The meaning of Mack the Knife song?
voice from the past
voice from the past
John Larrabee
>
>voice from the past
It's from the Bertolt Brecht-Kurt Weill musical "The Threepenny Opera." Mack
is the murderer in the story, and Lucy Brown, Sookie Tawdry, Jenny Diver, et
al, are among his victims. It makes sense in the context of the story.
Outside the story...well, it makes for a swingin' tune when Bobby Darin or
Louis Armstrong sings it.
John Larrabee
Co-founder: Laurel & Hardy Central
http://laurelandhardycentral.com
(To respond via e-mail, remove "nixspam")
"Exit, pursued by a bear"
Noon Cat Nick
>
> I think it's a spoof of gangsterland.
Only if you believe that the rape of a child bride, an act of arson
which results in seven children being burned to death, and a woman's
corpse with a knife in her breast represent your garden-variety mobster
activities. Mark Blitzstein's English translation lifts much of the
darkness in Bertolt Brecht's German lyrics. John Willett's English
rendering is truer in tone to Brecht's grim intent:
See the shark--has teeth like razors.
All can read his open face.
And Macheath has got a knife, but
Not in such an obvious place.
See the shark--how red his fins are
As he slashes at his prey.
Mac the Knife wears white kid gloves which
Give the minimum away.
By the Thames's turbid waters,
Men abruptly tumble down.
Is it plague, or is it cholera,
Or a sign Macheath's in town?
On a beautiful blue Sunday,
See a corpse stretched on the Strand.
See a man dodge around the corner...
Mackie's friend's will understand.
And Schul Meier, who is missing
Like so many wealthy men:
Mack the knife aquired his cashbox,
God alone knows how or when
Jenny Towler turned up lately
With a knife stuck in her breast,
While Macheath walked the embankment,
Nonchalantly unimpressed.
Where is Alfred Gleet the cabman?
Who can get that story clear?
All the world may know the answer,
But Macheath has no idea.
And the ghastly fire in Soho--
Seven children at a go.
In the crowd stands Mac the knife, but
He's not asked and doesn't know.
And the child bride in her nightie,
Whose assailant's still at large,
Violated in her slumbers--
Mackie, how much did you charge?
how...@brazee.net
Tom Cervo
ballad sung about notable murders--please look up an English border ballad
before you come to any judgement concerning the unique morbidness of German
culture.
Abfou
wrote:
>>I think it's a spoof of gangsterland.
>>
>>voice from the past
>
>It's from the Bertolt Brecht-Kurt Weill musical "The Threepenny Opera." Mack
>is the murderer in the story, and Lucy Brown, Sookie Tawdry, Jenny Diver, et
>al, are among his victims. It makes sense in the context of the story.
>Outside the story...well, it makes for a swingin' tune when Bobby Darin or
>Louis Armstrong sings it.
_______________
Macheath may be a murderer, but in the play the ladies named in the
last verse of "Mack the Knife" are alive and kicking. Sukey Tawdry (we
never see her) is "entertaining" Macheath when he is arrested; Jenny
Diver, a former lover, betrays him; Polly Peachum and Lucy Brown are
his two wives.
Abfou
voice from the past
I knew the song involved a lot of imagination to be simply written from scratch.
To learn all this is simply amazing.
voice from the past
G. M. Watson
----------
In article <20030914172023...@mb-m13.aol.com>,
car...@aol.comnixspam (John Larrabee) wrote:
>>I think it's a spoof of gangsterland.
>>
>>voice from the past
>
> It's from the Bertolt Brecht-Kurt Weill musical "The Threepenny Opera." Mack
> is the murderer in the story, and Lucy Brown, Sookie Tawdry, Jenny Diver, et
> al, are among his victims. It makes sense in the context of the story.
> Outside the story...well, it makes for a swingin' tune when Bobby Darin or
> Louis Armstrong sings it.
>
>
Or Ella Fitzgerald. But I still much prefer it in German, in the original
arrangement.
G. M. Watson
----------
In article <3F650CAB...@catlover.com>, Noon Cat Nick
<chatdemidi...@catlover.com> wrote:
> voice from the past wrote:
>>
>> I think it's a spoof of gangsterland.
>
> Only if you believe that the rape of a child bride, an act of arson
> which results in seven children being burned to death, and a woman's
> corpse with a knife in her breast represent your garden-variety mobster
> activities. Mark Blitzstein's English translation lifts much of the
> darkness in Bertolt Brecht's German lyrics. John Willett's English
> rendering is truer in tone to Brecht's grim intent:
(snip)
>
Being a confirmed lover of Brecht/Weill (and Brecht/Eisler even more, but
that's another story), I was outraged when, some years back, McDonalds used
an adaptation of the song (retitling it "Mac Tonight") for a major ad
campaign, including a series of TV commercials. Unfortunately, I never
wrote McD's or the media the letter I wanted to, the gist of which would
have been something like:"How disturbing that McDonalds would use a song
about a psychopathic serial killer, composed by a notorious German
communist, to sell their products to children." I figured if the Xristian
family-values loonies had gotten hold of it, the campaign might have been
nipped in the bud soon enough to save poor Brecht from revolving in his
Berlin grave at 78 RPM. Sorry, Bert, I let you down.
Jeff Duncanson
Sonny Rollins called his version "Moritat"...I always wondered what that word was.
Jeff
W. Lydecker
Little Susie caused a stir. Claimed she'd been assaulted. Wonder what
got into her?" p.s. In the off-broadway revival in '54, Lucy
Brown was played by Bea Arthur.
Frank R.A.J. Maloney
news:20030914172023...@mb-m13.aol.com...
> >I think it's a spoof of gangsterland.
> >
> >voice from the past
>
> It's from the Bertolt Brecht-Kurt Weill musical "The Threepenny Opera."
Mack
> is the murderer in the story, and Lucy Brown, Sookie Tawdry, Jenny Diver,
et
> al, are among his victims. It makes sense in the context of the story.
> Outside the story...well, it makes for a swingin' tune when Bobby Darin or
> Louis Armstrong sings it.
Leave us not forget that the Brecht-Weill "Die Dreigroschenoper" was based
on John Gay's 18th Century political satire "The Beggar's Opera".
"That year [1727] the Lincoln's- Inn-Fields performances ran to sixty-two,
all to full houses, an unprecedented achievement. The play was staged in a
number of other cities in England while the original London run was still in
progress, and spread to Wales and Ireland, and was the first musical comedy
produced in New York City. The Beggar's Opera was printed (and pirated) in
many editions; the songs were sung everywhere, and prints of Miss Fenton as
Polly were sold in all the shops."
"The Beggar's Opera is a comic farce, poking accurate fun at the prevailing
fashion in Italian opera as well as the social and political climate of the
age. It established a new genre, the "ballad opera," of which it remains the
only really notable example, though its popularity led to the work Sheridan
and eventually Gilbert and Sullivan. Gay cuts the standard five acts to
three, and tightly controls the dialogue and plot so that there are
delightful surprises in each of the forty-five fast-paced scenes."
Go to http://www.uoregon.edu/~rbear/beggar.html for the text and Gay's
biography and discussion of the piece.
--
Frank in Seattle
___________
Frank Richard Aloysius Jude Maloney
"I leave you now in radiant contentment"
-- "Whistling in the Dark"
Tom Cervo
>arrangement.
The movie does it beautifully--the singer is a carnival barker, with (I think)
a hurdy gurdy accompanist.
how...@brazee.net
On 15-Sep-2003, "G. M. Watson" <gm...@pop2.intergate.ca> wrote:
> Or Ella Fitzgerald. But I still much prefer it in German, in the original
> arrangement.
The American version made it almost completely monosyllabic. I thought that
worked well.
David Matthews
There was a movie version of "The Beggars Opera" with Laurence Olivier
as Macheath. Didn't see it so I don't know how good it was.
Dave in Toronto
Frank R.A.J. Maloney
news:tst9b.3310$hF3.4...@news20.bellglobal.com...
>
> >
> > Leave us not forget that the Brecht-Weill "Die Dreigroschenoper" was
> based
> > on John Gay's 18th Century political satire "The Beggar's Opera".
[deletion]
> There was a movie version of "The Beggars Opera" with Laurence Olivier
> as Macheath. Didn't see it so I don't know how good it was.
I did not know that.
However, I have seen it produced on the stage and enjoyed it no end.
--
Frank in Seattle
___________
Frank Richard Aloysius Jude Maloney
David Matthews
"Tom Cervo" <tomc...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20030915193021...@mb-m27.aol.com...
There's been a couple of movies of "The Threepenny Opera" one called
"Mack the Knife" with Roger Daltrey as the street singer. Didn't see
it.
I do remember the 1962 "Die Dreigroschenoper" with Sammy Davis jr as
the street singer and Curt Jurgens as Macheath. But I seem to remember
that as a total disaster.
Are there any others?
Dave in Toronto
Opencity
>>It's from the Bertolt Brecht-Kurt Weill musical "The Threepenny Opera."
>Mack
>>is the murderer in the story, and Lucy Brown, Sookie Tawdry, Jenny Diver, et
>>al, are among his victims. It makes sense in the context of the story.
>>Outside the story...well, it makes for a swingin' tune when Bobby Darin or
>>Louis Armstrong sings it.
>_______________
>
>Macheath may be a murderer, but in the play the ladies named in the
>last verse of "Mack the Knife" are alive and kicking. Sukey Tawdry (we
>never see her) is "entertaining" Macheath when he is arrested; Jenny
>Diver, a former lover, betrays him; Polly Peachum and Lucy Brown are
>his two wives.
>
The film version "Mack the Knife" from 1991 actually makes Sukey Tawdry a
character. The film also rewrites the English lyrics to the songs, for no
clear reason.
Tom Cervo
>the street singer and Curt Jurgens as Macheath. But I seem to remember
>that as a total disaster.
>
>Are there any others?
There can be only one:
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0021818/
David Matthews
Well I haven't seen the Pabst version but I've always been given to
understand that considering the talents involved it was rather
disappointing. Obviously you think differently. Apparently Pabst and
Brecht didn't get along and Brecht ended up suing Pabst over the final
result.
Dave in Toronto.
dobe...@deletesocal.rr.com
<fr...@blarg.net> wrote:
>> There was a movie version of "The Beggars Opera" with Laurence Olivier
>> as Macheath. Didn't see it so I don't know how good it was.
>
>I did not know that.
>
>However, I have seen it produced on the stage and enjoyed it no end.
I think you both would really enjoy the Olivier movie. Dorothy Tutin
(whom Vivien Leigh cattily referred to as "That Dot Tut") is in it,
too.
dobe...@deletesocal.rr.com
>Well I haven't seen the Pabst version but I've always been given to
>understand that considering the talents involved it was rather
>disappointing. Obviously you think differently. Apparently Pabst and
>Brecht didn't get along and Brecht ended up suing Pabst over the final
>result.
Brecht was such a horse's ass.
G. M. Watson
----------
In article <20030915193021...@mb-m27.aol.com>, tomc...@aol.com
(Tom Cervo) wrote:
If you're referring to the Pabst film, that singer was the great Ernst
Busch, who was arguably the finest of all male interpreters of Brecht's
songs on disc (until the recent advent of Matthias Goerne, anyway). Even
though Brecht despised the Pabst film, it's still the closest we'll ever get
to seeing what the original Berlin version looked like--several cast members
from that production appear in the film, most notably Busch and the even
greater Lotte Lenya.
G. M. Watson
----------
In article <37gdmvs57vjjib27e...@4ax.com>,
dobe...@DELETEsocal.rr.com wrote:
Occasionally, when he wasn't occupied with being one of the finest and most
influential poets, playwrights, and dramatic theoriticians of the twentieth
century.
Jim Linwood
Brecht wanted to re-write the script as an openly Marxist attack on capitalism
but Pabst wanted to stick with the theatrical hit version. Brecht's contention
in the court case was that he had the right to control his own work - although
he'd pinched the plot from John Gay.
The case was chucked out and Brecht wrote *The Threepenny Trial* in revenge.
JL
dobe...@deletesocal.rr.com
>> Brecht was such a horse's ass.
>
>Occasionally, when he wasn't occupied with being one of the finest and most
>influential poets, playwrights, and dramatic theoriticians of the twentieth
>century.
I was referring strictly to his character. He was _indeed_ a horse's
ass.
The works to read are: Ronald Hayman's "Brecht: A Biography" & James
K. Lyon's "Bertolt Brecht in America," as well as John Simon's essays
"A Marxist Among Capitalists" & "An Unpleasant Charmer" (which opens
"The paradigm of the artist as monster has been Richard Wagner. This
dubious honor should by now have been transferred to Bertolt Brecht,
whom, if I didn't like pigs, I would call the perfect swine").
Brecht's literary accomplishments & standing are of the first rank.
Tom Cervo
>influential poets, playwrights, and dramatic theoriticians of the twentieth
>century.
>
Simon Callow, in his biography of Laughton, gives a portrait of Brecht that
jibes with both p.o.v's
Abfou
And he reworked his film script as "The Threepenny Novel" -- very
interesting in its own right.
Abfou
G. M. Watson
----------
In article <i9bemv8kdnmvo87l6...@4ax.com>,
dobe...@DELETEsocal.rr.com wrote:
Has John Simon ever had anything positive to say about anyone??
dobe...@deletesocal.rr.com
>Has John Simon ever had anything positive to say about anyone??
Oh my goodness, yes. Read his essays "Musil Ascending" or "Schnitzler:
Poet of the Unfulfilled."
By the way, in those same essays I cited previously, Simon refers to
Brecht as a genius. Simon may be a rabid dog, but he ain't no idiot!