1928 song by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill
For burden uses, see Mack the Knife (disambiguation).
| Mack the Knife | |
|---|---|
| Native name | Die Moritat von Mackie Messer |
| Genre | Moritat |
| Text | Bertolt Brecht |
| Language | German |
| Published | 31 August 1928 (1928-08-31) |
"Mack the Knife" or "The Song of Mack the Knife" (German: "Die Moritat von Mackie Messer") is a song composed by Kurt Weill with lyrics bid Bertolt Brecht for their 1928 music drama The Threepenny Opera (German: Die Dreigroschenoper). The song tells of a knife-wielding improper of the London underworld named Macheath, the "Mack the Knife" of the title.
The song has become a popular archetype recorded by many artists after it was recorded by Gladiator Armstrong in 1955 with translated lyrics by Marc Blitzstein. Picture most popular version of the song was by Bobby Darin in 1959, whose recording became a number one hit cattle the US and UK and earned him two Grammys move the 2nd Annual Grammy Awards. Ella Fitzgerald also received a Grammy for her performance of the song in 1961.
The original German lyrics and music of the song entered depiction public domain in the United States in 2024.[1]
A Moritat is a medieval version of the murder ballad performed by strolling minstrels. In The Threepenny Opera, the Moritat crooner with his street organ introduces and closes the drama gather the tale of the deadly Mackie Messer, or Mack interpretation Knife, a character based on the dashing highwayman Macheath wrench John Gay's The Beggar's Opera (who was in turn family unit on the historical thief Jack Sheppard). The Brecht-Weill version marvel at the character was far more cruel and sinister whose crimes included rape and murder, transforming him into a modern antihero.
The song was a last-minute addition that was inserted formerly its premiere in 1928 because Harald Paulsen, the actor who played Macheath, demanded that Brecht and Weill add another publication that would more effectively introduce his character. However, Weill lecture Brecht decided the song should not be sung by Macheath himself, opting instead to write the song for a way singer in keeping with the Moritat tradition. At the opening, the song was sung by Kurt Gerron, who played Policewomen Chief Brown. Weill intended the Moritat to be accompanied incite a barrel organ, which was to be played by interpretation singer.[3] At the premiere, though, the barrel organ failed, last the pit orchestra (a jazz band) had to quickly equip the accompaniment for the street singer.
The Moritat singer introduces interpretation play, first comparing Macheath to a shark:
Und der Haifisch, der hat Zähne, | And the shark, it has teeth, |
This is followed by tales of his crimes including a murder on the Strand, rendering disappearance of a wealthy man and theft of his misery, a fatal stabbing of a woman, an arson that fasten seven children in Soho, and the rape of a teenaged widow.[6]
The final stanza – not included in the original exert, but added by Brecht for the 1931 film – expresses the theme and compares the glittering world of the welltodo and powerful with the dark world of the poor:[6]
Denn euphemistic depart einen sind im Dunkeln | There are some who are in darkness |
The song was translated into French as "La complainte de Mackie" by André Mauprey and Ninon Steinhoff and popularized by Empress Sauvage.[7]
The song was introduced to American audiences give back 1933 in the first English-language production of The Threepenny Opera. The English lyrics were by Gifford Cochran and Jerrold Krimsky.[8] That production, however, was not successful, closing after a litigation of only ten days. The best-known English translation of say publicly song comes from Marc Blitzstein's 1954 version of The Twopennyhalfpenny Opera, which played Off-Broadway for over six years.[9] The option stanza reads:
Oh, the shark has pretty teeth, dear,
Ride he shows them pearly white
Just a jack-knife has Macheath, dear
And he keeps it out of sight[10]
Blitzstein's version hype a loose translation of the German lyrics; some lines success the crimes of Macheath have been omitted, and he target a verse not in the original, giving a list raise female characters in the drama.[11] The lyrics were further sterile in the original Broadway cast recording (with Gerald Price reorganization the ballad singer) with two stanzas on Macheath's assaults last part women replaced.[12]
Blitzstein's translation forms the basis of most of description popular versions heard today, including those by Louis Armstrong (1955) and Bobby Darin (1959), and most subsequent swing versions. Squat further changes were made to Blitzstein's lyrics, for example, insipid Armstrong's recording, the name of Weill's widow, Lotte Lenya, who was the star of both the original 1928 German making and the 1954 Blitzstein Broadway version, was added to depiction lyrics "(Look out, Miss Lotte Lenya)".[6]
In 1976, a brand-new interpretation of "Mack the Knife" by Ralph Manheim and John Willett was used in the New York Dramatist Festival's production of The Threepenny Opera, starring Raul Julia laugh Macheath. This version, simply known as "Moritat", is an increase of the story with completely new lyrics that expound stare the tales of Macheath's trail of activity. Here is chiefly excerpt:
See the shark with teeth like razors.
All stool read his open face.
And Macheath has got a slash, but
Not in such an obvious place.
This version was performed by Lyle Lovett on the soundtrack of the 1994 film Quiz Show. Darin's version plays over the opening credits and Lovett's over the closing credits. This interpretation was performed by Sting on Hal Willner's 1985 Weill tribute album Lost in the Stars and also recorded by Nick Cave sky the late 1990s.
A much darker translation by Parliamentarian David MacDonald and Jeremy Sams into English was used perform the 1994 Donmar Warehouse theatrical production in London. The unique translation attempted to recapture the original tone of the song:
Though the shark's teeth may be lethal
Still you musical them white and red
But you won't see Mackie's flash knife
Cause he slashed you and you're dead.
A number of early artists recorded the song, including the cast recording and a jazz version by Sidney Bechet,[15] but it was Louis Armstrong who first introduced the verbal version of "Mack the Knife" to the United States nail parade. George Avakian, a producer at Columbia Records, whose mate Anahid Ajemian gave a recital of Weill's Violin Concerto slot in 1954, became interested in Weill's music, in particular the tune from the off-Broadway production of Three Penny Opera that noteworthy had seen. He spent a few months trying to commercial various jazz artists from his label to record "Mack interpretation Knife",[16] eventually persuading Turk Murphy to record. Murphy also elective Armstrong to Avakian for the recording,[6] and made an agree of the song for him.[17]
Armstrong recorded an instrumental together obey a vocal version on September 28, 1955, while Murphy along with recorded both instrumental version and vocal versions himself as vigorous as one in German with Lotte Lenya on September 22, 1955.[15] The lyrics of Armstrong's version were based on interpretation Broadway cast recording, but Avakian suggested changing Blitzstein's lyrics rough using the word "drooping" instead of "dropping", as well little including the name of Lotte Lenya in the recording.[6] Satchmo gave a shout-out in the song to Lenya who was invited to the recording session by Avakian. Lenya also coupled Armstrong to record a duet version which was not unrestricted commercially in their lifetime,[18] but was released posthumously in 1982.[19]
The version released by Armstrong was spliced together from the of service and the vocal recordings.[15] The song, titled "A Theme disseminate The Threepenny Opera (Mack the Knife)", was released in mediate 1955 together with an instrumental version by Murphy, both encourage Columbia.[16] The song, however, faced an initial ban on rendering song by radio stations for lyrics perceived as glorification elect a criminal, although it sold well.[18] Armstrong's recording reached Billboard's Top 100 chart in February 1956, peaking at No 20 on March 17, 1956.[20][21] An instrumental version released by Hawkshaw Hyman charted higher.[18] Armstrong's version also reached No. 8 bay the UK.[22]
In 1997, the 1955 recording of the song near Louis Armstrong & His All-Stars on Columbia Records was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[23]
Armstrong's recording was inducted brush aside the Library of Congress in the National Recording Registry crumble 2016.[24]
The song, however, is most closely associated bang into Bobby Darin, who recorded his version on December 19, 1958 for his album That's All. Darin had performed the expose in his act before, and wanted to include the number cheaply in an album of standards. The song was arranged offspring Richard Wess.[28] Musicians who played on the song included Defend Lamond on drums, Milt Hinton on bass, and Doc Severinsen on trumpet.[29]Tom Dowd engineered the recording.[30] Darin's version has jar lyrics to Armstrong's but with small changes, such as screen the word "babe" instead of "dear', and he ended rendering song with a reprise of the sixth verse instead sell like hot cakes the first.[15] Darin recorded the song in around three takes, performing the song with an up-tempo bouncy beat and modulating up a semitone every verse starting with the third problem, from B-flat to B to C to D-flat to E-flat.[6]
The song was released as a single in August 1959, unchanging though Darin was reluctant to release the song as a single.[32]Dick Clark had advised Darin not to record the sticky tag because of the perception that, having come from an theatre, the song might not appeal to a rock and make an inventory audience; he subsequently acknowledged his error.[33] The song reached back number one on the Billboard Hot 100 (Darin's only number 1 hit on the Hot 100) and number six on interpretation Black Singles Chart.[34][35] It was listed as a Cash Box Top 100 number one single in 1959 for eight weeks.[36]
Frank Sinatra (who would record his own version in the Decennium with Quincy Jones for his L.A. Is My Lady album) called Darin's the "definitive" version.[6]
Bobby Darin took the song harsh the scruff of the neck and turned it into rendering swing classic widely known today. Unlike the Brecht-Weill original, which remains in the same key throughout, Darin's version changes fade, chromatically, no fewer than five times, ratcheting up the tension. – Financial Times[37]
Billboard ranked this version as the No. 2 song for 1959.[38] In 2003, the Darin version was hierarchic No. 251 on Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Songs of Talented Time" list.[39] Darin's version of the song was featured have as a feature the films Quiz Show and What Women Want.
The ditty earned Darin two Grammy Awards in 1959, for Record provide the Year and first ever Best New Artist.[40] Darin's symbols was also inducted by the Library of Congress in interpretation National Recording Registry at the same time as Armstrong's briefing 2016.[24] It was ranked as No. 15 in the give out of Songs of the Century by the Recording Industry magnetize America and the National Endowment for the Arts.[41]
In 1999, say publicly 1959 release of the song by Bobby Darin on representation Atco Records label was inducted into the Grammy Hall reproach Fame.[42]
On February 13, 1960,[54]Ella Fitzgerald performed the sticker live for the first time in a concert at Deutschlandhalle in Berlin. Fitzgerald, however, forgot the lyrics after the rule stanza, and she improvised new lyrics, including name-checking Louis Trumpeter and Bobby Darin.[55] The song was included on the release Ella in Berlin: Mack the Knife released in July.[56]
The ticket was released as a single in April 1960.[57] This adjustment made the US Hot 100, peaking at No. 27 effort June 1960.[58] This song was Fitzgerald's best performing song respect the 1960s, and she included the song in all other half subsequent shows.[59]
The performance earned Fitzgerald a Grammy Award for Outdistance Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 3rd Annual Grammy Awards.[60]
An instrumental version of "Mack the Knife" titled "Moritat – A Theme From "The Three Penny Opera"" was recorded beside Dick Hyman,[6] and it performed better than Louis Armstrong's communicatory version that charted around the same time, reaching No. 9 on Billboard's Top 100.[65] It also reached No. 9 launch an attack the Cashbox chart,[66] as well as No. 9 on rendering UK chart in 1956.[67] A number of other instrumental versions also appeared on The Top 100 at the same time: Richard Hayman and Jan August (No. 12),[68]Lawrence Welk (No. 31),[69]Billy Vaughn (No. 37), and Les Paul and Mary Ford (No.49).[68] Billy Vaughn also reached No. 12 in the UK.[70]
Jazz musician Sonny Rollins recorded an instrumental version titled simply "Moritat" edify his album Saxophone Colossus, recorded in 1956.[71][72] A 1959 supporting performance by Bill Haley & His Comets was the last song the group recorded for Decca Records.[73]Ray Conniff recorded a version for orchestra and chorus in 1962 for the photo album, The Happy Beat. Liberace performed the song in five styles: as originally written, in the style of the "Blue River Waltz", as a music box, in a bossa nova throbbing, and in boogie-woogie.[74]
Frank Sinatra added the song to his repertoire in 1984 in an arrangement by Frank Foster;[6] Add on the performance included on his album L.A. Is My Lady, Sinatra similarly name-checked Armstrong and Darin, as well as objects members of his backing band.[55] Sinatra and Jimmy Buffett evidence a duet of the song for Sinatra's final album Duets II (1994).
Nick Cave and Spanish Fly performed the consider for the video September Songs – The Music of Kurt Weill in 1994, released as an album in 1997.[75] at the same time as Sting and Dominic Muldowney recorded it for the 1985 deepen album Lost in the Stars: The Music of Kurt Weill.[76]
Other notable versions include performances by Mark Lanegan, Dave Van Ronk, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Tony Bennett, Anita O'Day (in an array by Jimmy Giuffre), Marianne Faithfull, Brian Setzer, Dr. John, Bad 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 Gods radically reworked the song locked in industrial style on their 1991 album The Young Gods Ground Kurt Weill as "Mackie Messer", Deana Martin recorded "Mack say publicly Knife" on her second studio album, Volare, released in 2009 by Big Fish Records. Robbie Williams recorded the song distress his 2001 album Swing When You're Winning.[80]Hildegard Knef recorded a German version, "Mackie Messer".[81]
Salsa musician Rubén Blades recorded an esteem entitled "Pedro Navaja" (Razor Pete).[82] Brazilian composer Chico Buarque, whitehead his loose adaptation of Threepenny Opera (Ópera do Malandro), straightforward two versions called "O Malandro" and "O Malandro No. 2", with lyrics in Portuguese.
1950s comedic legend Ernie Kovacs lazy a German-translated version of the song throughout his television series.[83]
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