who first sang mac the knife?

Answer 1

"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.

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, 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.

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 alone.

Many versions of "Mack the Knife" pay homage to previous artists who have recorded the song by naming them towards the end.

Pop mogul Simon Cowell named the song (as sung by Bobby Darin) the best song ever written on Radio 4's Desert Island Disks.

Answer 2

I've always liked this song from years ago when I first heard it. The tune is really catchy and the lyrics are grusome.

The song comes from the Threepenny Opera produced in 1928 and written by Kurt Weill, but as others have said, was recorded by Louis Armstrong in 1956 and Bobby Darin in 1958 and by lots of other people since then. Some of which, apart from the tune, are unrecognisable as being about a truly dreadful character.

The "real" version is a lot darker than most of the recordings and include the arson deaths of 7 kids and the rape of a child bride. Macheath was a not a nice person!

Probably the closest translation of the original German is the one sung by Bobby Darin during the end credits of the film "Quiz Show" - and that contains the "missing" verses.

Answer 3

Lotte Lenya. She was married (twice) to Kurt Weil - the composer - and sprang to fame when she took the part of Jenny in the Threepenny Opera in 1928.

If you haven't heard her recording, I urge you to do so - her rough, brittle timbre is delectable.

Further info:

"So, we finally get to your song, the "Ballad of Mack the Knife" (Die Moritat von Mackie Messer) from The Three Penny Opera. The song was a last-minute addition to appease the vanity of tenor Harald Paulson, who played Macheath. However, it was performed by the ballad singer, to introduce the character. The essence of the song is: "Oh, look who's coming onstage, it's Mack the Knife – a thief, murderer, arsonist, and rapist." (If these last two startle you, be patient for a couple paragraphs.)

The Brecht-Weill version premiered in Germany in 1928 and was an instant hit. Within a year, it was being performed throughout Europe, from France to Russia. Between 1928 and 1933 it was translated into 18 languages and had over 10,000 performances.

In 1933, The Three Penny Opera was first translated into English and brought to New York by Gifford Cochran and Jerrold Krimsky. There have been at least eight English translations over the years. In the 1950s, Marc Blitzstein wrote an adaptation, cleaning up "Mack the Knife" and dropping the last two stanzas about arson and rape. At the revival in New York using the Blitzstein translation, Lotte Lenya, Kurt Weill's widow, made her comeback – she had a role in the original 1928 Berlin production.

Blitzstein's sanitized adaptation is the best known version of the song in the English-speaking world, and undoubtedly the one you've heard. Louis Armstrong popularized it worldwide in 1955 with an amazing jazz beat. Bobby Darin's 1958 recording was #1 on the Billboard charts for many weeks and won a Grammy as best song. It's been sung as ballad, jazz, and rock by many of the greats, including Ella Fitzgerald and Rosemary Clooney."

Answer 4

Frank Sinatra Mack The Knife

Answer 5

Mack The Knife Singer

Answer 6

Louis Armstrong first performed it in 1956 and then Bobby Darin in 1958 this is the most recognised one. The song comes from the 'Threepenny Opera' which was first performed in Germany in the 1930's.

Answer 7

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RE:
who first sang mac the knife?

Answer 8

Bobby Darin

Answer 9

Bobby Darin

Answer 10

Mack The Knife is the English version of a German song by Kurt Weil which was from Germany in the 1930s.