Hanukkah (however the hell you spell it) begins tonight. What better way to celebrate than with a traditional Hanukkah song? Here's HANUKKAH IN SANTA MONICA by the brilliant Tom Lehrer.
Where did this come from!? I thought I knew all of Lehrer... My parents saw him once in concert (around 1960?) and owned all three of the original albums (with the live, versus studio, version of the second one), and some years later I heard the orchestrated version of "Poisoning Pigeons in the Park" on the Doctor Demento show, and of course I'm familiar with his early-1970s Electric Company songs such as "Silent E" - but I have never heard this tune before.
Another funny tune concerning Jewish holidays is "Matzah Number Five" by "Louis Bagel," which is one of the rare parody recordings that's superior in every way to the track on which it's based.
Gottacook...there's another batch of Lehrer songs around. However, you have to go through someone who specializes in automotive memorabilia. It seems Chrysler Corporation hired Tom to write and perform songs for a dealer sales film introducing the 1967 Dodge line. I'm see it offered by someone who sells car-related audio/video.
I believe that Lehrer wrote this at the request of Garrison Keillor. He also wrote for "The Electric Company," and a couple of those songs are on one of his collections.
Tom Lehrer ranks with Russell Baker, in my opinion, as the two greatest commentators on our culture in the last half of the 20th century.
My 10th grade English teacher Mrs. Ruderman(who also happened to be Jewish) used to play Tom Lehrer records for our class whenever things got slow and she didn't have any other lessons planned. My appreciation for Tom Lehrer and his satire grew out of those listening experiences.
Ken: Happy Hannukah! -- And Mrs. Ruderman, wherever you are, I still love you!
For years -- long before Tom Lehrer wrote his song -- Mickey Katz (Jennifer Grey's grandfather) toplined an annual revue by that name; I believe at Santa Monica Civic Auditorium.
wv: "ishlyses" -- impenetrable novel by Irish author James Joystein.
This track *is*, in fact, on the Remains box set; disc 3, track 25; it's listed, with 2 others, as being part of the "Rob Fisher sessions, 1999" and previously unreleased.
If you are a Lehrer fan, you shouldn't have any trouble finding remains at this late date, and if you don't already have it, well, then, maybe you're not really a Lehrer fan? :-)
Yikes... back in 2003 I bought "The Remains of Tom Lehrer" box set on Amazon.de just because of that Werner von Braun song. Because of this post I took it off the shelf and, out of curiosity, looked it up again. It's out of print and tripled in value (used) and quintupled factory sealed.
I never listened to those three CDs that have been standing on the shelf for all these years.
I guess I'll be listening to some real vintage songs the next couple of hours :-)
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Jewish people are funny.
ReplyDeleteHappy Hanukkah.
Mazel Tov!
ReplyDeleteAnd OY GEVALT!!!!!
http://www.truthinourtime.com/2009/12/sarah-palin-celebrates-hanukkah.html
Where did this come from!? I thought I knew all of Lehrer... My parents saw him once in concert (around 1960?) and owned all three of the original albums (with the live, versus studio, version of the second one), and some years later I heard the orchestrated version of "Poisoning Pigeons in the Park" on the Doctor Demento show, and of course I'm familiar with his early-1970s Electric Company songs such as "Silent E" - but I have never heard this tune before.
ReplyDeleteAnother funny tune concerning Jewish holidays is "Matzah Number Five" by "Louis Bagel," which is one of the rare parody recordings that's superior in every way to the track on which it's based.
He's the Lewis Black of the '60's
ReplyDeleteRoses are reddish, violets are blueish.
ReplyDeleteIf it wasn't for Jesus, we'd ALL be Jewish.
Gottacook...there's another batch of Lehrer songs around. However, you have to go through someone who specializes in automotive memorabilia. It seems Chrysler Corporation hired Tom to write and perform songs for a dealer sales film introducing the 1967 Dodge line. I'm see it offered by someone who sells car-related audio/video.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Lehrer wrote this at the request of Garrison Keillor. He also wrote for "The Electric Company," and a couple of those songs are on one of his collections.
ReplyDeleteTom Lehrer ranks with Russell Baker, in my opinion, as the two greatest commentators on our culture in the last half of the 20th century.
Hanukkah? not Chanukkah?
ReplyDeleteMy 10th grade English teacher Mrs. Ruderman(who also happened to be Jewish) used to play Tom Lehrer records for our class whenever things got slow and she didn't have any other lessons planned. My appreciation for Tom Lehrer and his satire grew out of those listening experiences.
ReplyDeleteKen: Happy Hannukah! -- And Mrs. Ruderman, wherever you are, I still love you!
tq
For years -- long before Tom Lehrer wrote his song -- Mickey Katz (Jennifer Grey's grandfather) toplined an annual revue by that name; I believe at Santa Monica Civic Auditorium.
ReplyDeletewv: "ishlyses" -- impenetrable novel by Irish author James Joystein.
That is so funny, I'm going to put it on my blog.
ReplyDeleteThanks Ken
the line "Spend Shavuous in East St Louis" may be the best lyric in music history
ReplyDeletethanks for sharing this, it made my day (actually 8 days)
This track *is*, in fact, on the Remains box set; disc 3, track 25; it's listed, with 2 others, as being part of the "Rob Fisher sessions, 1999" and previously unreleased.
ReplyDeleteIf you are a Lehrer fan, you shouldn't have any trouble finding remains at this late date, and if you don't already have it, well, then, maybe you're not really a Lehrer fan? :-)
wv, amusingly: Lachters
Lehrer's real name, before it was Americanized?
"Once the rockets go up who cares where they come down
ReplyDeleteThat's not my department
Says Werner von Braun"
The other great song by Tom Lehrer :-)
Yikes... back in 2003 I bought "The Remains of Tom Lehrer" box set on Amazon.de just because of that Werner von Braun song. Because of this post I took it off the shelf and, out of curiosity, looked it up again. It's out of print and tripled in value (used) and quintupled factory sealed.
ReplyDeleteI never listened to those three CDs that have been standing on the shelf for all these years.
I guess I'll be listening to some real vintage songs the next couple of hours :-)