Tom Lehrer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tom Lehrer
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Lehrer c. 1957
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Thomas Andrew Lehrer
April 9, 1928 Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
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| Education | Harvard University (AB, MA) |
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| Associated acts | Joe Raposo |
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Thomas Andrew Lehrer (born April 9, 1928) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, and mathematician. He is known for his clever and funny songs. These songs often made fun of politics and social issues. They became very popular in the 1950s and 1960s.
Lehrer's songs often copied popular music styles. But he usually wrote his own tunes. One famous song, "The Elements", is different. In it, he sings the names of the chemical elements. He used the tune of "Major-General's Song" from a famous play called Pirates of Penzance.
In the 1960s, Lehrer wrote songs about current events. Many of these were for the TV show That Was the Week That Was. Even today, these songs are still popular. Lehrer stopped performing in the early 1970s. He then taught mathematics and musical theater at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Thomas Andrew Lehrer was born on April 9, 1928. He grew up in Manhattan, New York City. He started learning classical piano at age seven. But he liked popular music more.
He began writing show tunes when he was young. This helped him later as a satirical writer. He attended the Horace Mann School. He also went to Camp Androscoggin.
Lehrer was a very smart child. He entered Harvard University at just 15 years old. He had already finished Loomis Chaffee School. At Harvard, he studied mathematics. He started writing comic songs to entertain his friends. One of these was "Fight Fiercely, Harvard" (1945). These songs were later called The Physical Revue. This was a funny name, like a science magazine.
Academic and Military Career
Lehrer earned his first degree in mathematics from Harvard University in 1946. He received his master's degree the next year. He later taught math at places like MIT and Harvard. He also taught at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
In 1955, Lehrer joined the U.S. Army. He served until 1957. He worked at the National Security Agency (NSA). He was an enlisted soldier. These experiences gave him ideas for songs. For example, "The Wild West is Where I Want to Be".
In 1960, Lehrer went back to studying math full-time at Harvard. From 1962, he taught math at MIT. In 1972, he joined the faculty at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He taught a math course for non-math majors. He also taught a class on musical theater. Sometimes, he would sing songs in his lectures.
Lehrer taught his last math class in 2001. He then retired from teaching.
Musical Career and Style
Musical Style and Influences
Lehrer was mostly inspired by musical theater. He enjoyed list songs. This led him to write "The Elements". It lists the chemical elements to a well-known tune.
Author Isaac Asimov once saw Lehrer perform. Asimov said it was the best time he had ever had at a nightclub.
Recordings and Early Success
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Lehrer c. 1958
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Lehrer recorded his first album, Songs by Tom Lehrer, in 1953. He paid for the studio time himself. He made 400 copies at first. Radio stations would not play his songs. This was because of their sometimes controversial topics. So, he sold the album on campus at Harvard.
People heard about his music by word of mouth. They played his records for friends. Soon, he was getting mail orders from all over the country. His album became a cult success.
Lehrer then went on concert tours. He recorded a second album in 1959. He released it in two versions. More of Tom Lehrer was a studio recording. An Evening Wasted with Tom Lehrer was recorded live.
Touring and Television
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Lehrer became very popular in the United Kingdom in 1957. This happened after a professor mentioned his songs. This led to his first album being sold in Britain. His music sold well there. The BBC even banned 10 of his songs from being played. By the end of the 1950s, Lehrer had sold 370,000 records.
In 1960, Lehrer mostly stopped touring in the U.S. He toured Australia and New Zealand. He performed many concerts. His songs sometimes caused debate.
In the early 1960s, he wrote songs for the U.S. TV show That Was The Week That Was (TW3).
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Lehrer performing in Copenhagen, 1967
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More of his songs became about politics and current events. Topics included education ("New Math") and pollution ("Pollution"). He also wrote a song about rocket scientist Wernher von Braun. Lehrer did not appear on TW3 himself. Other singers performed his songs. He later recorded nine of these songs for the album That Was The Year That Was (1965).
In 1966, Lehrer provided musical satire for the BBC show The Frost Report. His record deal also allowed his older songs to be re-released. By 1996, his recordings had sold over 1.8 million copies worldwide.
Lehrer toured Sweden, Norway, and Denmark in 1967. His concert in Oslo was recorded for TV. He also performed for a Dodge car company film in 1967.
Leaving the Music Scene
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Lehrer performing at a fundraising event for George McGovern in Brattleboro, Vermont, 1972
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In the 1970s, Lehrer focused on teaching. He also wrote ten songs for the children's TV show The Electric Company. His last public performance for many years was in 1972. It was for a political fundraising tour.
When asked why he stopped making music, Lehrer said he just ran out of ideas. He joked that he enjoyed high school, but wouldn't want to do it again.
Lehrer's music career was short. He performed only 109 shows. He wrote 37 songs over 20 years. But he gained many fans in the U.S. and other countries.
Later Years and Legacy
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In 1980, a show called Tomfoolery was created. It was a collection of Lehrer's songs. It was a big hit in London. Lehrer liked the show and helped update some lyrics. Tomfoolery led to over 200 productions.
In 1998, Lehrer performed in public for the first time in 25 years. He sang "Poisoning Pigeons in the Park". He also sang an updated version of "Who's Next?". This was a song about nuclear weapons.
Lehrer joked about his music's impact. He said if his songs made someone say something mean to a friend, it would be worth it. He also said that political satire became harder to write.
In 2000, a CD set called The Remains of Tom Lehrer was released. It included many of his songs. In 2010, his albums were reissued digitally.
In October 2020, Lehrer put all his songs into the public domain. This means anyone can use his music and lyrics for free. He also created a website where his songs can be downloaded.
Musical Legacy
Many artists have been influenced by Tom Lehrer. In 1967, Swedish actor Lars Ekborg made an album of Lehrer's songs in Swedish. Composer Randy Newman called Lehrer "one of the great American songwriters."
Dr. Demento called Lehrer "the best musical satirist of the twentieth century." Other artists like "Weird Al" Yankovic also say Lehrer influenced them.
A play called Letters from Lehrer was created in 2006. It followed Lehrer's musical career. It also explored the meaning of his songs.
Discography
- Studio albums
- Songs by Tom Lehrer (1953), re-recorded in 1966
- More of Tom Lehrer (1959)
- Live albums
- An Evening Wasted with Tom Lehrer (1959)
- Revisited (1960)
- Tom Lehrer Discovers Australia (And Vice Versa) (1960; Australia-only)
- That Was the Year That Was (1965)
- Tom Lehrer in Concert (1994; UK compilation)
- Songs & More Songs by Tom Lehrer (1997; US compilation of his first two studio albums with additional songs)
- The Remains of Tom Lehrer (2000)
- The Tom Lehrer Collection (2010)
- The Conducted Tom Lehrer (2023; Adds instrumental versions of four songs, with an additional song, 'Trees', that was never released before)
The sheet music for many of his songs is in The Tom Lehrer Song Book (1954) and Too Many Songs by Tom Lehrer (1981).
Images for kids
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Lehrer in Loomis School's 1943 yearbook
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Lehrer in Harvard University's 1947–1948 yearbook
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(From left) Lehrer, Robert H. Welker, David Z. Robinson, and Lewis M. Branscomb perform a hymn for the Harvard Spring rites on Arbor Day, 1951. The quartet performed songs for The Physical Revue.
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Lehrer as an honorary member of the Copenhagen Student Union, 1967
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Lehrer circa 1983
See also
In Spanish: Tom Lehrer para niños
