Introduction
“Mack the Knife,” originally titled “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 introduces the character Macheath, a notorious criminal in London’s underworld, drawing inspiration from the highwayman Macheath in John Gay’s The Beggar’s Opera.
The song was a last-minute addition to the opera, inserted before its premiere because Harald Paulsen, the actor portraying Macheath, demanded a more effective introduction for his character. Weill and Brecht decided that the song should not be sung by Macheath himself but by a street singer, aligning with the Moritat tradition—a medieval version of the murder ballad performed by strolling minstrels.
In 1954, Marc Blitzstein translated the song into English for an off-Broadway production of The Threepenny Opera, which played for over six years. This translation formed the basis for many popular versions, including those by Louis Armstrong and Bobby Darin.
Louis Armstrong’s 1955 rendition introduced “Mack the Knife” to the U.S. hit parade, reaching number 20 on Billboard’s Top 100 chart in March 1956. Bobby Darin’s 1959 version became a number one hit in the U.S. and U.K., earning him two Grammy Awards.
Ella Fitzgerald’s live performance in Berlin on February 13, 1960, is particularly notable. After forgetting the lyrics, she improvised, incorporating references to Armstrong and Darin. This performance earned her a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
Over the years, “Mack the Knife” has been covered by numerous artists across various genres, cementing its place as a timeless standard in music history.