Tom Lehrer - The Elements - LIVE FILM From Copenhagen in 1967
Why Hacker News recommends it
HN commenters cite it as a favorite Lehrer song and invoke it as a joke whenever elements or science-themed wordplay come up.
What it is
A 1967 live film of Tom Lehrer performing his patter song "The Elements" in Copenhagen, reciting the chemical elements to a Gilbert and Sullivan tune. It is a short, polished example of his satirical piano-and-voice style.
Recommended by 2 HN commenters across 2 different months, 2015 to 2023.
What Hacker News said
Recommends Diederich · 2020-05 · on “Google deletes “communist bandits” from comments on Youtube”
For those who aren't aware and/or won't look this reference: [LINK] As the other comenter noted, Tom Lehrer is indeed a national treasure, and his satire is top shelf. From the light-hearted "The Elements": [this video] (watch for the surprise at the end) To the gallows comedy of "We Will All Go Together When We Go": [LINK] NB: I appreciate the irony linking to YouTube content in a 'WTF Google/YouTube' thread.
Recommends nayuki · 2022-12 · on “Tom Lehrer has released all of his songs into the public domain”
"The Elements" is the Tom Lehrer song that made the biggest impression on me. [LINK] , [this video] There's antimony, arsenic, aluminum, selenium, And hydrogen and oxygen and nitrogen and rhenium, ...
Cites nayuki · 2020-08 · on “Tom Lehrer's Mathematical Songs (1951)”
The first work of Tom Lehrer's that I heard is "The Elements", where he recites chemical element names. [LINK] ; [this video]