Say what you like, Lotte Lenya's Pirate Jenny is unsurpassed. No one comes up with a popular version in any other language. Try the 1956 remake of die Drei Groschen Oper, (the Three Penny Opera). Fabulous. Superhartline
@Gobberwart you must be in high school to have such a myopic opinion. It's quite obvious that you can't even understand the words. Listening to this version of the song is not about the song [one of the most famous in 20th century theater] its about- The Three Penny Opera!!
German is such a harsh language, and the bad organ music does it no favours whatsoever. I'll take the Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald or Bobby Darin versions over this for listenability, but this is good for historical value... and ONLY for historical value. It's AWFUL to listen to.
@Lassannn It should be, given that it's all about raping and killing. I would argue that the subject matter contrasted by the beauty of the music is what makes it effective.
I was very fortunate in having seen the "Threepenny Opera", during its run at the Theater de Lys, in Greenwich Village, NY, back circa 1960. A classic -- forever in my heart. Love this recording of the great Lenya, singing the great "Mack the Knife", in German. Beautiful. --{--@
@Starreacher29 a cd digital version of that performance - which included Lenya and Scott Merrill - was/is available from Decca - and is quoted as "the unsurpassed 1954 cast recording of Kurt Weill's legendary work". It includes a bonus track of Lenya accompanied by Marc Blitzstein at piano. There is a CBS Masterworks recording (from Berlin) - also with Lenya - from 1958 ...and a cd digital compilation (from original shellack discs) on the Capriccio cd label (again with Lenya).
@0208morris -- Thank you -- I have the Decca CD! It is truly fantastic. Just as I remember experiencing it at the Theater de Lys . And , I believe, that was the original cast -- Lenya was, of course, much older. But she was the inimitable Lotte Lenya! Thanks for posting this, of her singing it in her native language, German . It is so terrific.--{--@
Thank you! I have the Decca CD. So special...so terrific. And, I believe that was the original cast, at the Theater de Lys, with a much older Lenya---but still the inimitable Lotte Lenya!! I so appreciate this version, in German, that you've posted. So special to hear her sing it in her native language. An unforgettable show..with unforgettable music...and, oh, those lyrics! --{--@
Gaygarious - wakey, wakey! The year is 1929 or thereabouts. Nobody even dreamt of Google or Hi Fi or Dolby or.....Now if you ever get hold of an original 78rpm Shellack with this song let me know
@antechinus100 - if you had this on shellack, probably worth a fortune. Lenya's versions remains disturbingly the best - her harsh voice being necessary for the character. Between 1928 - 32, when 'Threepenny' fever gripped Berlin, Weills songs for this particular piece of theatre were recorded on no less than 20 different labels - none, apparently, identical. Once asked if he was ever satisfied with these reproductions, Weill is alleged to have commented, "only moderately".
My understanding is that Brecht and Weill wrote Mack the Knife the night before the show originally opened (1928). They stayed up all night because the actor playing Mackie refused to remove the white gloves he was "known" for wearing. This was not written for Lotta Lenya. But boy, she sings the hell out of it....Nice video thanks.
@schroeder8911 When Louie Armstrong was recording his version, Ms Lenya was in the studio, and he added the lyric in then, for fun. At least, that's the story I heard :)
Thank youmTY for posting this. I feel soooooooo dumb I never knew Lotte Lenya was a REAL person. I thought she was just a character from Three Penny Opera. Boy, do I feel dumb lol. But smarter now I guess lol :-)
This comment has received too many negative votesshow
dude im sorry but seriously michael bubles version is miles better than this! you may say i have a bad taste in music, but in general, i listen to all styles of music; Brahms, Earth wind and fire, Josh Groban, John Adams, Malcolm arnold and modern stuff like eliza doolittle, lissie, all the way to eminem and Skrillex, This is absolute bullshit!
@owenrhysmusic - Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha..... You gotta have the feelings in your bones to enjoy Lotte singing it. Either you got it or you don't. It's all good. She IS the original.
@1947Gentleman According to the narrator on the "Louis armstrong - Mack the Knife" video over on the side, this song is played at many funerals. Sorry about your mother.
@theEarlofChip I think you misunderstand the narrator on the Louis Armstrong clip - To paraphrase, Mack the Knife never lived in Storeyville (an area in New Orleans where Louis Armstrong grew up), but many criminals similar to Mack did live there, and Louis played at many of their funerals. Although the narration is confusing, it doesn't say he played this song at any funerals.
@Bobble162 You're right. The narrator says "Mack the Knife, played at many of their funerals" but he means criminals like Mack, not the English title of the song.
it all makes sense now...reading Just Kids...Patti Smith loved this singer and she said Bdylan held a cover of her album on one of his records..now I'm super confused.
I appreciate you putting this up, but did you have to hard limit to hell and back, sucking all the life out of it and distorting the audio in the process? What was the point?
@Gaygarious Hard limiting is an electronic means of taking sound signals and raising the lower level ones way up to near where the highest level signals are at a specified cut-off point. The result is a much louder sound file that has very little volume dynamics and even audible distortion if it's overused, and it's overused a lot here. For a better explanation google "sound wars."
@chasambl Yes. This was recorded in Germany around the time period when Lenya was appearing as Jenny in the Blitzstein English translation of Dreigroschenoper at the Theatre de Lys, NYC. (Have the original vinyl recording) As "Jenny", she did not sing this song in the production.
1st recording from cabaret, & classic. But for boomers, we got hip to it from Bobby Darin, which leads ya to Armstrong's New Orleans version, which brings ya to Ms. Lenya. Stop bad mouthin' Bobby as he helped bridge the gap in history, unless ur a well traveled 100 year old, we'd never have discovered Ms. Lenya's great rendition. Darin's version was hip for the time, not lounge, only those under 50 at this point think that "sound" is lounge. Like The Stones turned us back on to Muddy Waters, etc
I just watched the original German version of "The Threepenny Opera" recorded in 1931 starring Lotte Lenya. Interestingly, Louis Armstrong changed the original lyrics by Kurt Weill (her husband) to include her name in the song as she was in the recording studio at the time. I will never forget seeing Louis Armstrong play in person at the Eagles Club in Milwaukee in 1962, singing "Mac The Knife", handkerchief in hand. It was an awesome milestone in my life, not realized until I was older!
I found the text for the German lyrics by Googling for Die Moritat von Mackie Messer. You can also find the entire text for Die Dreigroschenoper (The Three Penny Opera) by Googling for it. Good luck.
@tunittin There are several versions. Here is one. Happy singing! Die Moritat von Mackie Messer Kurt Weill 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.
@tunittin The rest Jenny Towler ward gefunden mit 'nem Messer in der Brust und am Kai geht Mackie Messer der von allem nichts gewußt. Und das große Feuer in Soho sieben Kinder und ein Greis - in der Menge Mackie Messer, den man nicht fragt und der nichts weiß. Und die minderjährige Witwe deren Namen jeder weiß wachte auf und war geschändet - Mackie, welches war dein Preis? Wachte auf und war geschändet - Mackie, welches war dein Preis?
@someoneme9 OOh! Thank you for that information!! I know straight away (I think) who you are on about - the one with the knife coming out of her shoe - I can just recognise the voice! Wow! Who'd have guessed that was her to look at photo above. She was very beautiful when she was young.
I'm so sick of hearing the 'swing' versions (Bobby Darin, Frank Sinatra et al). It is wonderful to be able to hear this in its original form. I have heard a great performance of it by Marianne Faithfull. It seems to work best with a smoke-infected voice!
@TheEmpress666 WHAT IS EVEN MORE WONDROUS IS SHE SAVED PAUL HINDEMITH AND WIFE FROM DEATH IN GERMANY.hindemith ignored the nazi's and kurt weill and her forced him to his senses,allot of other artists,musician's,and performers met horrible fates,she and kurt dined offen with paul and wife gertrude,and were dear friends till she and kurt had the car ready to flee as well
Correction for uploader: Kurt Weill didn't write "Mack the Knife" for Lenya. Her character in "The Threepenny Opera" (Jenny) doesn't even sing it in the original Berlin 1928 production, nor the 1956 American production.
This recording was made in 1955 and has been issued on CD.
The song was written to introduce the audience to the the extremely bad character of Mackie Messser (in contrast to the dapper appearance of the man playing the role) and in the original musical was performed by Kurt Gerron as a streetsinger with a hurdy gurdy. Lotte Lenya did appear in the role of Jenny (as in Diver a slang term for a pickpocket). A dixieland bandleader from S.F. did the first basic jazz arangement. Turk Murphy also suggested that Louis Armstrong record it.
Composed by Kurt Weill with lyrics by Bertolt Brecht for their music drama Die Dreigroschenoper, or, as it is known in English, The Threepenny Opera. It premiered in Berlin in 1928.
You are right about him allowing his wife to sing the song, but I think he wrote it as part of "The Three Penny Opera" and his original intent was a bit of sarcasm directed at the main character who was making hugely expensive demands that almost bankrupted the company, so he wrote it to make this guy look as evil as his character was. The story is at:
Wow! How in the WORLD did you get this scratch free! This is a very OLD recording--must be from about 1928, and it must have been from one of those old scratchy glass 78 records. Yet you can't hear any scratches. Wonderful! Thankyou for uploading this!
@Barry1Wade The technology now exists to digitally remove the "scratches" in old audio recording. I am not certain if that is the case with this rendition.
@ Dr Cruel: Only an emptyheaded clot wd dismiss the 3d Operas heavyweight socialist message as 'anarchist propaganda' which is about as open minded as saying the Bible is just a bunch of degenerate Hebrew folk tales. This 'Threepenny Opera' was written at the same time as John Steinbecks 'Grapes of Wrath' - another minor piece of 'anarchist propaganda', I imagine you might say. You're not a member of 1950s US Senator McCarthys family by any chance, are you? No one is perfect least of all me!
A huge amount of confusion has arisen to dog the true story of the immortal '3d Opera'. It was based on John Gays 1728 play named the 'Beggars Opera' which was revolutionary at that time, as beggars had not money to spend on anything but food. This was a dig at the 18C English rich folks who refused to share the wealth, thereby creating a criminal 'underclass' who were no better or worse than they were. When Hitler was on the rise satire became dangerous and Berlin became Soho in the '3d Opera'.
BTW She was born in Vienna so she is singing with either an Austrian (like Hitler) or a Berlin accent to suit the style. Brecht fell out with everybody from Germany through the Weills to America, Switzerland and finally the East German government, though he was by then far too big to pull down. One of his theatrical techniques was to go against naturalism and to have everything as obviously phony and stylised as possible. Don't use real props where you can find ones that look cheap nasty fakes.
"Meine Damen und Herren, Mesdames Monsieurs, Leedies und Schentlelmen, Willkommen, Bienvenue, Velcom im Kabaret, au Cabaret, tsu Cabaret.. " Same backing rhythm. I wonder if they copied it from Weill or it was a Berlin cabaret standard stuff?
Oddly enough, I remember hearing this in the movie 'Blue Angel' with Marlena Dietrich. I must admit the original version is a bit more graphic than Bobby Darin's. Thank's for posting this.
This arrangement is horrible.
schutzenhaus 22 hours ago
I don't like her voice...
diddodi 2 weeks ago
Its brilliant
stoughton1 1 month ago
This is the version I love the most
jcavale 1 month ago
She can't swing the song!
RaananVolesPianist 2 months ago
@RaananVolesPianist It wasn't written to swing.
pianodon 1 month ago
Did Lotte Lenya sing it in the NY production in English? If not, who did
bjhcohen 2 months ago
Das ist sehr gut!!!
rekkof 2 months ago
Ja ho sé.
carlesjoanpi 2 months ago
Agree with superhartine Unsurpassed . et puis tellement lié à la France des années 30
dirtyfrenchie 3 months ago
Say what you like, Lotte Lenya's Pirate Jenny is unsurpassed. No one comes up with a popular version in any other language. Try the 1956 remake of die Drei Groschen Oper, (the Three Penny Opera). Fabulous. Superhartline
SuperHartline 3 months ago
@Gobberwart you must be in high school to have such a myopic opinion. It's quite obvious that you can't even understand the words. Listening to this version of the song is not about the song [one of the most famous in 20th century theater] its about- The Three Penny Opera!!
deutsch89 3 months ago
German is such a harsh language, and the bad organ music does it no favours whatsoever. I'll take the Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald or Bobby Darin versions over this for listenability, but this is good for historical value... and ONLY for historical value. It's AWFUL to listen to.
Gobberwart 3 months ago
@Gobberwart Shame on you! Not one of the many covers can ever rival with this splendid original of Lotte Lenya.
LucH484 1 month ago
Comment removed
Gobberwart 3 months ago
I have always preferred Kurt Gerron's version of this in German.
arthurcutten1 4 months ago
love it, Lotte Lenya was such a multitalent, great singer, great actress
Ivanatis 4 months ago
Abusa del vibrato, pero aún así, o quizás por eso, es colosal: festiva y estimulante como un organillo.
benitodes 4 months ago
excellent hehehe sehr gut lol
kaibar25 4 months ago
This is one creepy damn song when it's sung in German.
Lassannn 4 months ago 3
@Lassannn It should be, given that it's all about raping and killing. I would argue that the subject matter contrasted by the beauty of the music is what makes it effective.
simplyscrummy 3 months ago
I was very fortunate in having seen the "Threepenny Opera", during its run at the Theater de Lys, in Greenwich Village, NY, back circa 1960. A classic -- forever in my heart. Love this recording of the great Lenya, singing the great "Mack the Knife", in German. Beautiful. --{--@
Starreacher29 4 months ago 2
@Starreacher29 a cd digital version of that performance - which included Lenya and Scott Merrill - was/is available from Decca - and is quoted as "the unsurpassed 1954 cast recording of Kurt Weill's legendary work". It includes a bonus track of Lenya accompanied by Marc Blitzstein at piano. There is a CBS Masterworks recording (from Berlin) - also with Lenya - from 1958 ...and a cd digital compilation (from original shellack discs) on the Capriccio cd label (again with Lenya).
0208morris 3 months ago
@0208morris -- Thank you -- I have the Decca CD! It is truly fantastic. Just as I remember experiencing it at the Theater de Lys . And , I believe, that was the original cast -- Lenya was, of course, much older. But she was the inimitable Lotte Lenya! Thanks for posting this, of her singing it in her native language, German . It is so terrific.--{--@
Starreacher29 3 months ago
Thank you! I have the Decca CD. So special...so terrific. And, I believe that was the original cast, at the Theater de Lys, with a much older Lenya---but still the inimitable Lotte Lenya!! I so appreciate this version, in German, that you've posted. So special to hear her sing it in her native language. An unforgettable show..with unforgettable music...and, oh, those lyrics! --{--@
Starreacher29 3 months ago
Gaygarious - wakey, wakey! The year is 1929 or thereabouts. Nobody even dreamt of Google or Hi Fi or Dolby or.....Now if you ever get hold of an original 78rpm Shellack with this song let me know
antechinus100 4 months ago
@antechinus100 - if you had this on shellack, probably worth a fortune. Lenya's versions remains disturbingly the best - her harsh voice being necessary for the character. Between 1928 - 32, when 'Threepenny' fever gripped Berlin, Weills songs for this particular piece of theatre were recorded on no less than 20 different labels - none, apparently, identical. Once asked if he was ever satisfied with these reproductions, Weill is alleged to have commented, "only moderately".
0208morris 3 months ago
TY, an all time fav.....
annettehaven888 4 months ago
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IT< so good I just Love it! bruohawse@gmail.com
brunohawse 5 months ago
I am glad I was led to this...
HopeWithPandora 5 months ago
My understanding is that Brecht and Weill wrote Mack the Knife the night before the show originally opened (1928). They stayed up all night because the actor playing Mackie refused to remove the white gloves he was "known" for wearing. This was not written for Lotta Lenya. But boy, she sings the hell out of it....Nice video thanks.
Radiocave 6 months ago
Is this why Bobby Darin sings "Look out Miss Lotte Lenya" ?
schroeder8911 7 months ago
@schroeder8911 When Louie Armstrong was recording his version, Ms Lenya was in the studio, and he added the lyric in then, for fun. At least, that's the story I heard :)
Eruadhiel 7 months ago
Thank youmTY for posting this. I feel soooooooo dumb I never knew Lotte Lenya was a REAL person. I thought she was just a character from Three Penny Opera. Boy, do I feel dumb lol. But smarter now I guess lol :-)
SueBeaWho 7 months ago
This is quite charming. Isn't Lotte Lenya the actress who acted in "from Russia with love"?
Vogler9 7 months ago
@Vogler9
Yup.
mobile513 7 months ago
Is this Weill's original composition does anyone know?
-BDS
NorthTexasEagle1989 7 months ago
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you can say that again!!
The idea that Michael Buble could sing this better than Lotte Lenya is unbelievable and would have Kurt Weill turning in his grave.
ninasfamily 7 months ago
OMG! If Bjork was German, this is what she'd sound like! Cerys Matthews also sounds like her. Wow.
FredericaBimble 7 months ago
The idea that Michael Buble could sing this better than Lotte Lenya is unbelievable and would have Kurt Weill turning in his grave.
Your taste in music is your own affair however!
1947Gentleman 7 months ago 2
This comment has received too many negative votes show
dude im sorry but seriously michael bubles version is miles better than this! you may say i have a bad taste in music, but in general, i listen to all styles of music; Brahms, Earth wind and fire, Josh Groban, John Adams, Malcolm arnold and modern stuff like eliza doolittle, lissie, all the way to eminem and Skrillex, This is absolute bullshit!
owenrhysmusic 8 months ago
@owenrhysmusic lol eminem
theEarlofChip 7 months ago
@owenrhysmusic - Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha..... You gotta have the feelings in your bones to enjoy Lotte singing it. Either you got it or you don't. It's all good. She IS the original.
FredericaBimble 7 months ago
@owenrhysmusic
Hi "dude" ... pricelessly funny post! Oh I see, you're being serious.....
legrandmaitre 7 months ago
@legrandmaitre
your wit is unbearable; much like this song!
owenrhysmusic 7 months ago
Unless I'm very much mistaken, this was played at my mother's funeral. An odd choice, certainly.
1947Gentleman 8 months ago
@1947Gentleman According to the narrator on the "Louis armstrong - Mack the Knife" video over on the side, this song is played at many funerals. Sorry about your mother.
theEarlofChip 7 months ago
@theEarlofChip I think you misunderstand the narrator on the Louis Armstrong clip - To paraphrase, Mack the Knife never lived in Storeyville (an area in New Orleans where Louis Armstrong grew up), but many criminals similar to Mack did live there, and Louis played at many of their funerals. Although the narration is confusing, it doesn't say he played this song at any funerals.
Bobble162 7 months ago
@Bobble162 You're right. The narrator says "Mack the Knife, played at many of their funerals" but he means criminals like Mack, not the English title of the song.
theEarlofChip 7 months ago
@theEarlofChip He says that Louis Armstrong knew and played at the funerals of many men like the character Mack the Knife.
simplyscrummy 3 months ago
odilo se omo ebbe o amor a roma o ebbe omo e solido
izul luzi
omo
darioluzi 8 months ago
Comment removed
LFQuitas 8 months ago
disturbingly catchy..
Tacoma3243 8 months ago
If you like this you must listen to Pirate Jenny. This song is light compared to that one.
onebaud 8 months ago 2
I believe that the original version is the best!
paolosilv 9 months ago
Just found out about this song, its great, love all the versions
Intosia 10 months ago 4
@Intosia try the Spanish salsa one, "Pedro Navaja", by Rubén Blades .
pepamicro 3 months ago
@pepamicro Conosco pero no sabia que estaba esta musica .Gracias por esta informacion
dirtyfrenchie 3 months ago
it all makes sense now...reading Just Kids...Patti Smith loved this singer and she said Bdylan held a cover of her album on one of his records..now I'm super confused.
lisasboogies 10 months ago
I appreciate you putting this up, but did you have to hard limit to hell and back, sucking all the life out of it and distorting the audio in the process? What was the point?
gmdinformation 10 months ago 2
@gmdinformation Please explain your posting...
Gaygarious 10 months ago
@Gaygarious Hard limiting is an electronic means of taking sound signals and raising the lower level ones way up to near where the highest level signals are at a specified cut-off point. The result is a much louder sound file that has very little volume dynamics and even audible distortion if it's overused, and it's overused a lot here. For a better explanation google "sound wars."
gmdinformation 10 months ago 7
@Gaygarious I'm sorry; I meant "loudness wars".
gmdinformation 10 months ago
Muchas gracias, esta pieza es extraordinaria.
PONSR500 10 months ago
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More likely to come from the 1955 Lotte Lenya album Lotte Lenya Sings Berlin Theatre Songs of Kurt Weill.
chasambl 10 months ago
More likely to come from the 1955 Lotte Lenya album Lotte Lenya Sings Berlin Theatre Songs of Kurt Weill
chasambl 10 months ago
@chasambl Yes. This was recorded in Germany around the time period when Lenya was appearing as Jenny in the Blitzstein English translation of Dreigroschenoper at the Theatre de Lys, NYC. (Have the original vinyl recording) As "Jenny", she did not sing this song in the production.
breymn73 3 days ago
I'm sorry but German wasn't meant for singing.
cookiesonsteve 11 months ago
@cookiesonsteve but we can sure dance ;)
Leebsterftw 11 months ago
@cookiesonsteve disagree entirely! schubert and schumann is WONDERFUL!!!
you cant have lieder without German!
ClareBElsey 10 months ago
@cookiesonsteve - I guess you've never heard Wagner.
FredericaBimble 7 months ago
MACKIE MESSER!
TheLogicOfMe 11 months ago
Weill and Brecht collaborated on the Three Penny Opera; Weill composed the music.
rustymick2 11 months ago
written by Kurt Weill?? wasn't this written by Bertold Brecht???
detroityankee 11 months ago
Comment removed
detroityankee 11 months ago
1st recording from cabaret, & classic. But for boomers, we got hip to it from Bobby Darin, which leads ya to Armstrong's New Orleans version, which brings ya to Ms. Lenya. Stop bad mouthin' Bobby as he helped bridge the gap in history, unless ur a well traveled 100 year old, we'd never have discovered Ms. Lenya's great rendition. Darin's version was hip for the time, not lounge, only those under 50 at this point think that "sound" is lounge. Like The Stones turned us back on to Muddy Waters, etc
rocnfitz 11 months ago
Now I know what they meant by "Look out for Miss Lotte Lenya" !! Love it
lilvillagemf 11 months ago
sweet
TroijanSkinhead 11 months ago
I also just heard this in Three Penny Opera on TMC.
ECN451 1 year ago
@ECN451 yah i saw the movie recently...how unique of a film..;.the theme. I didnt know what to think but wow
strykertool 11 months ago
I just watched the original German version of "The Threepenny Opera" recorded in 1931 starring Lotte Lenya. Interestingly, Louis Armstrong changed the original lyrics by Kurt Weill (her husband) to include her name in the song as she was in the recording studio at the time. I will never forget seeing Louis Armstrong play in person at the Eagles Club in Milwaukee in 1962, singing "Mac The Knife", handkerchief in hand. It was an awesome milestone in my life, not realized until I was older!
brucerobbins11 1 year ago
Hmmm...Interesting,a look and sound into history.It is what it is.
FRANK1FM 1 year ago
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I love this song. please check out my cover of Mack the knife in my channel and feel free to vote and comment, hope you like it
juanlagartooo 1 year ago
I love Dark Cabaret from Berlin in 1920's to 1930s, WEIMAR GERMANY, German Kabarett
djmusicjac 1 year ago
Thats pretty damn dark and sexy,nice.
lastchip 1 year ago
such a great song, it's too bad most people are only familiar with the Bobby Darin "lounge lizard" version.
emmers57 1 year ago
I am sure she deserved a tribute like this and much more....
kaiser6246 1 year ago
Not hard to imagine being in some dark Berlin Beer joint circa 1929. Being there with a little "social lubricant" I reckon iwas quite enjoyable ...
NYSteamerMan 1 year ago
Comment removed
toxicbunnyrevan 1 year ago
OK, not English, and even if it was I don't think I'd like it.
-sorry :(
AllthatJazz62 1 year ago
Fantastomatisch. Diese Stimme passt excellent zu Thema.
MillyVanillification 1 year ago
I found the text for the German lyrics by Googling for Die Moritat von Mackie Messer. You can also find the entire text for Die Dreigroschenoper (The Three Penny Opera) by Googling for it. Good luck.
whento 1 year ago
This is so excellent!
loonpolice1 1 year ago
Actually I bought a copy Lotte Lenya sings Brecht-Weill recorded on Columbia (very clean)in 1965.
I first heard it in a German Movie sung by Ernst Busch.
GrantGreens 1 year ago
i cant find the lyrics in german , can somebody post it please please please now
tunittin 1 year ago
@tunittin
Tried to send the lyrics but I can't figure out this system. Google might help.
Topic Mack the Knife German lyrics.
GrantGreens 1 year ago
MishaG9 1 year ago
MishaG9 1 year ago 2
@tunittin ...try songteksten.nl or google with "max raabe" as performing artist. haven't tried it myself yet but i think it's a good bet. good luck !
phockenphreezen 1 year ago
So this is Lotte Lenya, the name mentioned in the song. Awesome to learn something new!!!
zeedzeed0 1 year ago
Kurt Weill composed the music. Bertolt Brecht the words
Rowland108 1 year ago
BRAVA !!!!!
Ravage1952 1 year ago
Do you guys know that Lotte Lenya played the role of a villainess (Colonel Rosa Klebb) in the second James Bond film "From Russia With Love"?
tangchosun1 1 year ago
Sorry to repeat earlier comments, but i have never heard it sound as good as this! Wonderful in every way
TheRickynow 1 year ago
and from that other BB...
ToastMasterJamn 1 year ago
God, amazing!! I didn't know Lotte was his wife; wish there were videos back then.
uptownpub 1 year ago
@uptownpub
look up dreigroschenoper - 1931 film of the threepenny opera from which this comes. some good song clips on youtube.
podgytube 1 year ago
wow always wondered who bobby darin was on about , when he mentions miss lotte lenya in his version, now i know, thanks
carawai 1 year ago
The sound quality is absolutely INCREDIBLE!
shkeni 1 year ago
an unmatched classic
cosycleaner 1 year ago
I AM SICK & CRY , OVER WHAT USA MURDERS , NOW !!! , USA GOVERNMENT MURDERS !!! THE WORLD !!! - ei kreis
BLESSTHEIRAINIRELAND 1 year ago
GREAT !!!
BLESSTHEIRAINIRELAND 1 year ago
LOTTE LENYA GENIUS FOREVERMORE !!!
BLESSTHEIRAINIRELAND 1 year ago
Lotte played a villian in a James Bond Film. Did a good job too.
someoneme9 1 year ago
@someoneme9 OOh! Thank you for that information!! I know straight away (I think) who you are on about - the one with the knife coming out of her shoe - I can just recognise the voice! Wow! Who'd have guessed that was her to look at photo above. She was very beautiful when she was young.
EloiseDecember 1 year ago
@someoneme9 can't picture a villian singing this one ...
mikethegent 1 year ago
Thank You!
ditavoska 1 year ago
This is absolutely haunting and wonderful
Paisleypaul 1 year ago
FAla viII!*
ivaivaiva0 1 year ago
FAla viII!*
ivaivaiva0 1 year ago
I'm so sick of hearing the 'swing' versions (Bobby Darin, Frank Sinatra et al). It is wonderful to be able to hear this in its original form. I have heard a great performance of it by Marianne Faithfull. It seems to work best with a smoke-infected voice!
jpeterw 1 year ago
I'm named after her!
doradestroy 1 year ago
Lotte Lenya is the unadorned queen on the throne. No one else can touch her in this song.
The work she did with Weill and Brecht is unsurpassed. It is the kind of work we need today but no one is gifted or pure enough to achieve it.
Geieraugen 1 year ago 24
@Geieraugen i totally agree i love singing in germanic drawl, and suits my vocals, and i attempt to sing german lyrics, i just love the german sound
djmusicjac 9 months ago
what language is??? sounds pretty awsome
Mattnek 1 year ago
@Mattnek
Are you kidding?
Uhhhh....it's German.
Morpheus1910 1 year ago
@Morpheus1910 t(h)ank you
Mattnek 1 year ago
@Mattnek You're welcome!
Morpheus1910 1 year ago
Nothing tops Lotte, except perhaps Kurt Weills recording (in German) of the same song. What a shame Bertolt didn't sing!
slessorpr 1 year ago
Thank you very much!!!
Since when I was baby I wanted to listen and listen again this incredible song!!!
plasticmanbob 1 year ago
This is bone-chillingy wonderful :) I didn't know the Beggar's Opera was originally in German, either.
TheEmpress666 1 year ago
@TheEmpress666 WHAT IS EVEN MORE WONDROUS IS SHE SAVED PAUL HINDEMITH AND WIFE FROM DEATH IN GERMANY.hindemith ignored the nazi's and kurt weill and her forced him to his senses,allot of other artists,musician's,and performers met horrible fates,she and kurt dined offen with paul and wife gertrude,and were dear friends till she and kurt had the car ready to flee as well
alezander666 1 year ago
@TheEmpress666
Beggar's opera is a john Gay 1728 work.
This is Bertold Brecht "The Threepenny Opera"(Die Dreigroschenoper) , 1928, based on the first.
fellinian 1 year ago
Correction for uploader: Kurt Weill didn't write "Mack the Knife" for Lenya. Her character in "The Threepenny Opera" (Jenny) doesn't even sing it in the original Berlin 1928 production, nor the 1956 American production.
This recording was made in 1955 and has been issued on CD.
RenzoRienzi 1 year ago 2
This is a treasure! Thank you. Was this the stand out song from the play when it originated in 1928?
oldixe 1 year ago
is this song public domain ?
darraghtank 1 year ago
@darraghtank no but nobody cares...
izmaelt19 1 year ago
@darraghtank No.
breymn73 3 days ago
Dear.dear, chermaster87. You know now. Not many better, I'd hope you agree. Listen to more Lotte, listen to more Weil and think more Brecht. Cheers.
gustavtube1 1 year ago
I never knew she sang! She played a villain in the second Bond movie "From Russia With Love".
chermaster85 1 year ago
perfect.. thank you.
UmbrellaWatch 1 year ago
I've heard a hudred English versions (even an arrangement of my own.)
Nothing tops Lotte Lenya though.
I can't listen to her too much though. It gives me nightmares.
GrantGreens 1 year ago 47
@GrantGreens I LOVE HER VERY MUCH
RUDDIBARDOT 1 year ago
@GrantGreens AHAHA! i know right! German is so hard to listen to :\ very harsh on the ears
llamacake02 1 year ago
@GrantGreens German fits best anyway :) I totally agree. The song has been written for her. Literally.
MillyVanillification 11 months ago
Dreigroschenoper :D Bert Brecht rules ;-)
TheMuskelmann 2 years ago
The song was written to introduce the audience to the the extremely bad character of Mackie Messser (in contrast to the dapper appearance of the man playing the role) and in the original musical was performed by Kurt Gerron as a streetsinger with a hurdy gurdy. Lotte Lenya did appear in the role of Jenny (as in Diver a slang term for a pickpocket). A dixieland bandleader from S.F. did the first basic jazz arangement. Turk Murphy also suggested that Louis Armstrong record it.
mashtones 2 years ago 2
Composed by Kurt Weill with lyrics by Bertolt Brecht for their music drama Die Dreigroschenoper, or, as it is known in English, The Threepenny Opera. It premiered in Berlin in 1928.
flyingbeagle13 2 years ago 3
he didnt write it. Berthold Brecht did. for his play in the 1920's.
spoiltbitch 2 years ago
What a beautiful voice. And the original is quite a bit more lyrical.
realgwoodard 2 years ago
WOW the lyrics are much different than the english when translated. Pretty cool to see the transition to english. I like it in english better.
llspragulus 2 years ago
how can it in english be better?! :D maybe. u dont speak one word german.
TheMuskelmann 2 years ago
Comment removed
llspragulus 2 years ago
The first the best. A classic of course.
barugna 2 years ago
it wasnt written for his wife
JenBobness 2 years ago
brilliant!
agent9752 2 years ago
Thank you for this classic - Dj
djangoman2008 2 years ago 2
for whom was written? it does not matter,. it is an interesting piece of music. just listen to it
soniadelcarmenalvare 2 years ago 3
You are right about him allowing his wife to sing the song, but I think he wrote it as part of "The Three Penny Opera" and his original intent was a bit of sarcasm directed at the main character who was making hugely expensive demands that almost bankrupted the company, so he wrote it to make this guy look as evil as his character was. The story is at:
straightdope (.) com/columns/read/2155/whats-the-story-behind-mack-the-knife
Barry1Wade 2 years ago 4
Wow! How in the WORLD did you get this scratch free! This is a very OLD recording--must be from about 1928, and it must have been from one of those old scratchy glass 78 records. Yet you can't hear any scratches. Wonderful! Thankyou for uploading this!
Barry1Wade 2 years ago 48
@Barry1Wade The technology now exists to digitally remove the "scratches" in old audio recording. I am not certain if that is the case with this rendition.
rolko52 1 year ago
@Barry1Wade
I had a vinyl 33 recoded in the 60s on Columbia. It's probably available on CD.
GrantGreens 1 year ago
@Barry1Wade this is much more recent.
knotbox 1 year ago
@Barry1Wade Digitize it. You can get rid of all crackles and noises and you'll get a great equalization as a bargain on top :)
MillyVanillification 1 year ago
Don't forget people, Rosa Klebb tried to kill James Bond. Although, had Timothy Dalton been the actor at the time, they could have let her succeed.
soberjudd 2 years ago 3
This has been flagged as spam show
YOU TIT
buscargo 2 years ago
You punk
nicetalkRuss 2 years ago
One of the best version which has similar technique to Lotte Lenya, is the one by Marianne Faithful.
zungg 2 years ago
@ Dr Cruel: Only an emptyheaded clot wd dismiss the 3d Operas heavyweight socialist message as 'anarchist propaganda' which is about as open minded as saying the Bible is just a bunch of degenerate Hebrew folk tales. This 'Threepenny Opera' was written at the same time as John Steinbecks 'Grapes of Wrath' - another minor piece of 'anarchist propaganda', I imagine you might say. You're not a member of 1950s US Senator McCarthys family by any chance, are you? No one is perfect least of all me!
slessorpr 2 years ago 3
A huge amount of confusion has arisen to dog the true story of the immortal '3d Opera'. It was based on John Gays 1728 play named the 'Beggars Opera' which was revolutionary at that time, as beggars had not money to spend on anything but food. This was a dig at the 18C English rich folks who refused to share the wealth, thereby creating a criminal 'underclass' who were no better or worse than they were. When Hitler was on the rise satire became dangerous and Berlin became Soho in the '3d Opera'.
slessorpr 2 years ago
Groovy!
grahamcharnley 2 years ago
:-)
potatoepeter1 2 years ago
BTW She was born in Vienna so she is singing with either an Austrian (like Hitler) or a Berlin accent to suit the style. Brecht fell out with everybody from Germany through the Weills to America, Switzerland and finally the East German government, though he was by then far too big to pull down. One of his theatrical techniques was to go against naturalism and to have everything as obviously phony and stylised as possible. Don't use real props where you can find ones that look cheap nasty fakes.
Saiaton 2 years ago 3
"Meine Damen und Herren, Mesdames Monsieurs, Leedies und Schentlelmen, Willkommen, Bienvenue, Velcom im Kabaret, au Cabaret, tsu Cabaret.. " Same backing rhythm. I wonder if they copied it from Weill or it was a Berlin cabaret standard stuff?
Saiaton 2 years ago
the instrumental opening is great! also the sound of the german language is cool, especially with her voice.:) good stuff!
also, good luck to all ya CHOW peeps! greetings from gunnarsson:)
hatecominupwithnames 2 years ago
This song was a favorite of Ernie Kovacs on his old TV shows of the 1960s &1950s
muldenhutten 2 years ago
Oddly enough, I remember hearing this in the movie 'Blue Angel' with Marlena Dietrich. I must admit the original version is a bit more graphic than Bobby Darin's. Thank's for posting this.
essexlph 2 years ago
PERFECT!!!
19HALLOWEENJACK84 2 years ago
Never heard a strong grasp of political and social history rephrased as such.
Ya well. To each his own.
DrCruel 2 years ago