"I find that if you take the various popular song forms to their logical extremes, you can arrive at almost anything from the ridiculous to the obscene or, as they say in New York, 'sophisticated'."
I love the fact that this makes fun of racism. If anything needs to be made fun of, racism tops my list. "This song makes people think racism is bad. Whaaaa!!!" "Yep. Sure does. Cause racism *is* bad. So take your offense, fold it until it is all sharp corners and then stick it where the sun don't shine."
You kids realise this was written during the Civil Rights era? People were attacked with dogs and firehoses. It was a horrible time.Lehrer's observations are perfect!
As opposed to what... the brilliant time we live in now where a candidate for President says immigrants are eating animals in towns? :D And Southern states are denying the vote to blacks in the greatest number they've done since Jim Crow? You mean this time? :D (Unfortunately this song still rings true.)
A lot of people who subscribe to this channel seem to believe that Tom Lehrer is either dead or no longer performs in public. I’m happy to report that neither is correct! Tom is very much alive and still doing magnificent live concerts. I had the great pleasure of watching one in Copenhagen very recently, although apparently @Betty does not believe this! I promise it’s true and his performance was as splendid as they always are! A real joy to watch!
@@loolylooly81 This person is nuts...if you read her posts, which there are many of on all of his songs, she thinks Mr. Lehrer lives in England and used to live in her house, is married with two children and all other kinds of nonsense. There is a Facebook page for him. I wish she would stop posting this garbage!
Would you mind backing your statements with evidence please? Especially when most of the major news and musical outlets say that he has given up public performances all together. www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-03922-x
@@janegiegold8454 Thank you for your reply. The TL Facebook page, is that his official page, or is it that dedicated fans have put it together? Would you mind giving me the name of the page since there are a lot of pages out there for him. Thanks very much
There should be a compass on the front cover of Tom Lehrer's first album: My Home Town in the center, I Wanna Go Back to Dixie to the south, Fight Fiercely Harvard to the east, The Hunting Song to the north, and The Wild West is Where I Wanna Be to the west. Then a distant arrow pointing northeast to the Irish Ballad and Lobachevsky.
I'll go where the sweet tea's sweetest All the folks got diabeetus And the ketoacidosis smells divine I really am a-fixin' To go home and start a-mixin' Crank below the Mason Dixon Line
I love that you've put a lot of Lehrer songs online in fairly high audio quality, thanks =). I would like to note, however, that after listening to your playlist, the intro and ending songs get really, really frustrating and annoying. I know what you're trying to do with the signature music etc, but please reconsider posting music with your own clips at the beginning and end; you can get the same effect with just text.
Thank you for this comment, I wholeheartedly agree, the child-like national anthems and Phantom of the Opera song are both baffling choices as title and end cards and extremely jarring when trying to just listen to wonder that is Lehrer
Sorry, I didn't recognise it, I just thought he was putting on a southern accent. You're right, I don't hear my own accent, though I'm very aware I have one. Unfortunately, it's not really a proper Australian accent; I'm from Sydney, and our Sydney accent is closer to British.
They literally state in the title-and multiple times in the description, which a lot of you fail to read and still proceed to make gross assumptions-that the song is created by Tom Lehrer. The copyright note is most likely for the short opening theme at the beginning, and maybe to prevent people from reposting the whole video.
Well, during the song, he IS faking a southern accent with their "y'alls" and drawls, common in places like Tennessee, Kentucky, etc. But then again, it's spotty, weak, and only appears intermittently. Initially, I thought you were talking about his normal speech accent, like in the introduction and stuff. - ET3 Alexander B. Shekhtman, USN
He doesn't have an accent, he's just American. You're Australian (I looked at your channel page). You don't perceive yourself as having an accent with your "G'day, mate," but foreigners do. Greetings from the US Navy. - ET3 Alexander B. Shekhtman, USN
Everyone has an accent. In his normal voice he doesn't sound like a Midwesterner, for instance. He sounds elite, highly-educated NYC. And surely the rolling of his r's in many songs is his own style as an entertainer. Any country of substantial size and/or population has obvious regional accent differences that its inhabitants recognize and outsiders stereotype. A person would have to be a hermit not to realize other people "talk funny" compared to him or her in the same nation. "Talking funny" is in fact part of most humorists' repertoire.
love that first half of the song where the audience is dead silent
Gotta love Tom Lehrer. He was sophisticatedly savage.
"is"
"I find that if you take the various popular song forms to their logical extremes, you can arrive at almost anything from the ridiculous to the obscene or, as they say in New York, 'sophisticated'."
I love the fact that this makes fun of racism. If anything needs to be made fun of, racism tops my list. "This song makes people think racism is bad. Whaaaa!!!" "Yep. Sure does. Cause racism *is* bad. So take your offense, fold it until it is all sharp corners and then stick it where the sun don't shine."
You kids realise this was written during the Civil Rights era?
People were attacked with dogs and firehoses. It was a horrible time.Lehrer's observations are perfect!
As opposed to what... the brilliant time we live in now where a candidate for President says immigrants are eating animals in towns? :D
And Southern states are denying the vote to blacks in the greatest number they've done since Jim Crow?
You mean this time? :D
(Unfortunately this song still rings true.)
Or, as they say in New York, sophisticated.
And his accent is hilarious.
I last heard this and other of his songs when I was 12 but here I am 56 years later singing along. I think that makes them Classics 😁
Me too. He was popular when my Mum was in collage. We always listend to him at christmas and had a singalong. Never mind that I'm a TERRIBLE singer.
A lot of people who subscribe to this channel seem to believe that Tom Lehrer is either dead or no longer performs in public. I’m happy to report that neither is correct! Tom is very much alive and still doing magnificent live concerts. I had the great pleasure of watching one in Copenhagen very recently, although apparently @Betty does not believe this! I promise it’s true and his performance was as splendid as they always are! A real joy to watch!
He's alive, but he isn't doing concerts.
Lee Mumbray-Williams
Is there an official TOM LEHRER website that one can follow his news and concerts? Thanks very much
@@loolylooly81 This person is nuts...if you read her posts, which there are many of on all of his songs, she thinks Mr. Lehrer lives in England and used to live in her house, is married with two children and all other kinds of nonsense. There is a Facebook page for him. I wish she would stop posting this garbage!
Would you mind backing your statements with evidence please? Especially when most of the major news and musical outlets say that he has given up public performances all together.
www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-03922-x
@@janegiegold8454 Thank you for your reply. The TL Facebook page, is that his official page, or is it that dedicated fans have put it together? Would you mind giving me the name of the page since there are a lot of pages out there for him. Thanks very much
There should be a compass on the front cover of Tom Lehrer's first album: My Home Town in the center, I Wanna Go Back to Dixie to the south, Fight Fiercely Harvard to the east, The Hunting Song to the north, and The Wild West is Where I Wanna Be to the west. Then a distant arrow pointing northeast to the Irish Ballad and Lobachevsky.
I think my favourite line is "I want to put that white sheet on again."
I'll go where the sweet tea's sweetest
All the folks got diabeetus
And the ketoacidosis smells divine
I really am a-fixin'
To go home and start a-mixin'
Crank below the Mason Dixon Line
He should have done "I really am a'fixing, to go back where theres no mixin'..."
@@u.sgrant7526 I think in one version he does
@@gameexpert060 yeah, just remembered that. In the Copenhagen LIVE performance I think
Notice he revised the line from "put my white sheet on again" to "... that white sheet on again", and the line about the tear gas was removed.
This song was written before the end of the civil rights movement. Just keep that in mind while listening to this.
You've missed the point entirely.
That doesn't matter at all. He's mocking southern extremists.
Thats what made it satirical
This is 2021 and it's still before the end of the civil rights movement.
and it still remains current
I love that you've put a lot of Lehrer songs online in fairly high audio quality, thanks =). I would like to note, however, that after listening to your playlist, the intro and ending songs get really, really frustrating and annoying. I know what you're trying to do with the signature music etc, but please reconsider posting music with your own clips at the beginning and end; you can get the same effect with just text.
arkieda: Bitte, geh weg!
Thank you for this comment, I wholeheartedly agree, the child-like national anthems and Phantom of the Opera song are both baffling choices as title and end cards and extremely jarring when trying to just listen to wonder that is Lehrer
Top notch!
“The Southland” as described here is a very long way from Tom Lehrer’s genuine home in New York!
It's a satirical song, so that should be expected.
1:04
Sorry, I didn't recognise it, I just thought he was putting on a southern accent. You're right, I don't hear my own accent, though I'm very aware I have one. Unfortunately, it's not really a proper Australian accent; I'm from Sydney, and our Sydney accent is closer to British.
WingCommanderVinyaya southern is talking about the southern U. S places like Oklahoma etc.
It's funny that you throw up a copyright logo and state this is one of your productions.
They literally state in the title-and multiple times in the description, which a lot of you fail to read and still proceed to make gross assumptions-that the song is created by Tom Lehrer. The copyright note is most likely for the short opening theme at the beginning, and maybe to prevent people from reposting the whole video.
I have mixed feelings about this
Good: then it had the intended effect.
Me too. But I like how he says "Robert E Lee."
l’il ole me...really, Tom? 7’2” as I seem to remember. Certainly you always towered over my 5’2”!
Well, during the song, he IS faking a southern accent with their "y'alls" and drawls, common in places like Tennessee, Kentucky, etc. But then again, it's spotty, weak, and only appears intermittently. Initially, I thought you were talking about his normal speech accent, like in the introduction and stuff.
- ET3 Alexander B. Shekhtman, USN
He doesn't have an accent, he's just American. You're Australian (I looked at your channel page). You don't perceive yourself as having an accent with your "G'day, mate," but foreigners do. Greetings from the US Navy.
- ET3 Alexander B. Shekhtman, USN
Everyone has an accent. In his normal voice he doesn't sound like a Midwesterner, for instance. He sounds elite, highly-educated NYC. And surely the rolling of his r's in many songs is his own style as an entertainer. Any country of substantial size and/or population has obvious regional accent differences that its inhabitants recognize and outsiders stereotype. A person would have to be a hermit not to realize other people "talk funny" compared to him or her in the same nation. "Talking funny" is in fact part of most humorists' repertoire.
This but unironically.