"Deteriorata" is a comedy record released as a single in 1972. It is a parody of Les Crane's 1971 spoken word recording of "Desiderata", the early 20th-century poem by Max Ehrmann. ("Desiderata" is Latin for "desired things"; "deteriorata" is a portmanteau of the verb "deteriorate" and "desiderata".)
The parody was written by Tony Hendra for National Lampoon, and was recorded for the album Radio Dinner . Narrator Norman Rose read the "poem" and Melissa Manchester sang the song. Christopher Guest wrote the music.
"Deteriorata" appeared on the lower reaches of the Billboard magazine charts for a few weeks in late 1972, peaking as high as No. 91 on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts. [1] The parody gained some significance and popularity as a frequent presentation on the Dr. Demento radio show. [2] [3]
Les Crane himself later admitted that he preferred the parody version over his Grammy-winning recording of the original poem. [4]
The song incorporates several catchphrases and news items of the era:
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"Desiderata"(Latin: "things desired") is a 1927 prose poem by the American writer Max Ehrmann. The text was widely distributed in poster form in the 1960s and 1970s.
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Les Crane was a radio announcer and television talk show host, a pioneer in interactive broadcasting who also scored a spoken word hit with his 1971 recording of the poem Desiderata, winning a "Best Spoken Word" Grammy. He was the first network television personality to compete with Johnny Carson after Carson became a fixture of late-night television.
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Radio Dinner is the debut album by the creators of the American satirical magazine National Lampoon. It was released on Blue Thumb Records in 1972 after RCA Records had declined to issue the record. The humor on the album is steeped in the pop culture and politics of the era. It includes "Deteriorata", a parody of Les Crane's hit rendition of the poem "Desiderata", and commentary on the 1972 presidential race. Among several pieces satirizing the former Beatles, "Magical Misery Tour" is a parody of John Lennon's primal therapy-inspired songwriting and his 1970 Rolling Stone interview, later published in book form as Lennon Remembers.
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Desiderata is a 1971 album by Les Crane with music by Broadway composer Fred Werner and concept and various lyrics by David C. Wilson. It is a spoken-word album with sung refrains and instrumental accompaniment. The title and title track come from the widely circulated poem "Desiderata", which was widely perceived as ancient wisdom and not known to be a 1927 poem by Indiana lawyer Max Ehrmann.