Yet, in truth, satire—at least satire of great quality—lives just as long as any other kind of art. It keeps its objects alive by lampooning them and, wrapping itself around the subject, fossil-like,

It’s very flattering that people remember the songs and have kept them alive all these years,” Mr. Lehrer told The Boston Globe in 1984, “but it’s a little unreal."

What made Lehrer unique was his dual identity as both an entertainer and academic. Despite his success in music, he chose to return to teaching mathematics at Harvard University a