birthday and that of Tom Lehrer. One of my favorite songs of his is "In Old Mexico" where he sings of a visit to that country. At one point in the narrative, he is waxing poet about a visit to a bullfight in the style of Hemingway, only with...
- The Feast Of Saint Tom
Friends, I am humbled to share a birthday this week with a true Comedist saint, Tom Lehrer. An undergraduate and masters students at Harvard in mathematics in the late 40s and early 50s, he began to play novelty songs in the Cambridge area. Eventually,...