@BaronEmpain Google on Tim Minchin. Be ready for a radically different look and style, but the insane cleverness at rhymes and the absurd is all there, as well as the fluency on the keyboard (Minchin improvises things that are a little harder, but much more sloppily -- Lehrer was as elegant in his playing as in his looks). Give a listen to Minchin's beat poem "Mitsubishi Colt," and for one in the spirit of "When you Are Old and Grey," listen to "If I Didn't Have You." Very rich stuff.
@MrRETEROROB First heard of him at SUNY New Paltz when the entire faculty was listening to him. The man is brilliant and has an amazing sense of humor. Bless your Mother's heart-her sense of humor is obviously still intact.
Does National Brotherhood Week still exist? When I do a search for it all I can find is references to this song! A week that verbally seems to exclude sisters wouldn't currently be considered politically correct.
@DrStrangelove346 That's exactly what I meant XD I knew about Burnham before Lehrer, so that's how it worked out in my head. I should avoid letting things in my head escape, though, it's scary in here.
@razorwre look him up in wiki. He says it wasn't true he stopped because Kissinger got the Nobel war prize in 73, making political satire obsolete...
If this is before your time, consider Obama and Afghanistan. And the now famous, soon to be infamous, Chinese dissident who got all the money from the NED and praised the war in Iraq. He shouldn't be in jail, but doesn't deserve the war prize either.
Far as I know, Lehrer is alive and worth a pilgrimage.
Tom Lehrer is such a talented lyricist (and pianist obviously!). He manages to capture life and society in such a TRUE and funny way. 'To hate all but the right folks is an old established rule' is just spot on!
Over the decades I have listened to Mr. Lehrer I have seen people become highly offended by various songs of his.
They just do not pick out that he took the piss out of everything and, I doubt, he cared one whit if he offended anyone.
I have heard some non whites getting bent over "National Brotherhood Week" and, as a non white person myself, I do not see why. I laugh to split every time I hear this.
Tom Lehrer = one of the greatest American satirists.
I have the 3 cd set that was last made with all his best songs, im 18 right now and i have been listening to him since i was little, i will never get rid of my cds :D
I remember getting this album when it first came out. The intro is a little bit different, though. Tom mentions that the first National Brotherhood Week was held in 1965. And on the first day of that week, Malcolm X was assassinated. So, that gives you an idea of how effective it really is.
One is tempted to rename this song Christmas Day With The Family .
Wishing my Norwegian friend and his family all the very best for Christmas and the year ahead, may it be the beginning of the best years of your life. And to Mr Lehrer I have a park bench reserved in your honour; I shall even supply the peanuts.
@ArsonistInUrFirewall sounds good to me. We should set our international time clocks to co ordinate this rendezvous. But [always a but] right now my pillow is calling me ......I look forward to reading your reply tomorrow. Have a great day and by the way - do you Tango
Fireicee1, if you are twelve years old (?) it means that Lehrer is almost 70 years older than you. Congratulations on a good taste in musical comedy :-)
@ThatSlinkyBastard, well, you know what to do. In 2008 Lehrer decided that he would not move to have these live videos deleted from YouTube. Email the channel url to your friends and enemies :-)
Lawl. I remember one time, me and my friend were at the mall late, and we were going home, he was trying to get his bike and some annoying teens were talking near the bike rack, and wouldn't let him get his bike. So then one dude was talking on his cell phone, "And the other one is a freakishly tall nerd" and I said, "Oh that would be me" xD
@Fireicee1 ...re the "everybody hates..." lyric by Lehrer, no he wasn't being self-deprecatory; he was being accusatory and demonstrating a 'persecution complex' while being funny and making money on it. Within some ethno-cultures that's like hitting the trifecta at the racetrack.
@Fireicee1 it makes you feel good when people laugh at you i know especially when you think their laughing with you omg thats the funniest part...watch...im retarded oomg that was so fuking funny gosh lol lmao rofl ...ur retarded along with 69 people who have no self esteem
I find it hilarious that when he does the white folks black folks line all the white people in the room go deathly silent. Ahh how times have changed.
i don't think its a racial thing that you are implying. They didn't really laugh at a lot during any of his songs, which is more of a behavior of audiences during the 1950's.
All the twelve Tom Lehrer songs from this channel have now been republished in better quality. Click the Lehrer icon or the username, go to the channel and select one of the uploaded HQ-versions :-) Don't forget to click the HQ-button.
Mr Lehrer (whom God preserve) is one of the greatest satirists since Dean Swift. He tells the truth with his jaunty Tin Pan Alley tunes and wonderful Kermit the Frog voice; he mocks our terminal stupidity with his mathematician's logic combined with the musicality of Irving Berlin.
What a genius. And, of course, what an ignored prophet. Heigh-ho...watch for the (hopefully distant) obituaries...then we might realise his fantastic gifts.
Very true! There was not any age without hipocrisy..Only, as well as we made progress in other fields of human activities, we made it in this area too..We almost reached a perfection of masterly and sophisticated twisting facts and truth..that much that we even believe in our own lies and delusion..
Fantastic! Thank you for posting. And it does make me laugh that some people can't see that he was sending up the hypocrosy and small-mindedness around him.
darthminion101, thank you, I enjoyed that comment. Lehrer wants people to be able to watch the channel legally, so visit the channel's front page and spread the word :-)
ithoughtidletuknow, thank you. Really? Well, if your friends enjoyed it too, this is one of few (maybe the only) performances preserved on video. Visit the channel's front page, watch the twelve songs and spread the word :-)
i'm sorry to bother you guys...was it that big a hoohaa? i like to think of myself as a worldly man but it affected you that much? was it your upbringing..i thought thinking like this was common sense garnered from just walking out your door with more than a 90 I.Q.?I pray for mankind cause such closemindedness is still pervasive and indestructable...nurture by some..and even more by some in a position with a duty to eradicate it...we're fukt!! but yeah i'm glad a friend told me about this guy
Lol. I do not actually know if my iq is over 90 - which may explain a lot of things...
But as a teenager (now too, but i am more jaded now) I was really sensitive to hypocrisy...Lehrer was an adult who pointed out hypocrisies to a degree which most of my adult teachers etc were not and I guess I felt over-joyed that I was not 'alone'.
I guess when you're a teen, the impact is more, i dunno, pronounced?
And now i am happy to see him and realize he is just as relevant today...for me, anyway.
Opiman000, thanks. You'd do to us a great favour if you introduced the twelve videos on The Tom Lehrer Wisdom Channel for friends, teachers and other dubious intellectuals; They're legal to watch thanks to Lehrer :-)
April 2009 - 6funswede YouTube log. Errors July 2007-April 2009. "Pollution": Sound deteriorated. "When You Are Old And Gray": Video stuttering. "Send the Marines": Video stuttering. This is ALL YouTube errors, have written to them, but I don't expect any answers. Viewers: PLEASE use the annotation boxes with links in the videos.
TWICEfan3125, thank you, and also for playing back the best version of the song on the channel. I invite you and your friends to get to know Lehrer by visiting the channel's front page (click on the Lehrer icon or the username :-)
First of all: No disrespect, but you're missing the point here. The song is clearly satirical. Satire can sometimes be hard to understand, but there can be no doubt here that Tom Lehrer is making a social commentary on bigotry, not expressing his own hateful opinions.
Secondly: As for Tom Lehrer being anti-jew (which is what your second statement seems to imply), this is a highly unlikely interpretation, as Lehrer himself was in fact jewish.
It was just pointed out to me in a private email that writing about Tom Lehrer in the past tense is quite incorrect, as the man is still alive and well at 80 years of age. There is no excuse for being sloppy with fact-checking. Thanks to 6funswede for enlightening me.
"As for Tom Lehrer being anti-jew (which is what your second statement seems to imply), this is a highly unlikely interpretation, as Lehrer himself was in fact jewish." -Jewish in ancestry, not religiously, he is an atheist himself. I believe he was once quoted saying about his religious affiliation, that he "never understood people, who prefer one brand of bullshit to another".
But of course you're right, it is very far from Lehrer to be racist in any way (exept perhaps towards Germans ;-))
I hope it's at least a small consolation that Lehrer is well known and appreciated in Sweden. And I agree; hard to believe what he got away with in the day.
Thanks for posting these! It's terrific to finally see how Tom looked as he sang these.
But one request: if these are cut from an original source, is it possible to post the others *with* their respective spoken introductions? Those are half the fun!
fenomas, thanks for commenting. Well, yes, during 2009 (some of) the songs will be republished. In 2007 I was eager to remove all the wide shots, but thanks to Lehrer that's no longer necessary. Today I republished "Pollution", and...stay tuned :-)
Thanks for posting this and all the Lehrer songs...it brings back memories of my dad playing them for me too many years ago. In a few years, I'll have to play them for my own son :).
Yes marcr33, that can only be a good thing. Lehrer's songs should be passed on through the generations in the US and elsewhere. If it is up to me, these songs will stay on YouTube as a first introduction, but I really hope that new generations will buy Lehrer's records. That will keep him alive.
I fell in love with Tom Lehrer about 5 years ago when I had the opportunity to sing "The Masochism Tango" at a Leather event in Moncton. Ever since then I have taken every opportunity to enjoy his music whenever I can. Thanks so much for posting these gems!
Oh, thank you so much for watching! And if someone should be thanked, it really is Tom Lehrer himself. He wrote all these immortal gems and did a great performance in 1967. Now the the songs are still on YouTube thanks to him. Lehrer is a genius satirist, but also a kind man. Take it from me :-)
You're just a newbie! It's about 35 for me. And for most of that time I never knew what he looked like because there were no photos on his albums. Imagine the shock when I saw how normal he looked!
theCommenteer, well, I can assure you that Tom Lehrer is happy for everyone who watches the twelve songs on video here on YouTube and buys his records. Personally, I watched this very performance on TV in November of 1967. That was the first time I heard Lehrer's songs. Then I just had to buy those records :-)
That must be the show my mother told me about, That Was The Week That Was, I think. She also saw him on Sesame Street, but I missed it. I grew up with these songs, but I don't blame him for how I turned out. I could have been worse!
To me they were the same show, but I think his songs appeared on The Electric Company only. I have been corrected, much to my humiliation and whatnot.
I've loved Mr. Lehrer since the first time I heard him in my college years. My room mate made the mistake of bringing his record to school and took it home when I was all but wearing it out by playing it over and over and over....you get my drift.
I purchased a rerelease of his original album a few months ago and now my wife gets to be annoyed at my constant playing of his classic's.
I watch these video's and wish there was a way to get copies.......any comments on that?
Yes, ron1892, I'll answer that one in a message, OK? Other than that I am so grateful to everyone who watches Lehrer performing. This channel is not about me, it's about Tom Lehrer and all of you guys. Thank you so much!
I love these old Lehrer-ucs! BTW, my old grandma used to hate them and actually would have liked to have done bodily harm to Dr. Lerer when I played them years ago. LOL bless her, she's dead now. Keep 'em comin'
Thank you for the comments. I have tried to watch this in so-called high quality, but cannot see the big difference. But in this version, Lehrer get's to talk a little and that's an improvement. Otherwise, the old versions (which will be kept here) are just as good.
Yeah, the improvement is subtle. The higher quality is a bit sharper overall. You can see more detail on the bricks and the wrinkles on his forehead. And it's easier to distinguish individual keys on the piano. But for our purposes the originals are fine.
You're right, JimC. This was just an experiment. But then again, in this version people will get to hear Lehrer talk. I have even adjusted the sound level up whenever he speaks. And of course I played with the black level to get it more juicy. In those days, they loved "gray TV", whereas Lehrer's humor is black :-)
Ali & Mrs. Wallace? I thought it was Lena Horne and Sheriff Clark dancing cheek to cheek.
nyrfan 1 week ago
Lehrer's stuff still cuts like a knife which is a amazing for political material....
Where are the likes of him today?
BaronEmpain 2 months ago 2
@BaronEmpain Google on Tim Minchin. Be ready for a radically different look and style, but the insane cleverness at rhymes and the absurd is all there, as well as the fluency on the keyboard (Minchin improvises things that are a little harder, but much more sloppily -- Lehrer was as elegant in his playing as in his looks). Give a listen to Minchin's beat poem "Mitsubishi Colt," and for one in the spirit of "When you Are Old and Grey," listen to "If I Didn't Have You." Very rich stuff.
manthasagittarius1 2 months ago 2
I adore his talent! ^____^
everydayholidayay 2 months ago
tis would be great if it didn't stop 10 seconds in!!
Syddric 3 months ago
Yay Tom! i had forgotten about 'When You Are Old And Gray'. Best summary of love I've heard.
Christina5Archer 3 months ago
5 people don't have good intentions...
TheLutraAmericanus 3 months ago 5
you can see how he's inspired so many musical comics, old and grey reminds me of tim minchin (or the other way around)
mrmebs 4 months ago
hahaha I can't stop watching this, he's hilarious. And not to mention handsome ;)
laudevecchi 5 months ago
Brilliant.
TheNakedWombat 6 months ago
my parents introduced me to Lehrer's music. my 84 year old mother still laughs at his songs.
MrRETEROROB 7 months ago 3
@MrRETEROROB First heard of him at SUNY New Paltz when the entire faculty was listening to him. The man is brilliant and has an amazing sense of humor. Bless your Mother's heart-her sense of humor is obviously still intact.
fmthomas522 2 months ago
awwwww how sweeeeeeet :D hahahaha
123thecooldood 8 months ago in playlist Tom Lehrer
Does National Brotherhood Week still exist? When I do a search for it all I can find is references to this song! A week that verbally seems to exclude sisters wouldn't currently be considered politically correct.
ZAGGLETON 11 months ago
This concert is really kinda wasted on it's Norwegian audience.
bowserhunter1 1 year ago
so ganz nebenbei passt hier nicht rein aber ich brauch coole leute
karolina45610 1 year ago 19
1960's Bo Burnham
arashinight 1 year ago
@arashinight You mean Bo Burnham is 2000's Lehrer
DrStrangelove346 1 year ago 3
@DrStrangelove346 That's exactly what I meant XD I knew about Burnham before Lehrer, so that's how it worked out in my head. I should avoid letting things in my head escape, though, it's scary in here.
arashinight 1 year ago
Everybody hates the Jews... :D I love this guy.
BeNotNormal 1 year ago
lol everyone hates the jews... lmao
tflorczak 1 year ago
was this in norway? cuz if it is i think i jsut saw my grandma :O
nofishhere4 1 year ago
Why did he ever stop, he could of made some many more songs!?
razorwre 1 year ago
@razorwre look him up in wiki. He says it wasn't true he stopped because Kissinger got the Nobel war prize in 73, making political satire obsolete...
If this is before your time, consider Obama and Afghanistan. And the now famous, soon to be infamous, Chinese dissident who got all the money from the NED and praised the war in Iraq. He shouldn't be in jail, but doesn't deserve the war prize either.
Far as I know, Lehrer is alive and worth a pilgrimage.
margot980 1 year ago
Tom Lehrer is such a talented lyricist (and pianist obviously!). He manages to capture life and society in such a TRUE and funny way. 'To hate all but the right folks is an old established rule' is just spot on!
crazypianolady 1 year ago
How do you celebrate brotherhood week?
Being an only child I never do
seanpdineen 1 year ago
the world needs more music like that even to this day
AnonShawi 1 year ago
you can really get a sense of how old this is when he calls muhammad ali "cassius clay". good stuff.
DoneBlock94 1 year ago
you can really get a sense of how old this is when he calls muhammad ali "cassius clay". good stuff.
DoneBlock94 1 year ago
andeverybody hates the jews LOL
TheRimben 1 year ago
@TheRimben I think hes jewish, so Jaja XD
yi238 1 year ago
@yi238 i made that comment because im a jew
TheRimben 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
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follypolyhymniahcp 1 year ago
Happy birthday, Mr. Lehrer.
splicegrrl 1 year ago
Over the decades I have listened to Mr. Lehrer I have seen people become highly offended by various songs of his.
They just do not pick out that he took the piss out of everything and, I doubt, he cared one whit if he offended anyone.
I have heard some non whites getting bent over "National Brotherhood Week" and, as a non white person myself, I do not see why. I laugh to split every time I hear this.
Tom Lehrer = one of the greatest American satirists.
ArisztidZ 1 year ago
This week is national brotherhood week, it's the third week of every February.
americasucks100 1 year ago
I have the 3 cd set that was last made with all his best songs, im 18 right now and i have been listening to him since i was little, i will never get rid of my cds :D
BAGOMS 2 years ago 7
I remember getting this album when it first came out. The intro is a little bit different, though. Tom mentions that the first National Brotherhood Week was held in 1965. And on the first day of that week, Malcolm X was assassinated. So, that gives you an idea of how effective it really is.
poughkeepsiejohn1 2 years ago 4
That's the version I have. I like that one better than this one
stecky87 2 years ago
too bad this was so long ago. he's awfully cute ^_^
musikat2010 2 years ago
One is tempted to rename this song Christmas Day With The Family .
Wishing my Norwegian friend and his family all the very best for Christmas and the year ahead, may it be the beginning of the best years of your life. And to Mr Lehrer I have a park bench reserved in your honour; I shall even supply the peanuts.
msfyn 2 years ago 40
msfyn, thank you so much! I wish you the best for Christmas too, and I wouldn't mind sitting on that bench and giving away a few peanuts myself :-)
6funswede 2 years ago 3
@msfyn This seems kinda late, but are they poisoned peanuts to feed to pigeons?
tjrieves 1 year ago
@msfyn cyanide is the expensive part, I think you should supply that.
ArsonistInUrFirewall 7 months ago
@ArsonistInUrFirewall will you supply the pigeons
msfyn 7 months ago
@msfyn Nature will, but I will gladly join you in the poisoning.
ArsonistInUrFirewall 7 months ago
@ArsonistInUrFirewall seems i will be the only one with out of pocket expenses - what will you bring to the table
msfyn 7 months ago
@msfyn I'll bring peanuts and bread crumbs.
ArsonistInUrFirewall 7 months ago
@ArsonistInUrFirewall sounds good to me. We should set our international time clocks to co ordinate this rendezvous. But [always a but] right now my pillow is calling me ......I look forward to reading your reply tomorrow. Have a great day and by the way - do you Tango
msfyn 7 months ago
@msfyn I don't tango, but where would you like to meet? You live all the way to the other side of the world? Meet you halfway?
ArsonistInUrFirewall 7 months ago
@ArsonistInUrFirewall now that sounds interesting. What location would that be
msfyn 7 months ago
no one can beat this guy ;] im 15 and i love him! :D my chemistry teacher makes us just about learn all the words to the periodic table of elements
scotland0chick 2 years ago 4
"Everyone hates the Jews" He is a Jew himself, and he dissed himself. I love dissing myself!
Fireicee1 2 years ago 99
Fireicee1, well, Lehrer is a first class comedian and satirist, one-of-a-kind and totally incomparable. Click the Tom Lehrer icon and enjoy the rest!
6funswede 2 years ago 11
Lehrer is amazing... his satirical humor is awesome. I'm only 12... I wish I could meet him in person...
Fireicee1 2 years ago 19
Fireicee1, if you are twelve years old (?) it means that Lehrer is almost 70 years older than you. Congratulations on a good taste in musical comedy :-)
6funswede 2 years ago 16
xD. I thank your congrats.
Fireicee1 2 years ago
is he that old already? :o
xavierrrr 2 years ago
@6funswede It's sad that it's not more widespread. I'm 16 now, and I've loved him for years XD
ThatSlinkyBastard 8 months ago
@ThatSlinkyBastard, well, you know what to do. In 2008 Lehrer decided that he would not move to have these live videos deleted from YouTube. Email the channel url to your friends and enemies :-)
6funswede 8 months ago
@Fireicee1
You could phone him or write him a letter. Far as I know, he lives in Santa Cruz California, where there is a Thomas A Lehrer
22130 E Cliff Dr, Apt 3D
Santa Cruz, CA 95062-4975
(831) 475-2637
His birthday is April 9. He's 82. I think he's worth a pilgrimage!
margot980 1 year ago
@Fireicee1
Me, too! STUPID BLONDS! :P
tsukinohime3 2 years ago
Lawl. I remember one time, me and my friend were at the mall late, and we were going home, he was trying to get his bike and some annoying teens were talking near the bike rack, and wouldn't let him get his bike. So then one dude was talking on his cell phone, "And the other one is a freakishly tall nerd" and I said, "Oh that would be me" xD
Fireicee1 2 years ago 2
@Fireicee1 ...re the "everybody hates..." lyric by Lehrer, no he wasn't being self-deprecatory; he was being accusatory and demonstrating a 'persecution complex' while being funny and making money on it. Within some ethno-cultures that's like hitting the trifecta at the racetrack.
PrisonerJohnDrake2 1 year ago
@Fireicee1 well anyone who isnt white has made fun of themselves at onepoint or another
seriously im arab i have pretended to be a terrorist despite im an american citizen so...
elflordbob1 1 year ago
@Fireicee1 Same. I'm 12 two.
bowserhunter1 1 year ago
@Fireicee1 he isnt dissing himself. he is just saying the truth. everyone hates jews (btw im a jew myself)
ebenezerbleezer 1 year ago
@Fireicee1 Nothing better than self deprecating humor :)
cameronebersold 5 months ago
@Fireicee1 it makes you feel good when people laugh at you i know especially when you think their laughing with you omg thats the funniest part...watch...im retarded oomg that was so fuking funny gosh lol lmao rofl ...ur retarded along with 69 people who have no self esteem
elflordbob1 3 months ago
@Fireicee1 hes not a jew
mike33650 1 month ago
@mike33650 He is fool!
joshuamyler 1 month ago
@Fireicee1 Speaking the truth=dissing yourself?
getout2012 4 weeks ago
I find it hilarious that when he does the white folks black folks line all the white people in the room go deathly silent. Ahh how times have changed.
BrotherToDragons 2 years ago 2
i don't think its a racial thing that you are implying. They didn't really laugh at a lot during any of his songs, which is more of a behavior of audiences during the 1950's.
primequeen 2 years ago 2
Funny. I saw a guy I used to work with shopping at Harris Teeter. I shook his hand. I couldn't stand him, but I shook his hand.
Just saying...
takomaguy 2 years ago
what was he like??
thEannoyingE 2 years ago
Bad teeth. Even worse breath. Still, time heals all wounds...if it doesn't wound all heels!
takomaguy 2 years ago
different from the cassette I had in the early 70's
obifongkenobi 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
We all hate Jews, except Jews, I don't think they hate themselves... well unless things changed since last year
Moonchile2 2 years ago
Jeez, what a TWAT you are...
palmerstonian 2 years ago
Didn't you see the "Self-hating Jew" segment on Larry David?
takomaguy 2 years ago
every nuance is just right
eclaytondinosaur 2 years ago
Absolutely Inspiring and Genius coming from one man... I doubt that neither History nor Future can display a better performance!
I wonder why my mom doesn't like him...
mars200125 2 years ago
All the twelve Tom Lehrer songs from this channel have now been republished in better quality. Click the Lehrer icon or the username, go to the channel and select one of the uploaded HQ-versions :-) Don't forget to click the HQ-button.
6funswede 2 years ago
I 1st heard Tom Lehrer listening to the Dr. Demento show in the late 70's.
PMS442years07 2 years ago 2
Mr Lehrer (whom God preserve) is one of the greatest satirists since Dean Swift. He tells the truth with his jaunty Tin Pan Alley tunes and wonderful Kermit the Frog voice; he mocks our terminal stupidity with his mathematician's logic combined with the musicality of Irving Berlin.
What a genius. And, of course, what an ignored prophet. Heigh-ho...watch for the (hopefully distant) obituaries...then we might realise his fantastic gifts.
GrenvilleT 2 years ago 7
tom lehrer is brilliant. i looooove him sooooo much!
auwekama 2 years ago 3
wow. big hands!
LOVE tom lehrer, he is a brilliant singer and my inspiration for learning to play piano : )
bananachip33 2 years ago
So very true and sad..We are living in the age of hypocracy..
cebelice63 2 years ago 3
What??? Name me ANY era that was not an age of hypocrisy. Waiting. . .
gimmeachallenge 2 years ago
Very true! There was not any age without hipocrisy..Only, as well as we made progress in other fields of human activities, we made it in this area too..We almost reached a perfection of masterly and sophisticated twisting facts and truth..that much that we even believe in our own lies and delusion..
ok..hope, your waiting was not to long.. -:)!
SINCERE regards, indeeed..I mean it..
I swear..
cebelice63 2 years ago
My age of 10-11. I never backtracked with hypocrisy.
hkfreak 2 years ago
right now...duh!
berniebay 2 years ago
this guy is straight and real!! every word is true!
mautzikowski 2 years ago 3
i can imagine some o them didn't like national brotherhood week because they were guilty of all the things in the song!
joelymcpoely 2 years ago 3
Tough crowd...I didn't notice anyone laugh once during the National Brotherhood Week.
LoonieBin 2 years ago
THey did at "and everybody hates the Jews"
VenomToothY 2 years ago 2
no one got hi humor back then except the guys in san fransisco which he wne to twice cause they were laughing
VxZidaneXv 2 years ago
I laughed.
C3P0meetsData 2 years ago 2
americans... this is your new anthem
deora2dude 2 years ago 7
Fantastic! Thank you for posting. And it does make me laugh that some people can't see that he was sending up the hypocrosy and small-mindedness around him.
wheelsofwonder 2 years ago 2
This is hilarious! But it annoys me when people take it too seriously.
SheltonSEmmaS 2 years ago 3
i like "when you are old and gray". mr. lehrer uses a lotta BIG WORDS!!!
TWICEfan3125 2 years ago
i like the song When You Are Old and Gray. Mr.Lehrer uses a lotta BIG WORDS!
TWICEfan3125 2 years ago
Dr Implosion
odhal2 2 years ago
Tom Lehrer is the shit.
DoctorExplosion 2 years ago
Lehrer is, to me, at least, one of the best singing comedians in the world. GO LEHRER!
Ovanteeri 2 years ago 39
Comment removed
chriswaxman 2 years ago
@Ovanteeri agreed, look up Tim Minchin as well, brilliant
TheCuckooshrykes 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
1. Cover your mouth with you hand
2. Make a wish
3.Close your hand (fist)
4. Hold you hand at heart for 5 seconds
5. Send this to 3 more videos
6. Tommorrow will be the best day ever
darthminion101 2 years ago
darthminion101, thank you, I enjoyed that comment. Lehrer wants people to be able to watch the channel legally, so visit the channel's front page and spread the word :-)
6funswede 2 years ago
This song changed my life when I was in high school.
ithoughtidletuknow 2 years ago 7
ithoughtidletuknow, thank you. Really? Well, if your friends enjoyed it too, this is one of few (maybe the only) performances preserved on video. Visit the channel's front page, watch the twelve songs and spread the word :-)
6funswede 2 years ago
I second that. It was a huge impact on my world view back in 1975 when I heard it in high school.
My dad was a philosophy prof and all his colleagues were freaking out about this guy.
I haven't heard it in 30 years. Thank you.
At certain moments in the last 30 years, I have burst into this song...the words burned into my memory forever.
Opiman000 2 years ago
Opiman000, thank you. Please click on the Lehrer icon or the username 6funswede and enjoy the rest. The channel is Lehrer only :-)
6funswede 2 years ago
Awesome...that's great that it's legal to share/use...i CERtainly will pass this on...
and ty again,
and if ure really swedish...tack sa mycket!
Opiman000 2 years ago
lol....tak? sa mycket?
p.s. the americans had lehrer...
the swedes had povel ramel and martin ljung!
Opiman000 2 years ago
i'm sorry to bother you guys...was it that big a hoohaa? i like to think of myself as a worldly man but it affected you that much? was it your upbringing..i thought thinking like this was common sense garnered from just walking out your door with more than a 90 I.Q.?I pray for mankind cause such closemindedness is still pervasive and indestructable...nurture by some..and even more by some in a position with a duty to eradicate it...we're fukt!! but yeah i'm glad a friend told me about this guy
geremysguitar 2 years ago
Lol. I do not actually know if my iq is over 90 - which may explain a lot of things...
But as a teenager (now too, but i am more jaded now) I was really sensitive to hypocrisy...Lehrer was an adult who pointed out hypocrisies to a degree which most of my adult teachers etc were not and I guess I felt over-joyed that I was not 'alone'.
I guess when you're a teen, the impact is more, i dunno, pronounced?
And now i am happy to see him and realize he is just as relevant today...for me, anyway.
Opiman000 2 years ago 2
Opiman000, thanks. You'd do to us a great favour if you introduced the twelve videos on The Tom Lehrer Wisdom Channel for friends, teachers and other dubious intellectuals; They're legal to watch thanks to Lehrer :-)
6funswede 2 years ago
April 2009 - 6funswede YouTube log. Errors July 2007-April 2009. "Pollution": Sound deteriorated. "When You Are Old And Gray": Video stuttering. "Send the Marines": Video stuttering. This is ALL YouTube errors, have written to them, but I don't expect any answers. Viewers: PLEASE use the annotation boxes with links in the videos.
6funswede 2 years ago
i love this song. Tom Lehrer is a GENIUS!!!
TWICEfan3125 2 years ago 2
TWICEfan3125, thank you, and also for playing back the best version of the song on the channel. I invite you and your friends to get to know Lehrer by visiting the channel's front page (click on the Lehrer icon or the username :-)
6funswede 2 years ago
no, thank Mrs.Peachy for introducing me to Tom Lehrer by playing "The Elements" to the 4th/5th grade combo class I was in:)
you are very welcome 6funswede:) :)
TWICEfan3125 2 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
This is EXTREMELY racist. And I love the jews!!!
thenight321 2 years ago
Shalom,
First of all: No disrespect, but you're missing the point here. The song is clearly satirical. Satire can sometimes be hard to understand, but there can be no doubt here that Tom Lehrer is making a social commentary on bigotry, not expressing his own hateful opinions.
Secondly: As for Tom Lehrer being anti-jew (which is what your second statement seems to imply), this is a highly unlikely interpretation, as Lehrer himself was in fact jewish.
Have a nice day!
/Marius
mariuslv 2 years ago 30
thanks for pointing out those things
thenight321 2 years ago 5
mariuslv, yes, thanks :-)
6funswede 2 years ago
CORRECTION:
It was just pointed out to me in a private email that writing about Tom Lehrer in the past tense is quite incorrect, as the man is still alive and well at 80 years of age. There is no excuse for being sloppy with fact-checking. Thanks to 6funswede for enlightening me.
mariuslv 2 years ago 3
"As for Tom Lehrer being anti-jew (which is what your second statement seems to imply), this is a highly unlikely interpretation, as Lehrer himself was in fact jewish." -Jewish in ancestry, not religiously, he is an atheist himself. I believe he was once quoted saying about his religious affiliation, that he "never understood people, who prefer one brand of bullshit to another".
But of course you're right, it is very far from Lehrer to be racist in any way (exept perhaps towards Germans ;-))
Finkeren 2 years ago 4
I was searching for "Alma" but this is still a great find. THANK YOU!
ffgghh7 2 years ago
its really sad that this smart and insightful comedian is known by so few in and outside of the us
as for his jokes.. i cant believe he was allowed to do such things at the time most of them would still/or again be controversial in our time
thanks for uploading
terislb 2 years ago 9
I hope it's at least a small consolation that Lehrer is well known and appreciated in Sweden. And I agree; hard to believe what he got away with in the day.
Ilska 2 years ago 7
I love it! I "discovered" Lehrer 30+ years ago, and I still think he is a genius! Any chance of finding "Alma" ??
gatopdx 2 years ago 4
i love his humor as well and how he sees all the simpily bemusing things in life and write such humorus songs :)
jimmybobface 3 years ago 11
thanks so much for all of these simply amazing lehrer vids as sad as it im 15 nd love his amazin songs
jimmybobface 3 years ago 6
Thanks for posting these! It's terrific to finally see how Tom looked as he sang these.
But one request: if these are cut from an original source, is it possible to post the others *with* their respective spoken introductions? Those are half the fun!
fenomas 3 years ago 4
fenomas, thanks for commenting. Well, yes, during 2009 (some of) the songs will be republished. In 2007 I was eager to remove all the wide shots, but thanks to Lehrer that's no longer necessary. Today I republished "Pollution", and...stay tuned :-)
6funswede 3 years ago
I love that big long string of words ending in 'ility'
nerdydev 3 years ago 2
Thank you 6funswede for bringing Tom Lehrer back to life for me .....she says with a very broad grin and a wink!
msfyn 3 years ago 6
and everyone hates the jews...
Lol!
leoisgorgeous 3 years ago 4
One of my favorites as is the recent "Wernher von Braun
- with spoken intro" video you posted today! ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Soulnik 3 years ago
these vids are just great. Love them :)
finnr 3 years ago
the line about the hindus hating the muslims is so horribly appropriate right now...
soodle18 3 years ago
Thanks for posting this and all the Lehrer songs...it brings back memories of my dad playing them for me too many years ago. In a few years, I'll have to play them for my own son :).
marcr33 3 years ago
Yes marcr33, that can only be a good thing. Lehrer's songs should be passed on through the generations in the US and elsewhere. If it is up to me, these songs will stay on YouTube as a first introduction, but I really hope that new generations will buy Lehrer's records. That will keep him alive.
6funswede 3 years ago
I fell in love with Tom Lehrer about 5 years ago when I had the opportunity to sing "The Masochism Tango" at a Leather event in Moncton. Ever since then I have taken every opportunity to enjoy his music whenever I can. Thanks so much for posting these gems!
Paganforge 3 years ago 2
Oh, thank you so much for watching! And if someone should be thanked, it really is Tom Lehrer himself. He wrote all these immortal gems and did a great performance in 1967. Now the the songs are still on YouTube thanks to him. Lehrer is a genius satirist, but also a kind man. Take it from me :-)
6funswede 3 years ago
You're just a newbie! It's about 35 for me. And for most of that time I never knew what he looked like because there were no photos on his albums. Imagine the shock when I saw how normal he looked!
theCommenteer 3 years ago
theCommenteer, well, I can assure you that Tom Lehrer is happy for everyone who watches the twelve songs on video here on YouTube and buys his records. Personally, I watched this very performance on TV in November of 1967. That was the first time I heard Lehrer's songs. Then I just had to buy those records :-)
6funswede 3 years ago
That must be the show my mother told me about, That Was The Week That Was, I think. She also saw him on Sesame Street, but I missed it. I grew up with these songs, but I don't blame him for how I turned out. I could have been worse!
theCommenteer 3 years ago
He was on Sesame Street? I remember him from The Electric Company; he did a few songs for that.
TomALehrer 3 years ago
To me they were the same show, but I think his songs appeared on The Electric Company only. I have been corrected, much to my humiliation and whatnot.
theCommenteer 3 years ago
My boyfriend sent me National Brotherhood week and I've been hooked since.
Tom Lehrer's pretty good and he was pretty hot back then, yeah?
BellaChloe3 3 years ago 2
Yeah, he was. In my mind, Lehrer is America's lost satirist gem. Thank you so much for watching him.
6funswede 3 years ago
I've loved Mr. Lehrer since the first time I heard him in my college years. My room mate made the mistake of bringing his record to school and took it home when I was all but wearing it out by playing it over and over and over....you get my drift.
I purchased a rerelease of his original album a few months ago and now my wife gets to be annoyed at my constant playing of his classic's.
I watch these video's and wish there was a way to get copies.......any comments on that?
ron1892 3 years ago
Yes, ron1892, I'll answer that one in a message, OK? Other than that I am so grateful to everyone who watches Lehrer performing. This channel is not about me, it's about Tom Lehrer and all of you guys. Thank you so much!
6funswede 3 years ago
You have no idea how much I appreciate this! Thank you! The quality is better, but most importantly we get to hear the introductions.
winvistainfo 3 years ago
Thank you so very much for bringing these classics to us. Love them with passion. Vale Tom
msfyn 3 years ago
I think he is talented. And just to explain my comments before, he tells the truth, and that is good.
CharityAngel 3 years ago
I love these old Lehrer-ucs! BTW, my old grandma used to hate them and actually would have liked to have done bodily harm to Dr. Lerer when I played them years ago. LOL bless her, she's dead now. Keep 'em comin'
SmokeyGunn357 3 years ago
Once again, thank you very much. The best part of this new clip is definitely being able to hear his introductions.
I also love all his little inflections and facial expressions - subtle and perfect.
journeymanwriter 3 years ago
Great as usual.
Also, I must say that I owe you for knowing Lehrer, definetly one of the good things happend to me in the last year.
Thanks.
Omer.
YoomOmer 3 years ago
Thank you for the comments. I have tried to watch this in so-called high quality, but cannot see the big difference. But in this version, Lehrer get's to talk a little and that's an improvement. Otherwise, the old versions (which will be kept here) are just as good.
6funswede 3 years ago
Yeah, the improvement is subtle. The higher quality is a bit sharper overall. You can see more detail on the bricks and the wrinkles on his forehead. And it's easier to distinguish individual keys on the piano. But for our purposes the originals are fine.
JimC 3 years ago
And thanks yet again for posting these!
JimC 3 years ago
You're right, JimC. This was just an experiment. But then again, in this version people will get to hear Lehrer talk. I have even adjusted the sound level up whenever he speaks. And of course I played with the black level to get it more juicy. In those days, they loved "gray TV", whereas Lehrer's humor is black :-)
6funswede 3 years ago
Thank you!! It made my day.
ikim70 3 years ago 2
while most kids my age were singing "mickey mouse club" songs, i was singing tom lehrer.
still singing loudly and proudly 50 years later.
nickanddeb 3 years ago 4
As always, thanks again! Love that man....
eppylover 3 years ago 2
Mr Lehrer is a genius. Wonderful quality, and great to see the man in action (only listened to CDs thus far)!
eversoplucky 3 years ago 2
Dig it.
Soulnik 3 years ago
As always, Tom Lehrer is the master of satire. Thanks for posting this in high quality.
molesworthRAF 3 years ago 2
Thanks again, funswede. I love this song. The high quality really makes a difference. :)
brainouty 3 years ago 2
This is brillant!
Great Tom Lehrer as well as the "new quality"!
And it's so much fun to hear him talk too.
Many thanks for uploading!
5*****
catminima 3 years ago 2
Fantastic! As always, Mr. Lehrer's work is hilarious . . . but it's great to see him actually sing his works. Thank you so much for posting this!
museofthesea 3 years ago 4