Tom Lehrer's iconic songs: ‘The Elements', ‘The Masochism Tango' and more gems from satirical genius

Time of India

2 days ago

Tom Lehrer, the musician and satirist known for his razor-sharp wit and dark humour, has passed away at the age of 97. A Harvard-trained mathematician, Lehrer rose to fame in the 1950s and 1960s with his clever songs that blended comedy with biting political and social commentary.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
His unique style influenced generations of comedians.
Lehrer's passing was confirmed by his friend David Herder to the New York Times. With his brilliant mix of intellect and irreverence, he left a lasting mark on the world of music and satire.
Tom Lehrer's iconic songs
'The Elements': This clever tune lists all the chemical elements, set to the melody of Gilbert and Sullivan's 'I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General'. It became a hit among science buffs and comedy fans alike.
' The Masochism Tango ': In this fiery number, Lehrer mixes romance and pain, dancing through twisted desires with lyrics like, 'I ache for the touch of your lips, dear / But much more for the touch of your whips, dear…'
'I Hold Your Hand in Mine': Possibly his darkest love song, this ballad tells the creepy tale of a man holding onto his lover's severed hand, both literally and lovingly.
'I Got It From Agnes': With brilliant wordplay, Lehrer traces the spread of a venereal disease through a social circle, keeping the tone cheeky rather than crude.
'Poisoning Pigeons in the Park': Spring in the city turns deadly in this comical song about lacing bird food with cyanide. It's disturbingly delightful.
'It Makes a Fellow Proud to Be a Soldier': This marching tune pokes fun at army life and military clichés, gently teasing everything from training routines to uniform pride.
'The Vatican Rag': A bouncy ragtime tune that mocks Catholic traditions with lines urging worshippers to 'genuflect, genuflect, genuflect!'
'Fight Fiercely, Harvard': Lehrer lovingly ridicules Ivy League manners, imagining a football game where players encourage each other with refined politeness.
'The Old Dope Peddler': Told with a wink, this tune follows a local drug dealer who's 'giving the kids free samples' in the hopes of creating lifelong customers.
'Bright College Days': Looking back at university life, Lehrer gives the usual nostalgic college song a twist filled with sarcasm and schoolboy humour.
'Lobachevsky': In this faux-Russian piece, Lehrer praises plagiarism in academia. The key lesson? 'Plagiarise! Plagiarise! Let no one else's work evade your eyes!'
'My Home Town': What starts like a sentimental tribute to small-town life quickly turns into a list of shady characters and back-alley dealings.
'We Will All Go Together When We Go': A cheerful take on nuclear apocalypse, this crowd-pleaser reminds us that at least we'll all be fried together.
'Be Prepared': A twisted version of the Boy Scout motto, the song offers dodgy advice under the guise of helpful readiness.
'The Wild West Is Where I Want to Be': This one celebrates the American West with humour, radioactivity, and military-industrial references.
'I Wanna Go Back to Dixie': Lehrer mocks Southern nostalgia by highlighting the region's history of racism and inequality through upbeat melody and biting irony.
'The Irish Ballad': Don't be fooled by the folky sound. This grim tale tells of a girl committing murder after murder in the sweetest voice imaginable.
'The Hunting Song': A gentle tune disguises the chaos of a hunting trip that goes hilariously and violently wrong.
'When You Are Old and Gray': Romance fades fast in this brutally honest love song, where the singer says his affection will end as soon as his partner's beauty does.
'The Wiener Schnitzel Waltz': Here, food and romance mix in a whimsical tale of love, lust, and Austrian cuisine.
'A Christmas Carol': Christmas commercialism is the real target in this song, with the melody hiding a critique of holiday consumerism.
'Oedipus Rex': Lehrer gives the classic Greek tragedy a cheeky twist, adding mother jokes and academic flair to a bizarrely chipper tune.
'In Old Mexico': An unlucky traveller visits Mexico and finds misfortune at every turn, all told with exaggerated characters and satirical flair.
'Clementine': This parody of the classic folk song takes listeners through increasingly ridiculous musical styles, from operatic to cowboy country.
'She's My Girl': Love and hate collide in this tune, where the singer complains bitterly about his partner, but still insists he's in love.
Free music for the world
In a rare and generous move, Tom Lehrer announced in 2020 that he had given away all rights to his songs. He placed them into the public domain, meaning anyone could use, perform, record, or rewrite them freely.
He even gave up the rights to his own recordings.
'In short, I no longer retain any rights to any of my songs. So help yourselves, and don't send me any money,' he wrote on his website. He also warned that the website would be 'shut down at some date in the not too distant future' although it was still live at the time of his passing