Musical satirist Tom Lehrer, the composer of “Poisoning Pigeons in the Park”, “The Vatican Rag,” and many, many other memorable tunes, has passed away at the age of 97. He retired from writing songs in the 60s, and even went so far as to transfer the rights to his music into the public domain in 2020. You can read the NYT obituary via archive.is here. It contains a good summary of his attitude toward his career:
Mr. Lehrer’s lyrics were nimble, sometimes salacious and almost always sardonic, sung to music that tended to be maddeningly cheerful. Accompanying himself on piano, he performed in nightclubs, in concert and on records that his admirers purchased, originally by mail order only, in the hundreds of thousands.But his entertainment career ultimately took a back seat to academia. In his heart he never quit his day job; he just took a few sabbaticals.He stopped performing in 1960 after only a few years, resumed briefly in 1965 and then stopped for good in 1967. His music was ultimately just a momentary detour in an academic career that included teaching posts at Harvard, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of California, and even a stint with the Atomic Energy Commission.As popular as his songs were, Mr. Lehrer never felt entirely comfortable performing them. “I don’t feel the need for anonymous affection,” he told The New York Times in 2000. “If they buy my records, I love that. But I don’t think I need people in the dark applauding.”
97 is a good, long life, but the passing of a real American genius always causes a pang.
Here’s my personal favorite of his:
And here’s British actor Daniel Radcliffe (most famous for playing Harry Potter, but a self-described Lehrer superfan), performing “The Elements” on Graham Norton’s chat show a few years back:
I know a lot of Jackals are fans of his. Open thread, with the hope you’ll all share songs, anecdotes, etc.
UPDATE to add this very funny anecdote:
2 Chainz sampled Tom Lehrer's The Old Dope Peddler 60 years after it had been recorded. Lehrer's response to the license request: "As sole copyright owner of 'The Old Dope Peddler', I grant you motherfuckers permission to do this. Please give my regards to Mr. Chainz, or may I call him 2?"
RIP TOM
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog.lol) 27 July 2025 at 18:17
