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6 unusual facts about Tom Lehrer


Big red button

In his "MLF Lullaby," singer/satirist Tom Lehrer noted that development of a "Multi-Lateral (nuclear) Force" would ensure that "one of the fingers on the button will be German."

Irving Kaplansky

He studied piano until the age of 15, earned money in high school as a dance band musician, taught Tom Lehrer, and played in Harvard's jazz band in graduate school.

Kit and The Widow

Kit and The Widow were a double act, performing humorous songs in the vein of Tom Lehrer or Flanders and Swann; they also cite Anna Russell as an influence.

New Math

Tom Lehrer wrote a satirical song named "New Math" which revolved around the process of subtracting 173 from 342 in decimal and octal.

True meaning of Christmas

The topic was taken up by satirists such as Stan Freberg and Tom Lehrer during the 1950s and eventually by the influential TV special A Charlie Brown Christmas, first aired in 1965 and repeated every year since.

WDEV

The songs tend to be weird, and are an eclectic mix of rare recordings, home recordings sent in, and the occasional Tom Lehrer song.


Rudolf Friml

Rudolf Jr. was a big band leader in the 1930s and '40s, and William, a son from Friml's third marriage, was a composer and arranger in Hollywood. In 1969, Friml was celebrated by Ogden Nash on the occasion of his 90th birthday in a couplet which ended: "I trust your conclusion and mine are similar: 'Twould be a happier world if it were Frimler." Similarly, satiric songwriter Tom Lehrer made a reference to Friml on his first album, Songs by Tom Lehrer (1953).

The Remains of Tom Lehrer

The Remains of Tom Lehrer is a box set containing all the songs from musical satirist Tom Lehrer's previous albums along with previously unreleased songs and his works featured in The Electric Company.


see also

Smut

The song "Smut" by Tom Lehrer from the album That Was the Year That Was (referencing the colloquial meaning of the term)