Mack the Knife
"Mack the Knife" or "The Ballad of Mack the Knife" (German: "Die Moritat von Mackie Messer") is a song composed by Kurt Weill with lyrics by Bertolt Brecht for their 1928 music drama The Threepenny Opera (German: Die Dreigroschenoper). The song tells of a knife-wielding criminal of the London underworld from the musical named Macheath, the "Mack the Knife" of the title.
For other uses, see Mack the Knife (disambiguation).Mack the Knife
The song has become a popular standard recorded by many artists after it was recorded by Louis Armstrong in 1955. The most popular version of the song was by Bobby Darin in 1959, whose recording became a number one hit in the US and UK and earned him two Grammys. Ella Fitzgerald also received a Grammy for her performance of the song in 1961.
The original German lyrics and music of the song entered the public domain in the United States in 2024.[1]
"A Theme from The Threepenny Opera (Mack the Knife)"
"Back O'Town Blues"
1955
New York City
28 September 1955[13]
3:25
Kurt Weill
Bertolt Brecht
Marc Blitzstein (English lyrics)
Turk Murphy (arranger)
"Was There a Call for Me"
August 1959
December 19, 1958, at Fulton Studios, New York City
3:11 (Album version)
3:04 (Single version)
Atco (U.S.)
London Records (UK)
Kurt Weill, Bertolt Brecht
Marc Blitzstein (English version)
"Lorelei"
April 1960
February 13, 1960, at Deutschlandhalle, Berlin
4:42
Kurt Weill, Bertolt Brecht
Marc Blitzstein (English version)
Sources