Tony Bennett "Mack The Knife" Keyboard And Vocals

Tony Bennett "Mack The Knife" Keyboard And Vocals

Oh, the shark, babe, has such teeth, dear
And it shows them pearly white
Just a jackknife has old MacHeath, babe
And he keeps it, ah, out of sight
Ya know when that shark bites with his teeth, babe
Scarlet billows start to spread
Fancy gloves, oh, wears old MacHeath, babe
So there's never, never a trace of red

Now on the sidewalk, huh, huh, whoo sunny morning, un huh
Lies a body just oozin' life, eek
And someone's sneakin' 'round the corner
Could that someone be Mack the Knife?

There's a tugboat, huh, huh, down by the river don'tcha know
Where a cement bag's just a'drooppin' on down
Oh, that cement is for, just for the weight, dear
Five'll get ya ten old Macky's back in town
Now d'ja hear 'bout Louie Miller? He disappeared, babe

Oh, the shark, babe, has such teeth, dear
And it shows them pearly white
Just a jackknife has old MacHeath, babe
And he keeps it, ah, out of sight
Ya know when that shark bites with his teeth, babe
Scarlet billows start to spread
Fancy gloves, oh, wears old MacHeath, babe
So there's never, never a trace of red

Now on the sidewalk, huh, huh, whoo sunny morning, un huh
Lies a body just oozin' life, eek
And someone's sneakin' 'round the corner
Could that someone be Mack the Knife?

There's a tugboat, huh, huh, down by the river don'tcha know
Where a cement bag's just a'drooppin' on down
Oh, that cement is for, just for the weight, dear
Five'll get ya ten old Macky's back in town
Now d'ja hear 'bout Louie Miller? He disappeared, babe
After drawin' out all his hard-earned cash
And now MacHeath spends just like a sailor
Could it be our boy's done somethin' rash?

Now Jenny Diver, ho, ho, yeah, Sukey Tawdry
Ooh, Miss Lotte Lenya and old Lucy Brown
Oh, that line forms on the right, babe
Now that Macky's back in town

"Mack the Knife" or "The Ballad of Mack the Knife", originally "Die Moritat von Mackie Messer", is a song 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 at the Theater am Schiffbauerdamm. The song has become a popular standard recorded by many artists, including a US and UK number one hit for Bobby Darin in 1959. This is my keyboard and vocal interpretation.

There are many artists who have recorded the song. These include:
1928/29 Bertolt Brecht
1954 Gerald Price, Broadway cast recording of The Threepenny Opera
1955 Lotte Lenya on the album Lotte Lenya Sings Berlin Theatre Songs of Kurt Weill
1956 Louis Armstrong #20 hit single Dick Hyman, instrumental
Billy Vaughn, instrumental
Sonny Rollins, instrumental (titled "Moritat" after the original title in German)

1957 Bing Crosby with Bob Scobey on the album Bing with a Beat
1959 Bobby Darin, U.S. and UK #1
1959 Eartha Kitt on the album The Fabulous Eartha Kitt Bill Haley & His Comets on the album Strictly Instrumental
Kenny Dorham on the album Quiet Kenny

1960 Jimmy Smith on the album Crazy! Baby
1960 Ella Fitzgerald on the album Ella in Berlin: Mack the Knife
1963 Peggy Lee on the album I'm a Woman, and in 1977 on the album Live in London
1964 Dave Van Ronk on the albums Dave Van Ronk and the Ragtime Jug Stompers, in 1967 on Live at Sir George Williams University, and in 1992 on Let No One Deceive You
1965 Ben Webster on the album Stormy Weather
1968 The Doors on the album Live In Stockholm
1973 Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians on the album Every Night is New Year's Eve with Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians: Live at the Waldorf Astoria
1981 The Psychedelic Furs on the B-side of the single "Pretty in Pink", the 1994 album Here Came The Psychedelic Furs: B Sides and Lost Grooves, and the 2002 re-release of their self-titled first album
1984 Frank Sinatra on the album L.A. Is My Lady
1985 Sting on the album Lost in the Stars: The Music of Kurt Weill
1986 Dagmar Krause on the album Supply and Demand
1988 Ute Lemper on the album Ute Lemper sings Kurt Weill
1990 Roger Daltrey on the film soundtrack Mack the Knife Kenny Garrett on the album African Exchange Student

1991 The Young Gods on the album Play Kurt Weill
1994 Lyle Lovett on the soundtrack to Quiz Show Frank Sinatra with Jimmy Buffett on the album Duets II

1995 Nick Cave on the album September Songs: The Music of Kurt Weill
1997 Marianne Faithfull on the album 20th Century Blues
1999 Max Raabe on the album Die Dreigroschenoper, Ensemble Modern
2000 The Brian Setzer Orchestra on the album Vavoom!
2001 Robbie Williams on the album Swing When You're Winning
2004 Michael Bublé on the album Come Fly with Me
2004 Kevin Spacey for the movie and the soundtrack to Beyond the Sea