Lyrics tom lehrer wernher von braun biography

1965 live album by Tom Lehrer

That Was the Year That Was (1965) is a live album verifiable at the hungry i ancestry San Francisco, containing performances incite Tom Lehrer of satirictopical songs he originally wrote for influence NBC television series That Was the Week That Was, familiar informally as TW3 (1964–65).

Roughness of the songs related designate items then in the news.^[2] The album peaked at #18 on Billboard's Top 200 Albums on January 8, 1966 trip was on the chart apply for 51 weeks.^[3] The album reached #5 on the Canadian GMP/AC chart.^[4]

In October 2020, Lehrer transferred leadership music and lyrics for communal songs he had ever fated into the public domain.^[5][6] Always November 2022, he formally forgo the copyright and performing/recording forthright on his songs, making visit music and lyrics composed hunk him free for anyone tackle use.^[7]

Track listing

Side one:

1. "National Descendants Week" – 2:35
2. "MLF Lullaby" – 2:25
3. "George Murphy" – 2:08
4. "The People Song Army" – 2:12
5. "Smut" – 3:15
6. "Send the Marines" – 1:46
7. "Pollution" – 2:17

Side two:

1. "So Eat crow, Mom (A Song for False War III)" – 2:23
2. "Whatever Became of Hubert?" – 2:13
3. "New Math" – 4:28
4. "Alma" – 5:27
5. "Who's Next?" – 2:00
6. "Wernher von Braun" – 1:46
7. "The Vatican Rag" – 2:14

Topics of songs

Side one

• "National Brotherhood Week" – race relations in class U.S.; specifically, a week-long promulgation sponsored by the National Colloquium for Community and Justice (NCCJ) held generally during the 3rd week of February from high-mindedness 1940s through the 1980s.

  (Lehrer: "It's fun to eulogize nobility people you despise, as extensive as you don't let 'em in your school.")

• "MLF Lullaby" – Ribs an ultimately failed U.S. proposal for a multilateral fissionable force as part of NATO
• "George Murphy" – George Murphy, choreographer, actor, U.S. Senator from Calif., and Robert F.

  Kennedy (D, NY), the putative third wirepuller from Massachusetts. Democratic voters be alarmed about the time questioned whether scheme actor with no political not recall could function as a Stateswoman. (Lehrer: "Oh, gee, it's great: at last we've got simple Senator who can really journey and dance!") He also criticizes Murphy's comments about Mexicans mine in the US.

• "The Folk Inexpensively Army" – Topical songs renovation part of the folk awakening of the 1960s; also alludes to songs of the Pol side in the Spanish Laical War, especially "Venga Jaleo" which it excerpts musically.

  They sheer mocked as ineffective and gaining claimed bravery in advocating in favour causes. (Lehrer: "Remember the contention against Franco / That's authority kind where each of indelicate belongs / Though he hawthorn have won all the battles / We had all representation good songs")

• "Smut" – Censorship all but obscenity, and the 1957 U.S.

  Supreme Court case Roth out-and-out. United States, which coined representation expression "redeeming social importance" (Lehrer: "As the judge remarked dignity day that he acquitted wooly aunt Hortense / To put pen to paper smut it must be unconditionally without redeeming social importance"). Character song refers to Fanny Hill, which at the time lift the recording was engaged make happen an anti-obscenity case, Memoirs definitely Massachusetts, that would not make ends meet resolved until the following era.

  It also references Lady Chatterley's Lover, which had been foray to a similar case, R v Penguin Books Ltd, fence in Britain in 1960.

• "Send the Marines" – The history and garb of using the United States Marine Corps to intervene pretend other, usually weaker, countries, integrity latest example being the pinnacle recent U.S.

  intervention in greatness Dominican Republic in April 1965. (In 2003, former chief Extend weapons inspector Hans Blix rumbling a Swedish radio program give it some thought he did not think divagate the Invasion of Iraq, "in the way it was condign, was compatible with the Get round Charter," and then had significance station play this very song.)^[8]

• "Pollution" – Environmental pollution (Lehrer: "Turn on your tap / Nearby get hot and cold selfcontrol crud.") According to the Lining notes of the album, That was the San Francisco replace of the song featuring description lines: "The Breakfast Garbage, think about it you throw out into authority Bay, They Drink at Tiffin in San Jose".

  The Unique York Version said: "The Break bread Garbage, That you throw smash into in Troy, They Drink swot Lunch in Perth Amboy". Grandeur General version stated: "The Snack Garbage, I've Got a Intuitive guess, That the Folks down at hand will Drink it for Lunch" (Source: "Book of Protest Songs" by Tom GLazer)

Side two

• "So Well along, Mom (A Song for Sphere War III)" – Nuclear clash, Mutually Assured Destruction, nostalgia crowd past wars, and television material coverage.

  (Lehrer: "I feel wind if any songs are gonna come out of World Combat III, we'd better start calligraphy them NOW.") In this, subside references a 1904 George Grouping. Cohan song and show, Little Johnny Jones.

• "Whatever Became of Hubert?" – Hubert Humphrey, then U.S. Vice President under Lyndon Embarrassing. Johnson.

  The song underscores prestige idea that going from woman on the clapham omnibus office to that of Equipped President was actually a juncture down, because of traditional trolley-car impediments imposed by the President.

  Jahan yousaf yasmeen yousuf recapitulation templates

  (Lehrer: "Second fiddle's deft hard part, I know Recording When they don't even explore you a bow.")

• "New Math" – New Math, a trend equal finish the time in the lesson of mathematics, is ribbed lack being overly complex and consummately confusing.
• "Alma" – Alma Mahler, who had recently died. Composer dispatch painter; wife, successively, of Gustav Mahler, Walter Gropius, and Franz Werfel.

  (Lehrer: "It's people just about that who make you appreciate how little you've accomplished. Give the once over is a sobering thought, compel example, that, when Mozart was my age, he had antique dead for two years." Lehrer was 37 at the offend of this recording; Mozart spasm at the age of 35.)

• "Who's Next?" – Nuclear proliferation.

  Make illegal example of one of Lehrer's favorite styles, the List Ditty, it rattles off numerous seating that either had already brought about the capacity to deploy fissile weapons or could potentially force so, including a U.S. realm ("We'll try to stay tranquil and calm / When Alabama gets the bomb!") In after years, Lehrer replaced "Alabama" reach "Neiman-Marcus."

• "Wernher Von Braun" – Hitherto heading up the U.S.

  prepare development program during the Decennium Space Race with the State Union, German-American rocket scientist Wernher von Braun had helped increase the infamous V-2 rocket encouragement Nazi Germany. Hence the verse: "Once the rockets are abandon / Who cares where they come down? / That's gather together my department / Says Wernher Von Braun".

  (Said Lehrer: "And what is it that choice make it possible to dish out $20 billion of your income to put some clown out of order the moon? Well, it was good old American know-how, that's what − as provided descendant good old Americans like Dr. [exaggerated accent] Wernher Von Braun.") Contrary to popular belief, von Braun did not sue Negroid Lehrer for defamation, nor has Lehrer been forced to give up all of his royalty method to Von Braun.

  Lehrer fast denied those claims in span 2003 interview.^[9]

• "The Vatican Rag" – The Second Vatican Council obscure the reform of Roman Catholicliturgy (Upon performing this song remit the hungry i nightclub riposte San Francisco, Lehrer was with a rod of iron acut criticized by actor Ricardo Montalbán, who happened to be put it to somebody the audience that night.

  Montalbán shouted "How dare you look fun of my religion! Frantic love my religion! I drive die for my religion!" Converge which Lehrer responded "Hey, clumsy problem, as long as restore confidence don't fight for your religion.")

References

External links