I first encountered Tom Lehrer while looking up information about “Fallout: New Vegas,” a post-apocalyptic video game. The game has a quest that is called “We Will All Go Together,” which refers to one of Lehrer’s songs.
After to listening to that particular song and a few others, I quickly became enamored with Lehrer’s signature juxtaposition of a jubilant melody that is humorously accompanied by morbid lyrics. Here are some of his best songs, in my humble opinion. You can also watch his entire 1967 performance in Copenhagen here.
1. We Will All Go Together When We Go”
Along with being the first of Tom Lehrer’s songs that I ever listened to, this will be the first song I sing when you-know-who escalates a Twitter war into World War III.
2. “The Masochism Tango”
Do you enjoy being in pain? Regardless of your answer, this isn’t the kind of tango you’ll see on “Dancing with the Stars.”
3. “National Brotherhood Week”
This song is about an American tradition from the mid-20th century. Tom Lehrer does a great job of explaining why it isn’t celebrated anymore.
4. “The Vatican Rag”
You don’t need to be Catholic or understand the intricacies of Vatican II to enjoy this song. Thankfully, there’s only a little Latin in it.
5. “Pollution”
This song would be even funnier if it wasn’t so terrifyingly relevant to the issue of climate change. But it’s still pretty damn funny.
