293:, who happened to be in the audience. According to a former Hungry I bouncer, Montalbán approached Lehrer in a fit of rage, yelling, "I love my religion! I will die for my religion!" to which Lehrer responded: "Hey, no problem, as long as you don't fight for your religion." In May 1967, a
196:" (1927). A spoken introduction describes the song as a response to the "Vatican II" council—which, among other things, broadened the range of music that could be used in services—and humorously proposes this rag as a more accessible alternative to traditional
127:
256:. Inspired by the ongoing Second Vatican Council, he composed "The Vatican Rag" during this period, but he decided not to submit it because he thought the show would " badly or out the satiric parts". He instead debuted the song at the
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301:" as examples of modern satire for her seventh-grade class; the outcry was such that the school board banned the songs and censured the teacher, and she quit three months later and left the area.
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242:, he slaughters it." Eruptions of shock and laughter can be heard in recordings as the audience reacts to both the song's blasphemous tone and its creative rhymes.
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in New York City, uses the song as the background music to church services. In 2000, "The
Vatican Rag" was the last song played by the jazz radio station
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Lehrer later played "The
Vatican Rag" in videotaped performances. In April 1967, he played the song on a benefit show for
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notes that the song is funny "not only because of the words but because it's a rag". According to Jesse David Fox of
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In the early 1960s Lehrer wrote satiric topical songs for the US version of the television show
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Some
Catholics criticized "The Vatican Rag" as blasphemous. After one show at the
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included the song on its 2016 list of "The 100 Jokes That Shaped Modern Comedy".
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Faith in the Family: A Lived
Religious History of English Catholicism 1945–82
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in San
Francisco in a series of shows that were recorded for his last album,
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Conversely, fans of Lehrer consider the song one of his best compositions.
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188:"The Vatican Rag" takes musical inspiration from ragtime pieces such as "
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Christianity-related mass media and entertainment controversies
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The lyrics mockingly list a number of
Catholic rituals such as
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Seriously Funny: The Rebel
Comedians of the 1950s and 1960s
828:"Pop Notes: 'Vatican Rag,' many more lively Lehrer oldies"
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Rome and the
Mysterious Orient: Three Plays by Plautus
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at tomlehrersongs.com, Tom Lehrer's official Web site
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857:"KCET Unworthy of Public Support, Mahony Declares"
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777:"2 Songs Played In Class Bring Teacher Reprimand"
506:"Tom Lehrer: '60s Satirist Still Strikes A Chord"
297:, schoolteacher used Lehrer's "Vatican Rag" and "
322:before it converted to a Catholic talk format.
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543:"Nuclear Tests Make Tom Lehrer Relevant Again"
354:. University of California Press. p. 50.
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172:. The song purports to be a response to the
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380:"The Anno Domini Rag – The Story of a Song"
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895:. January 30, 2021. Event occurs at 10:20
811:. August 18, 1967. p. 17 – via
20:
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573:"Nasty Tom Keeps Coming Back Like a Song"
470:"Chapter 1: Introduction – A Vatican rag"
411:"The 100 Jokes That Shaped Modern Comedy"
176:, a meeting that proposed reforms to the
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926:– live performance from Copenhagen via
854:Bernstein, Sharon (September 6, 1991).
803:"Teacher Out After Row On Record Plays"
787:. May 26, 1967. p. 20 – via
438:"Papal Get Ready: Songs About the Pope"
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335:
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627:"Tom Lehrer – Live In Copenhagen 1967"
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345:(December 12, 2005). "Introduction".
238:, "Lehrer doesn't just poke fun at a
211:And genuflect, genuflect, genuflect!
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1104:Songs & More Songs by Tom Lehrer
536:
534:
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463:
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713:Nachman, Gerald (August 26, 2009).
826:Schnedler, Jack (April 11, 2010).
750:"Whatever Happened to Tom Lehrer?"
602:"Tom Lehrer Song Barred at School"
468:Harris, Alana (November 1, 2015).
314:(1991), a short documentary about
14:
1063:An Evening Wasted with Tom Lehrer
409:Fox, Jesse David (January 2016).
119:
72:, San Francisco, California, U.S.
1189:Religious controversies in music
1174:Criticism of the Catholic Church
748:Reynolds, Alan (April 1, 2013).
721:Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
683:"Stop clapping, this is serious"
654:Masters, Kim (August 14, 1991).
599:Folsom, Merrill (May 12, 1967).
541:Hinckley, David (June 8, 1998).
277:TV special recorded in Denmark.
209:Bow your head with great respect
205:First you get down on your knees
885:"Rosemary and Mark Schlachter"
1:
889:Showcase with Barbara Kellar
246:Composition and performances
1204:Songs written by Tom Lehrer
478:Manchester University Press
1220:
1199:Songs critical of religion
1083:That Was the Year That Was
263:That Was the Year That Was
253:That Was the Week That Was
43:That Was the Year That Was
1114:The Remains of Tom Lehrer
833:Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
688:The Sydney Morning Herald
611:. p. 49 – via
581:. p. 3A – via
571:Cohn, Al (May 16, 1967).
316:an HIV/AIDS demonstration
299:National Brotherhood Week
207:Fiddle with your rosaries
151:
120:
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986:Fight Fiercely, Harvard
295:Putnam County, New York
16:1965 song by Tom Lehrer
785:New Rochelle, New York
755:The American Spectator
656:"Here is 'The Church'"
214:
174:Second Vatican Council
131:
808:The Reporter Dispatch
168:by American satirist
130:
1007:The Old Dope Peddler
557:on October 12, 2023.
281:Reception and legacy
1142:Letters from Lehrer
1032:Songs by Tom Lehrer
661:The Washington Post
446:. February 27, 2013
200:. The song begins:
1042:More of Tom Lehrer
608:The New York Times
504:(April 30, 2010).
384:terenceblacker.com
275:Live in Copenhagen
132:
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924:"The Vatican Rag"
918:"The Vatican Rag"
863:Los Angeles Times
781:The Standard-Star
631:New Hampshire PBS
291:Ricardo Montalbán
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24:"The Vatican Rag"
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1096:Compilations
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979:The Elements
897:. Retrieved
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867:. Retrieved
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735:Google Books
733:– via
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693:. Retrieved
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613:TimesMachine
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554:the original
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420:. Retrieved
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387:. Retrieved
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343:Richlin, Amy
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1055:Live albums
993:Lobachevsky
899:November 3,
869:November 3,
839:November 3,
761:November 3,
695:November 3,
667:November 3,
636:November 3,
521:November 3,
450:November 3,
422:November 3,
389:November 3,
230:Amy Richlin
166:parody song
1164:1965 songs
1158:Categories
1135:Tomfoolery
964:Tom Lehrer
326:References
240:sacred cow
218:confession
170:Tom Lehrer
107:Tom Lehrer
34:Tom Lehrer
1073:Revisited
511:Fresh Air
222:Eucharist
1000:New Math
287:Hungry I
266:(1965).
258:Hungry I
226:Rosaries
70:Hungry I
58:Recorded
50:Released
1127:Theater
928:YouTube
578:Newsday
416:Vulture
306:Vulture
235:Vulture
163:ragtime
161:" is a
86:Ragtime
1118:(2000)
1108:(1997)
1087:(1965)
1077:(1960)
1067:(1959)
1046:(1959)
1036:(1953)
1024:Albums
727:
484:
358:
224:, and
220:, the
91:parody
971:Songs
352:(PDF)
116:Audio
78:Genre
66:Venue
1184:Rags
901:2023
871:2023
841:2023
763:2023
725:ISBN
697:2023
669:2023
638:2023
523:2023
482:ISBN
452:2023
424:2023
391:2023
356:ISBN
320:WNOP
271:WNET
143:help
138:file
61:1965
53:1965
30:Song
893:PBS
516:NPR
32:by
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