Tom Lehrer once said that satire died when Henry Kissinger won a Nobel Peace Prize.
Among his other utterances was this witty little tune he wrote in 1990 for one of Garrison Keillor’s radio shows. When he died earlier this year at age 97, my holiday song research led me to this sparkler.
Lehrer, whose day job was mathematician, did the bulk of his musical writing in the 1960s. His biggest claim to fame was crafting tunes for the U.S. version of the British weekly satire show, “That Was the Week That Was.” It was a little like a 30-minute version of SNL’s Weekend Update with music and the songs were always pertinent to the week’s events.
Satire is an acquired taste in this country. And the assassination of President Kennedy in November 1963 left Americans even less willing to rib politics and society – hence the end of TW3.
I decided to go with the Seattle Men’s Chorus version of the song, since the full choral treatment underlines the charm of the piece. I hope you enjoy it – and that you and your loved ones have a terrific Hanukkah.
This Hanukkah comes with the dark cloud of the horrific attack in Australia that killed 16 holiday celebrants. It’s the kind of senseless gun nonsense we see in this country – including just yesterday at Brown and 13 years ago today at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
I’ve always admired a holiday dedicated to preserving and amplifying light. It is that light I hope will help us overpower such horrors as antisemitism, gun violence and bigotry.
Here’s to a joyous Hanukkah celebration to all who celebrate. Best wishes to you and your family.
SUBJECTISM 