Comments on: Is it possible that Bob Dylan has never heard of Tom Lehrer?

By: Timothy J McGrath

Timothy J McGrath — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 07:43:27 +0000

Listen to Dylan on piano near the end of ‘Blind Willie McTell,’ where he came up with chords so good they make you glad to be alive. And then listen to the harmonica solo at end of ‘Desolation Row,’ a poetic masterpiece, like many, maybe most, of his songs. But back to that harmonica. Dylan, in contrast to Lehrer, was a multi-instrumentalist. And as a lyricist, Dylan was more versatile and had more depth than Lehrer. Satire is pretty thin gruel; it only goes so far. Many of Lehrer’s songs were clever, but ‘The Elements’ wasn’t one of them. As Dylan pointed out, anyone could rhyme ‘gallium’ with ‘thallium.’ More than his ditties, I admire Lehrer’s gift for mathematics. Dylan, however, wrote dozens of the world’s greatest love songs.

By: Zachriel

Zachriel — Mon, 07 Nov 2022 17:21:21 +0000

Consider influence. Anyone who studies the history of rock music or the development of guitar in music will look towards Jimi Hendrix as a seminal figure of the twentieth century. And among Hendrix's many great works, historians will point to this as one of his greatest: The Jimi Hendrix Experience - All Along The Watchtower

By: AesopFan

AesopFan — Mon, 07 Nov 2022 08:29:09 +0000

@ Ray and others who are pinin’ for the vinyl sounds —

https://tomlehrersongs.com/

You have until the end of December 2024 to download everything.

By: Ray

Ray — Sun, 06 Nov 2022 18:01:23 +0000

I think I have all of Tom Leher’s records. Fat lot of good it does me now, I don’t even have a record player anymore.

By: huxley

huxley — Sun, 06 Nov 2022 13:48:33 +0000

I suspect Bob Dylan knows who Tom Lehrer is, but maybe Dylan thinks of Lehrer as more as a deliberate novelty song creater rather than a “serious” song writer?

I believe Nonapod has hit the nail on the head here.

Keep in mind that during Lehrer’s brief heyday, Dylan’s career took off like a moon rocket. Dylan was treated as a cosmic, world-changing prophet. His life must was a kaleidoscopic blur of songwriting, performances, parties, and interviews. He might have barely noticed Lehrer and forgotten him.

Also, while I certainly know Lehrer, I could have written that line, if I were trying to express the idea Dylan was getting at, and it would have been because I vaguely remembered the Lehrer song. One might take it as proof that Dylan did know Lehrer’s song, but his memory had faded sufficiently that he mistook the periodic table song as his idea.

The less pleasant possibility is that Dylan was being snarky (O yes, Dylan could be snarky) about Lehrer without naming names.

By: Zachriel

Zachriel — Sat, 05 Nov 2022 19:43:33 +0000

Neo: I also think he’s a pretty good lyricist, but not all that special

Wow.

Well, to each their own. But, there are some objective measures of artistic merit.

Popularity is one objective measure. While Dylan hasn’t been the most popular figure in the history of songwriting, he has remained popular for nearly 60 years. But popularity can wane.

Another objective measure is various awards. Dylan has won ten Grammys, a Golden Globe, and an Academy Award. He’s in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He has a Pulitzer. He even won the Nobel Prize for Literature, the first for a songwriter. But still, awards come and go.

However, the best objective measure of artistic merit is the influence an artist has on other artists. Influence lasts beyond the artist into future generations, with ripples continuing long after the artist is gone. By this measure, Dylan is a paramount figure in songwriting. His songs have been covered by an immense variety of artists: the Byrds, Jimi Hendrix, George Harrison, Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Johnny and June Carter Cash, Guns N’ Roses, Waylon Jennings, Sheryl Crow, Emmylou Harris, Bruce Springsteen, Bonnie Raitt, Tom Jones, even Adele. His influence pervades folk, country, rock, even hip-hop musical genres. Having changed music, his influence will be felt even if most people forget his name.

• A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall
• Lay Lady Lay
• Like a Rolling Stone
• Mr. Tambourine Man
• Subterranean Homesick Blues
• It Ain’t Me Babe
• Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright
• Hurricane
• All Along the Watchtower
• Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door

By: Oligonicella

Oligonicella — Sat, 05 Nov 2022 13:17:23 +0000

Dylan wrote a few nice songs but never learned how not to sing through his nose.

By: PA+Cat

PA+Cat — Sat, 05 Nov 2022 03:27:11 +0000

You can no longer use Lehrer’s original version of “The Elements” as a way of memorizing all the elements, because a bunch more have been discovered since.

Updated version here by AsapSCIENCE, sung to Offenbach’s “Can Can” melody from Orpheus in the Underworld:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rz4Dd1I_fX0&ab_channel=AsapSCIENCE

By: Oldav8r

Oldav8r — Sat, 05 Nov 2022 01:38:46 +0000

As someone previously noted, I think Dylan wrote some good stuff, but I feel he would have been unremarkable had it not been for Baez, Collins and PP&M.

I’ve always liked Lehrer for the same reason that I like Gilbert & Sullivan.

By: bofb

bofb — Sat, 05 Nov 2022 01:23:56 +0000

Eric Bogle’s tribute to Bob Dylan:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-Pph9BeMnE

Not in the same class with Tom Lehrer, but there is a song about the chemical elements at 24:44 on this album by the artist formerly known as Dr. Jane (now James) Robinson:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27Dz6v54Fco&t=1772s