Mack the Knife
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- For other uses, see Mack the Knife (disambiguation).
"Mack the Knife", originally "Die Moritat von Mackie Messer", is a song composed by Kurt Weill with lyrics by Bertolt Brecht for their music drama Dreigroschenoper, or, as it is known in English, The Threepenny Opera. It premiered in Berlin in 1928. The song has become a pop standard.
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[edit] The Threepenny Opera
A moritat is a medieval version of the murder ballad performed by strolling minstrels, from mori meaning "deadly" and tat meaning "deed". In The Threepenny Opera, the moritat singer with his street organ introduces and closes the drama with the tale of the deadly Mackie Messer, or Mack the Knife, a character based on the dashing highwayman Macheath in John Gay's The Beggar's Opera. The Brecht-Weill version was less dashing and much more cruel and sinister and has been transformed into a modern anti-hero.
The opera opens with the moritat singer comparing Macheath (unfavorably) with a shark, and then telling tales of his robberies, murders, rapes, and arson:
The song in German:
- Und der Haifisch, der hat Zähne
- Und die trägt er im Gesicht
- Und MacHeath, der hat ein Messer
- Doch das Messer sieht man nicht
- An 'nem schönen blauen Sonntag
- Liegt ein toter Mann am Strand
- Und ein Mensch geht um die Ecke,
- Den man Mackie Messer nennt
- Und Schmul Meier bleibt verschwunden
- Und so mancher reiche Mann
- Und sein Geld hat Mackie Messer
- Dem man nichts beweisen kann
- Jenny Towler ward gefunden
- Mit 'nem Messer in der Brust
- Und am Kai geht Mackie Messer,
- Der von allem nichts gewußt
- Und die minderjährige Witwe
- Deren Namen jeder weiß
- Wachte auf und war geschändet
- Mackie welches war dein Preis?
- Refrain
- Und die einen sind im Dunkeln
- Und die anderen sind im Licht
- Doch man sieht nur die im Lichte
- Die im Dunklen sieht man nicht
- Doch man sieht nur die im Lichte
- Die im Dunklen sieht man nicht
Literal translation:
- And the shark, he has teeth
- And he wears them in his face
- And MacHeath, he has a knife
- But the knife you don't see
- On a beautiful blue Sunday
- Lies a dead man on the Strand
- And a man goes around the corner
- Whom they call Mack the Knife
- And Schmul Meier is missing
- And many a rich man
- And his money has Mack the Knife,
- On whom they can't pin anything.
- Jenny Towler was found
- With a knife in her chest
- And on the wharf walks Mack the Knife,
- Who knows nothing about all this.
- And the minor-aged widow,
- Whose name everyone knows,
- Woke up and was violated
- Mack, what was your price?
- And some are in the darkness
- And the others in the light
- But you only see those in the light
- Those in the darkness you don't see
- But you only see those in the light
- Those in the darkness you don't see
[edit] 1954 Blitzstein translation
In the best known English translation, from the Marc Blitzstein 1954 version of The Threepenny Opera, which introduced the song to English-speaking audiences, the words are:
- Oh the shark has pretty teeth dear,
- And he shows them pearly white
- Just a jack-knife has Macheath dear
- And he keeps it out of sight.
This is the version performed on popular hits by Louis Armstrong (1956) and Bobby Darin (1959) (Darin's lyrics differ here and there), and most subsequent 'swing' versions. Weill's widow, Lotte Lenya, the star of both the original 1928 German production and the 1954 Blitzstein Broadway version, was present in the studio during Armstrong's recording. He spontaneously added her name to the lyrics, which already named several of Macheath's female victims.
The rarely heard final verse—not included in the original play, but added by Brecht for the 1930 movie—expresses the theme, and compares the glittering world of the rich and powerful with the dark world of the poor:
In German:
- Denn die einen sind im Dunkeln
- Und die andern sind im Licht
- Und man siehet die im Lichte
- Die im Dunkeln sieht man nicht
In English:
- There are some who are in darkness
- And the others are in light
- And you see the ones in brightness
- Those in darkness drop from sight
[edit] 1976 Manheim-Willett translation
In 1976 the version translated by Ralph Manheim and John Willett opened on Broadway, a movie version was later made starring Raul Julia as Mackie. Here is an excerpt:
- See the shark with teeth like razors
- You can read his open face
- And Macheath, he's got a knife, but
- Not in such an obvious place
This is the version later performed by Sting and Nick Cave. It is also the version performed by Lyle Lovett on the soundtrack of the film Quiz Show (1994) — the same movie that features the Darin rendition over the opening credits.
[edit] 1994 translation
A much darker translation into English was used for the 1994 Donmar Warehouse production in London:
- Though the shark's teeth may be lethal
- Still you see them white and red
- But you won't see Mackie's flick knife
- Cause he's slashed you and you're dead
[edit] Crimes of Macheath
The song attributes many crimes to Macheath:
- A dead man in London, on the famous street Strand
- A rich man, Schmul Meier, disappeared for good
- Jenny Towler, killed with a knife in the chest
- Seven children and an old man killed in an arson fire
- Rape of an underage widow (minderjährige Witwe) in her bed
The arson and rape were omitted from the Blitzstein version.
[edit] Popular song
"Mack the Knife" was introduced to the U.S. hit parade by Louis Armstrong in 1954, but the song is most closely associated with Bobby Darin, who recorded his version at Fulton Studios on West 40th Street, NYC, December 19, 1958 (with Tom Dowd engineering the recording). In 1959 Darin's version reached number one on Billboard's Hot 100 and number six on the Black Singles chart, and was described by Frank Sinatra, who also recorded the song, as the "definitive" version. Pop mogul Simon Cowell later named the song (as sung by Bobby Darin) the best song ever written on Radio 4's Desert Island Disks.
Ella Fitzgerald made a famous live recording in 1960 (released on Ella in Berlin: Mack the Knife) in which, after forgetting the lyrics after the first verse, she successfully improvised new lyrics in a performance that earned her a Grammy. Robbie Williams also recorded the song on his 2001 album Swing When You're Winning. Other notable versions of "Mack the Knife" include performances by Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Marianne Faithfull, Nick Cave, Brian Setzer, Westlife, Merrill Osmond, Kenny Garrett, Kevin Spacey and Michael Bublé. Sonny Rollins recorded an instrumental version called simply "Moritat" in 1956. A 1959 instrumental performance by Bill Haley & His Comets was the final song the group recorded for Decca Records, Tito Puente has also recorded a instrumental version. Many versions of "Mack the Knife" pay homage to previous artists who have recorded the song by naming them towards the end.
In the United Kingdom, psychobilly band King Kurt recorded the song for their 1983 album Ooowallahwallah!. It was produced by Dave Edmunds. The song was a minor hit single on the UK charts and in Europe. The Psychedelic Furs recorded a version that was the B-side of their 1981 single "Pretty in Pink."
The song "Pedro Navaja" from the L.P Siembra (1979) by Rubén Blades and Willy Colón is loosely based on the lyrics from Mack The Knife.
The song has been put to many other uses. American parodists the Capitol Steps used the tune for their song "Pack the Knife" in their 2002 album When Bush Comes to Shove. Morgan Stanley CEO John J. Mack once put on a shark costume and sang "Mack the Knife" at a charity event, a feat that reportedly raised $75,000. In the mid-1980s, McDonalds introduced "Mac Tonight", a character whose theme song was based upon "Mack the Knife".
[edit] Selective list of recorded versions
- 1928/29 "Die Moritat von Mackie Messer" - Bertolt Brecht
- 1954 Gerald Price, Broadway cast recording of The Threepenny Opera
- 1956 Louis Armstrong
- 1956 "Moritat" - Dick Hyman, instrumental
- 1956 "Moritat" - Sonny Rollins, jazz saxophone instrumental
- 1958 Bobby Darin, U.S. #1
- 1959 Bill Haley & His Comets on the album Strictly Instrumental
- 1960 Ella Fitzgerald on the album Ella in Berlin: Mack the Knife
- 1967 Dave Van Ronk on the album Live at Sir George Williams University
- 1968 The Doors on the album Live In Stockholm
- 1980 The Psychedelic Furs on the 2002 re-release of their self titled first album
- 1983 King Kurt on the album Ooowallahwallah!, psychobilly version
- 1984 Frank Sinatra
- 1985 Sting on the album Lost in the Stars: The Music of Kurt Weill
- 1994 Lyle Lovett on the soundtrack to Quiz Show
- 1995 Nick Cave on the album September Songs: The Music of Kurt Weill
- 2000 P Paul Fenech on the album Screaming In The 10th Key' (hidden track)
- 2000 The Brian Setzer Orchestra on the album Vavoom!'
- 2001 Robbie Williams on the album Swing When You're Winning
- 2001 Gareth Gates on Pop Idol 2001/2002
- 2002 Capitol Steps parody as "Pack the Knife"
- 2004 Michael Bublé
- 2004 Westlife
- 2006 David Campbell on his The Swing Sessions album
- Tony Bennett
- Jimmie Dale Gilmore
- Dean Martin
- Merrill Osmond
- The Divine Comedy (band)
- Slut "Die Moritat von Mackie Messer" German musicgroup from Ingolstadt
Preceded by "Sleep Walk" by Santo & Johnny |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single (Bobby Darin version) October 5, 1959 |
Succeeded by "Mr. Blue" by The Fleetwoods |