Deteriorata
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Deteriorata [1] is a famous parody of San Francisco radio and television personality Les Crane's spoken word recording of Desiderata . It was recorded by National Lampoon as part of their National Lampoon Radio Dinner album of 1972.
The parody earned a great deal of cultural significance and popularity as a frequent presentation on the Dr. Demento radio show. Les Crane himself admitted to preferring this version over his Grammy-winning recording of the original poem.
- Lyrics written by Tony Hendra.
- Recorded by Blue Thumb Records.
- Included on Dr. Demento's 30th Anniversary Greatest Hits.
Voiceover talent Norman Rose read the "poem" and then-little known Melissa Manchester was a background singer on the chorus section of the song.
The word "deteriorata" is a portmanteau of "Desiderata" and "deteriorate."
The chorus was as follows:
You are a fluke
Of the universe.
You have no right to be here.
And whether you can hear it or not
The universe is laughing behind your back.
