Lunatic Fringe " is a song by the Canadian rock band Red Rider from their 1981 album , '' As Far as Siam '' . Guitarist Tom Cochrane wrote the song after becoming concerned about a resurgence of anti-Semitism in the 1970s , and was also inspired after reading a book about Raoul Wallenberg , who rescued Jews from The Holocaust during World War II . Some sources have incorrectly cited the murder of John Lennon as the song 's primary inspiration ; Cochrane had already written the song before Lennon was killed , but recorded the song 's first demo the evening of the murder . He has stated that his feelings about the event , and how it echoed the theme of his song , galvanized him to release the song as a single despite advice from the record label that the song was n't commercial enough
The Holocaust
The Holocaust
Lunatic Fringe (song)