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Unspeakably funny
We and our partners use cookies to personalize your experience, to show you ads based on your interests, and for measurement and analytics purposes. By using our website and our services, you agree to our use of cookies as described in our Cookie Policy. Tom Lehrer was one of comedy's great paradoxes -- a respected Harvard mathematics professor by day, he also ranked among the foremost song satirists of the postwar era, recording vicious, twisted parodies of popular musical trends which proved highly influential on the "sick comedy" revolution of the '60s. Despite an aversion to the press and a relatively small recorded output, Lehrer became a star, although he remained an enigma to even his most ardent fans; he rarely toured, never allowed his photo to adorn album jackets, and essentially retired from performing in , leaving behind a cult following which only continued to grow in his absence from the limelight. Lehrer was born April 9, ; even as a child, he frequently parodied popular songs of the day, and also learned to play piano. In , he left New York City to study math at Harvard, earning his master's degree within three years and remaining as a graduate student through During his student years Lehrer wrote The Physical Revue, a collection of academic song satires staged on campus in January, ; an updated performance followed in May of the next year. The record sold out its entire run, and as the Harvard student body dispersed across the country for Christmas vacation, the disc spread "like herpes," Lehrer joked far beyond its intended local audience. Soon Lehrer was inundated with requests for copies from across the nation; after several re-pressings, Songs by Tom Lehrer sold an astounding , copies on the strength of tracks like "I Hold Your Hand in Mine" about a man who cut off his girlfriend's hand in order to nibble on her fingertips , "Irish Ballad" a buoyant romp about a killing spree , and "My Home Town" concerning a place where murderers teach school and old perverts operate the candy store. In , Lehrer was inducted to serve in the Army, and was honorably discharged two years later.
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Will Kaufman does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. The programme drew heavily on the work of the satirist Tom Lehrer, who was honoured by having the entire show named after one of his songs: Poisoning Pigeons in the Park. And what a different time that was to now. Still, in an interview about the show, Lehrer responded to the suggestion that his songs seemed to have come from an earlier, kinder, and gentler time. Last week, Lehrer, now 92, hit the news with the announcement that he was putting the entire catalogue of his song lyrics into the public domain. They can now be performed and quoted endlessly. The question is, why should they be?
He has lectured on mathematics and musical theater. He is best known for the pithy and humorous songs that he recorded in the s and s. His songs often parodied popular musical forms, though he usually created original melodies when doing so. A notable exception is " The Elements ", in which he set the names of the chemical elements to the tune of the " Major-General's Song " from Gilbert and Sullivan 's Pirates of Penzance. Lehrer's early musical work typically dealt with non-topical subject matter and was noted for its black humor in songs such as " Poisoning Pigeons in the Park ".