# "Mack the Knife" - what a weird song! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 27, 2006, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mack-the-knife-what-a-weird-song/354509 "2006-04-27T20:59:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mack-the-knife-what-a-weird-song/354509/41 "2006-04-28T08:56:07Z")
For just about the bluest instrumental you’ve ever heard, try George Shearing’s piano solo of “Mack the Knife” on his **Grand Piano** CD. The sample at Amazon is a minute long, but probably won’t sound familiar because it is only the introduction. It gives you an idea of the mood though. The contrast with Darrin’s up tempo song really underscores the versatility of the music. Love them both. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mack-the-knife-what-a-weird-song/354509/42 "2006-04-28T11:32:47Z")
> [@Terrifel](#): > > My favorite version of _Moritatensanger_ is Wolfgang Neuss’ warbly, pinch-voiced rendition that Ernie Kovacs so often used to comic effect on his show. I was going to post this, you are spot on. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mack-the-knife-what-a-weird-song/354509/43 "2006-04-28T12:04:57Z")
Before the _Mack the Knife_ version of the song became the definitive way it was presented, and I believe Louis Armstrong pioneered that, the instrumental _Moritat_ was among several Easy Listening tunes that were played regularly on the “pop” radio stations. Others of the same period, maybe half a year or better, were _Lisbon Antigua_ and _Poor People of Paris_ which had (obviously) a sort of international flair. These would be played at fairly regular intervals among the budding Rock and Roll and pre-rock things of the period. From memory (without doing a search for dates on these instrumentals) I’d place that period in the mid-50’s, a year or two before the Elvis explosion. Those pre-rock “doo wop” items would include “Sh Boom” and “Mister Sandman.” Now that I’ve committed to the dates of that period, I’ll go look a few of them up. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mack-the-knife-what-a-weird-song/354509/44 "2006-04-28T12:28:59Z")
> [@Huerta88](#): > > I swear I am not trying to be offensive, but this line: > > left me really wondering. I **know** I am missing something and your Father’s Sister was not also your Mom, but I guess I am missing the point. > > As to Bronx lineage – I have been out on Arthur Avenue (Dominick’s is okay, Mario’s may be more consistently reliable), and actually saw a couple of interviews with Dion DiMucci (interestingly, a re-convert to Catholicism–he rather surprisingly and eruditely cited the Epistle to Timothy in explaining his reversion to the Faith of his Italian Fathers). His account of his life on the streets of the Bronx was very neat, and the doo wop culture that gave rise to him, Darin, et al., is an interesting chapter in U.S. history. I’m sorry as I was typing that up last night and recovering from what my Dad had just told me, I guess I assumed that Bobby Darin’s discovering that his Older Sister was really his Mom was common knowledge. The neighborhood had apparently always thought of her as his sister and my Parents didn’t learn the truth until they read his Bio. I only included the Mom part to keep someone else from posting that his sister was really his Mom. I’ve been aware of that for a while. I don’t think Dion was from the same neighborhood and either way he was too young for my parents to have known. They are 4 years older than Bobby Darin. Thank you for explaining **choie** , I did a poor job of it. Jim ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mack-the-knife-what-a-weird-song/354509/45 "2006-04-28T12:29:08Z")
> [@Waterman](#): > > The original _Beggars Opera_ is set in London in 1837 at the dawn of the Victorian era and Weill and Brecht used it as take off of modern (1930’s) Germany (read anti-Nazi) Not unless it was science fiction: **The Beggar’s Opera** was first performed around 1728, a century before the Victorian Era. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mack-the-knife-what-a-weird-song/354509/46 "2006-04-28T12:48:38Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Before the _Mack the Knife_ version of the song became the definitive way it was presented, and I believe Louis Armstrong pioneered that, the instrumental _Moritat_ was among several Easy Listening tunes that were played regularly on the “pop” radio stations. Others of the same period, maybe half a year or better, were _Lisbon Antigua_ and _Poor People of Paris_ which had (obviously) a sort of international flair. These would be played at fairly regular intervals among the budding Rock and Roll and pre-rock things of the period. From memory (without doing a search for dates on these instrumentals) I’d place that period in the mid-50’s, a year or two before the Elvis explosion. Those pre-rock “doo wop” items would include “Sh Boom” and “Mister Sandman.” > > Now that I’ve committed to the dates of that period, I’ll go look a few of them up. Okay, anybody old enough to remember more than half of the songs in [CASH BOX TOP 50 BEST-SELLING SINGLES Week ending March 3, 1956](http://members.aol.com/randypny/cashbox/19560303.html) may be able to back me up on the other instrumentals of that same era. If I remember right, _Ebb Tide_ was several years earlier. But it appears that my memory is flawed as to how quickly Elvis moved in to reorganize “popular” music. _Heartbreak Hotel_ and _I Want You, I Need You, I Love You_ both hit the charts in 1956. Maybe I have a mental block about the suddenness of Elvis. ---
**Author:** ![Ichbin\_Dubist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/51bf81/32.png) [@Ichbin\_Dubist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ichbin_Dubist)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mack-the-knife-what-a-weird-song/354509/47 "2006-04-28T12:49:44Z")
Hal Willner, the guy who puts out tribute records that aren’t awful, arranged a tribute to Kurt Weill some 20 years ago, called _Lost in the Stars_. I really like that record’s version of “Mack” – the arrangement is much more Brechtian and the translation is better – and I don’t even mind that it’s sung by Sting. There’s also a fine version of “The Cannon Song” sung by the dude from Wall of Voodoo whose name is escaping me. I should get this on CD. There’s a few clunkers but some realy great stuff. So is “The Alabama Song (Whiskey Bar)” the only other Brecht/Weill tune to have crept into the rock repertoire? I know The Doors and David Bowie both did it. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mack-the-knife-what-a-weird-song/354509/48 "2006-04-28T12:54:34Z")
In that linked list of songs in my last post, notice that number 48 is _La Mer_ (aka _Beyond The Sea_) which was another big Darin hit later in his career (and the title of the Spacey movie about Bobby). It’s peculiar that those tunes were on the same Top 50 chart! ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mack-the-knife-what-a-weird-song/354509/49 "2006-04-28T12:55:42Z")
Did anybody notice the post number on the La Mer post? ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mack-the-knife-what-a-weird-song/354509/50 "2006-04-28T13:21:27Z")
> [@Zoe](#): > > For just about the bluest instrumental you’ve ever heard, try George Shearing’s piano solo of “Mack the Knife” on his **Grand Piano** CD. The sample at Amazon is a minute long, but probably won’t sound familiar because it is only the introduction. It gives you an idea of the mood though. > > The contrast with Darrin’s up tempo song really underscores the versatility of the music. Love them both. I am convinced I heard Peggy Lee sing ‘Mack the Knife’ with George Shearing on piano. I think it was a 4 track record release, and she sang ‘Fever’ and ‘I’m a Woman’ too. But I can’t find it! ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mack-the-knife-what-a-weird-song/354509/51 "2006-04-28T14:30:51Z")
> [@glee](#): > > I am convinced I heard Peggy Lee sing ‘Mack the Knife’ with George Shearing on piano. I think it was a 4 track record release, and she sang ‘Fever’ and ‘I’m a Woman’ too. > > But I can’t find it! I can’t swear that I have heard that version, but I do know that there was a period when Shearing was doing “duet” (actually it was his quintet) records with Dakota Staton, Nancy Wilson and other Capitol artists. Peggy was a Capitol artist so it makes good sense to me. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mack-the-knife-what-a-weird-song/354509/52 "2006-04-28T15:20:54Z")
Coincidentally, [Three Penny](http://www.3pennyonbroadway.com) just opened in a revival starring Alan Cummings. As for finding out your sister is really your mother, that also happened to actor Jack Nicholson and serial killer Ted Bundy. ---
**Author:** ![NailBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecae2f/32.png) [@NailBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NailBunny)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mack-the-knife-what-a-weird-song/354509/53 "2006-04-28T16:47:13Z")
> [@Big Bad Voodoo Lou](#): > > I. Must. Hear. This. Wow, now that’s timing! **Big Bad Voodoo Lou** , hence thee to the Nick Cave/O’Malley’s Bar thread, where not an hour ago I posted a link to Nick singing Mack the Knife on YouTube. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mack-the-knife-what-a-weird-song/354509/54 "2006-04-28T18:30:16Z")
> [@NailBunny](#): > > Wow, now that’s timing! **Big Bad Voodoo Lou** , hence thee to the Nick Cave/O’Malley’s Bar thread, where not an hour ago I posted a link to Nick singing Mack the Knife on YouTube. 😃 My hero (or possibly heroine)! ---
**Author:** ![NailBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecae2f/32.png) [@NailBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NailBunny)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mack-the-knife-what-a-weird-song/354509/55 "2006-04-28T18:47:44Z")
> [@Big Bad Voodoo Lou](#): > > My hero (or possibly heroine)! 😃 That’d be heroine. If you do a search on YouTube, there’s also a very fun video of Bobby Darin’s version as well. ---
**Author:** ![Ensign\_Edison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ab992/32.png) [@Ensign\_Edison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ensign_Edison)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mack-the-knife-what-a-weird-song/354509/56 "2006-04-28T20:36:21Z")
My favorite version of Moritat is Lyle Lovett’s. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mack-the-knife-what-a-weird-song/354509/57 "2006-04-28T20:58:58Z")
I can’t help but think of a funny Gary Larson cartoon: A fork, spoon, and knife in an apartment. The caption is something to the effect of: “The three friends made a pact that they would all become famous someday. Sadly, Ernie the Spoon and Bob the Fork’s careers went nowhere, and only Mack achieved stardom.” ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mack-the-knife-what-a-weird-song/354509/58 "2006-04-28T21:07:23Z")
> [@Ichbin Dubist](#): > > So is “The Alabama Song (Whiskey Bar)” the only other Brecht/Weill tune to have crept into the rock repertoire? I know The Doors and David Bowie both did it. As did David Johansen {former New York Doll} on the aforementioned **September Songs.** ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mack-the-knife-what-a-weird-song/354509/59 "2006-04-28T21:25:17Z")
For the benefit (and I use that term very loosely) of those who aren’t already aware of the fact, I just thought I’d add that Applebee’s has recently started airing a commercial which appropriates the _Mack the Knife_ melody. Incidentally, Darin’s original name was Walden Robert Cassotto, and the generally-accepted account is that he took his stage surname from a partially-burned-out restaurant sign. However, a quick [Google search](http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&safe=off&q=Bobby+Darin+Mandarin&btnG=Search) reveals precious little agreement on the actual name of the eatery (was it MANDARIN HOUSE, MANDARIN DUCK, or something else?) and other details of the story. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mack-the-knife-what-a-weird-song/354509/60 "2006-04-30T11:46:57Z")
> [@Ichbin Dubist](#): > > There’s also a fine version of “The Cannon Song” sung by the dude from Wall of Voodoo whose name is escaping me. Stan Ridgway (Him of _Camoflauge_ fame) Speaking of Brecht, BTW, **Dead Can Dance** do a great version of _How Fortunate The Man With None_, from _Mother Courage_ IIRC. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mack-the-knife-what-a-weird-song/354509.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mack-the-knife-what-a-weird-song/354509.md?page=4)