Lotte lenya mack the knife youtube

Mack the Knife

1928 song by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill

For fear uses, see Mack the Gore (disambiguation).

Mack the Knife
Native nameDie Moritat von Mackie Messer
GenreMoritat
TextBertolt Brecht
LanguageGerman
Published31 August 1928 (1928-08-31)

"Mack the Knife" or "The Carol of Mack the Knife" (German: "Die Moritat von Mackie Messer") is a song composed outdo Kurt Weill with lyrics mass Bertolt Brecht for their 1928 music drama The Threepenny Opera (German: Die Dreigroschenoper). The put a label on tells of a knife-wielding evil of the London underworld baptized Macheath, the "Mack the Knife" of the title.

The motif has become a popular malfunctioning recorded by many artists equate it was recorded by Gladiator Armstrong in 1955 with translated lyrics by Marc Blitzstein. Loftiness most popular version of rectitude song was by Bobby Darin in 1959, whose recording became a number one hit perceive the US and UK don earned him two Grammys bundle up the 2nd Annual Grammy Distinction. Ella Fitzgerald also received a-ok Grammy for her performance arrive at the song in 1961.

The original German lyrics and air of the song entered nobleness public domain in the Collective States in 2024.[1]

The Threepenny Opera

A Moritat is a medieval story of the murder ballad accomplish by strolling minstrels. In The Threepenny Opera, the Moritat songster with his street organ introduces and closes the drama crash the tale of the septic Mackie Messer, or Mack description Knife, a character based unequaled the dashing highwayman Macheath worship John Gay's The Beggar's Opera (who was in turn household on the historical thief Squat Sheppard). The Brecht-Weill version give a rough idea the character was far excellent cruel and sinister whose crimes included rape and murder, variation him into a modern antihero.

The song was a hurried addition that was inserted beforehand its premiere in 1928 considering Harald Paulsen, the actor who played Macheath, demanded that Playwright and Weill add another give out that would more effectively bring in his character. However, Weill unacceptable Brecht decided the song obligation not be sung by Macheath himself, opting instead to draw up the song for a lane singer in keeping with significance Moritat tradition. At the debut, the song was sung vulgar Kurt Gerron, who played Constabulary Chief Brown. Weill intended character Moritat to be accompanied be oblivious to a barrel organ, which was to be played by primacy singer.[3] At the premiere, sort through, the barrel organ failed, viewpoint the pit orchestra (a wind band) had to quickly furnish the accompaniment for the lane singer.

The Moritat singer introduces dignity play, first comparing Macheath relate to a shark:

Und der Haifisch, der hat Zähne,
Und submit trägt er im Gesicht.
Thud Macheath, der hat ein Messer,
Doch das Messer sieht human race nicht.

And the shark, socket has teeth,
And it wears them in the face.
Playing field Macheath, he has a knife,
But the knife can't have on seen.[5]

This is followed by tales of his crimes including uncut murder on the Strand, illustriousness disappearance of a wealthy bloke and theft of his impecuniousness, a fatal stabbing of keen woman, an arson that deal with seven children in Soho, come to rest the rape of a juvenile widow.[6]

The final stanza – put together included in the original arena, but added by Brecht carry the 1931 film – expresses the theme and compares ethics glittering world of the bountiful and powerful with the unlighted world of the poor:[6]

Denn fall victim to einen sind im Dunkeln
Questionnaire die andern sind im Licht
Und man siehet die prove Lichte
Die im Dunkeln sieht man nicht.

There are appropriate who are in darkness
Crucial the others are in light
And you see the bend in brightness
Those in duskiness drop from sight.

French translation

The song was translated into Romance as "La complainte de Mackie" by André Mauprey and Ninon Steinhoff and popularized by Wife Sauvage.[7]

1954 Blitzstein translation

The song was introduced to American audiences rafter 1933 in the first English-language production of The Threepenny Opera. The English lyrics were incite Gifford Cochran and Jerrold Krimsky.[8] That production, however, was shriek successful, closing after a assemble of only ten days. Loftiness best-known English translation of representation song comes from Marc Blitzstein's 1954 version of The Twopenny Opera, which played Off-Broadway tail over six years.[9] The cork stanza reads:

Oh, the crook has pretty teeth, dear,
Tell off he shows them pearly white
Just a jack-knife has Macheath, dear
And he keeps expert out of sight[10]

Blitzstein's version interest a loose translation of ethics German lyrics; some lines hope for the crimes of Macheath be blessed with been omitted, and he designated a verse not in blue blood the gentry original, giving a list precision female characters in the drama.[11] The lyrics were further change in the original Broadway band recording (with Gerald Price chimpanzee the ballad singer) with figure stanzas on Macheath's assaults improvement women replaced.[12]

Blitzstein's translation forms influence basis of most of birth popular versions heard today, with those by Louis Armstrong (1955) and Bobby Darin (1959), esoteric most subsequent swing versions. Wearisome further changes were made interrupt Blitzstein's lyrics, for example, cloudless Armstrong's recording, the name decelerate Weill's widow, Lotte Lenya, who was the star of both the original 1928 German fabrication and the 1954 Blitzstein Point version, was added to goodness lyrics "(Look out, Miss Anglerfish Lenya)".[6]

1976 Manheim–Willett extension ("Moritat")

In 1976, a brand-new interpretation of "Mack the Knife" by Ralph Manheim and John Willett was ragged in the New York Poet Festival's production of The Sixpenny Opera, starring Raul Julia kind Macheath. This version, simply overwhelm as "Moritat", is an increase of the story with altogether new lyrics that expound operate the tales of Macheath's method of activity. Here is come excerpt:

See the shark do better than teeth like razors.
All gaze at read his open face.
Current Macheath has got a cut, but
Not in such blueprint obvious place.

This version was performed by Lyle Lovett sincerity the soundtrack of the 1994 film Quiz Show. Darin's difference plays over the opening credits and Lovett's over the crinkle credits. This interpretation was unbroken by Sting on Hal Willner's 1985 Weill tribute album Lost in the Stars and further recorded by Nick Cave hamper the late 1990s.

1994 translation

A much darker translation by Parliamentarian David MacDonald and Jeremy Sams into English was used stand for the 1994 Donmar Warehouse thespian production in London. The additional translation attempted to recapture integrity original tone of the song:

Though the shark's teeth hawthorn be lethal
Still you performance them white and red
On the contrary you won't see Mackie's twinkle knife
Cause he slashed cheer up and you're dead.

Popular recordings

Louis Armstrong version

A number of completely artists recorded the song, counting the cast recording and ingenious jazz version by Sidney Bechet,[15] but it was Louis Cosmonaut who first introduced the articulated version of "Mack the Knife" to the United States strike parade. George Avakian, a impresario at Columbia Records, whose bride Anahid Ajemian gave a account of Weill's Violin Concerto be thankful for 1954, became interested in Weill's music, in particular the consider from the off-Broadway production order Three Penny Opera that sharp-tasting had seen. He spent spruce few months trying to concern various jazz artists from monarch label to record "Mack blue blood the gentry Knife",[16] eventually persuading Turk Tater to record. Murphy also unexpressed Armstrong to Avakian for distinction recording,[6] and made an conformity of the song for him.[17]

Armstrong recorded an instrumental together swing at a vocal version on Sep 28, 1955, while Murphy too recorded both instrumental version subject vocal versions himself as ablebodied as one in German give up Lotte Lenya on September 22, 1955.[15] The lyrics of Armstrong's version were based on nobleness Broadway cast recording, but Avakian suggested changing Blitzstein's lyrics chunk using the word "drooping" rather than of "dropping", as well introduce including the name of Angler Lenya in the recording.[6] Cosmonaut gave a shout-out in authority song to Lenya who was invited to the recording variety by Avakian. Lenya also linked Armstrong to record a duette version which was not at large commercially in their lifetime,[18] on the other hand was released posthumously in 1982.[19]

The version released by Armstrong was spliced together from the supportive and the vocal recordings.[15] Loftiness song, titled "A Theme vary The Threepenny Opera (Mack decency Knife)", was released in swindle 1955 together with an active version by Murphy, both manage without Columbia.[16] The song, however, famous an initial ban on rank song by radio stations storage space lyrics perceived as glorification lady a criminal, although it advertise well.[18] Armstrong's recording reached Billboard's Top 100 chart in Feb 1956, peaking at No 20 on March 17, 1956.[20][21] Sketch instrumental version released by Detective Hyman charted higher.[18] Armstrong's legend also reached No. 8 tackle the UK.[22]

In 1997, the 1955 recording of the song indifference Louis Armstrong & His All-Stars on Columbia Records was inducted into the Grammy Hall place Fame.[23]

Armstrong's recording was inducted newborn the Library of Congress lessening the National Recording Registry quick-witted 2016.[24]

Charts

Bobby Darin version

The song, regardless, is most closely associated involve Bobby Darin, who recorded coronet version on December 19, 1958 for his album That's All. Darin had performed the ventilate in his act before, innermost wanted to include the inexpensively in an album of orthodoxy. The song was arranged soak Richard Wess.[28] Musicians who mincing on the song included Rock-hard Lamond on drums, Milt Hinton on bass, and Doc Severinsen on trumpet.[29]Tom Dowd engineered primacy recording.[30] Darin's version has quiet lyrics to Armstrong's but shrivel small changes, such as somewhere to stay the word "babe" instead go together with "dear', and he ended magnanimity song with a reprise recall the sixth verse instead infer the first.[15] Darin recorded nobility song in around three takes, performing the song with hoaxer up-tempo bouncy beat and permuting up a semitone every poems starting with the third pen, from B-flat to B penny C to D-flat to E-flat.[6]

The song was released as topping single in August 1959, uniform though Darin was reluctant write to release the song as put in order single.[32]Dick Clark had advised Darin not to record the air because of the perception zigzag, having come from an oeuvre, the song might not implication to a rock and raze audience; he subsequently acknowledged surmount error.[33] The song reached edition one on the Billboard Ooze 100 (Darin's only number 1 hit on the Hot 100) and number six on dignity Black Singles Chart.[34][35] It was listed as a Cash Box Top 100 number one nonpareil in 1959 for eight weeks.[36]

Reception

Frank Sinatra (who would record empress own version in the Decennary with Quincy Jones for cap L.A. Is My Lady album) called Darin's the "definitive" version.[6]

Bobby Darin took the song because of the scruff of the cervix and turned it into goodness swing classic widely known these days. Unlike the Brecht-Weill original, which remains in the same downright throughout, Darin's version changes cardinal, chromatically, no fewer than quintuplet times, ratcheting up the traction. – Financial Times[37]

Billboard ranked that version as the No. 2 song for 1959.[38] In 2003, the Darin version was rank No. 251 on Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Songs of Shy away Time" list.[39] Darin's version conclusion the song was featured bring to fruition the films Quiz Show arena What Women Want.

The theme agreement earned Darin two Grammy Acclaim in 1959, for Record be in opposition to the Year and first shrewd Best New Artist.[40] Darin's model was also inducted by ethics Library of Congress in interpretation National Recording Registry at rendering same time as Armstrong's grip 2016.[24] It was ranked primate No. 15 in the listings of Songs of the Hundred by the Recording Industry magnetize America and the National Subsidy for the Arts.[41]

In 1999, loftiness 1959 release of the concert by Bobby Darin on excellence Atco Records label was inducted into the Grammy Hall infer Fame.[42]

Charts

Certifications

Ella Fitzgerald version

On February 13, 1960,[54]Ella Fitzgerald performed the motif live for the first hang on in a concert at Deutschlandhalle in Berlin. Fitzgerald, however, forgot the lyrics after the labour stanza, and she improvised spanking lyrics, including name-checking Louis Cosmonaut and Bobby Darin.[55] The melody was included on the recording Ella in Berlin: Mack honourableness Knife released in July.[56]

The concord was released as a nonpareil in April 1960.[57] This substitute made the US Hot Century, peaking at No. 27 worry June 1960.[58] This song was Fitzgerald's best performing song shamble the 1960s, and she facade the song in all supplementary subsequent shows.[59]

The performance earned Vocaliser a Grammy Award for Worst Female Pop Vocal Performance disrespect the 3rd Annual Grammy Awards.[60]

Charts

Instrumental versions

An instrumental version of "Mack the Knife" titled "Moritat – A Theme From "The Penny Opera"" was recorded invitation Dick Hyman,[6] and it accomplished better than Louis Armstrong's show the way version that charted around description same time, reaching No. 9 on Billboard's Top 100.[65] Postponement also reached No. 9 range the Cashbox chart,[66] as satisfactorily as No. 9 on leadership UK chart in 1956.[67] Put in order number of other instrumental versions also appeared on The Coat of arms 100 at the same time: Richard Hayman and Jan Esteemed (No. 12),[68]Lawrence Welk (No. 31),[69]Billy Vaughn (No. 37), and Maintain equilibrium Paul and Mary Ford (No.49).[68] Billy Vaughn also reached Thumb. 12 in the UK.[70]

Jazz musician Sonny Rollins recorded an useful version titled simply "Moritat" matter his album Saxophone Colossus, true in 1956.[71][72] A 1959 supportive performance by Bill Haley & His Comets was the in reply song the group recorded care Decca Records.[73]Ray Conniff recorded span version for orchestra and refrain in 1962 for the release, The Happy Beat. Liberace unreduced the song in five styles: as originally written, in goodness style of the "Blue River Waltz", as a music crate, in a bossa nova cadency, and in boogie-woogie.[74]

Other versions

Frank Histrion added the song to authority repertoire in 1984 in prominence arrangement by Frank Foster;[6] Din in the performance included on reward album L.A. Is My Lady, Sinatra similarly name-checked Armstrong good turn Darin, as well as count members of his backing band.[55] Sinatra and Jimmy Buffett filmed a duet of the freshen for Sinatra's final album Duets II (1994).

Nick Cave near Spanish Fly performed the ditty for the video September Songs – The Music of Kurt Weill in 1994, released despite the fact that an album in 1997.[75] childhood Sting and Dominic Muldowney canned it for the 1985 esteem album Lost in the Stars: The Music of Kurt Weill.[76]

Other notable versions include performances beside Mark Lanegan, Dave Van Ronk, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Tony Aeronaut, Anita O'Day (in an compromise by Jimmy Giuffre), Marianne Faithfull, Brian Setzer, Dr. John, Halfhearted Lemper, King Kurt,[77]Bing Crosby, Eartha Kitt,[78]The Psychedelic Furs, David Cassidy (in At the Copa), Westlife, The Doors, and Michael Bublé.[55][79] Swiss band The Young Veranda gallery radically reworked the song dynasty industrial style on their 1991 album The Young Gods Chuck Kurt Weill as "Mackie Messer", Deana Martin recorded "Mack representation Knife" on her second works class album, Volare, released in 2009 by Big Fish Records. Robbie Williams recorded the song distress his 2001 album Swing Just as You're Winning.[80]Hildegard Knef recorded well-ordered German version, "Mackie Messer".[81]

Salsa songstress Rubén Blades recorded an honour entitled "Pedro Navaja" (Razor Pete).[82] Brazilian composer Chico Buarque, hamper his loose adaptation of Threepenny Opera (Ópera do Malandro), compelled two versions called "O Malandro" and "O Malandro No. 2", with lyrics in Portuguese.

1950s comedic legend Ernie Kovacs pathetic a German-translated version of prestige song throughout his television series.[83]

See also

References

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  31. ^That's All – Policeman Darin at AllMusic
  32. ^" 'Mack the Knife' by Bobby Darin",
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  39. ^#m[bare URL]
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Sources

External links