"Mack the Knife" was written by Kurt Weill (music) and Bertolt Brecht (lyrics) for their musical The Threepenny Opera, which premiered in Germany in 1928. The most common English lyrics were written for a New York production in 1954, leading to hit singles by Louis Armstrong (1955) and Bobby Darin (1959). Weill's widow, the vocalist Lotta Lenya, who starred in both the original in 1928 and on Broadway, was present at Armstrong's recording session, leading to his spontaneous improvisation, "Look out for Miss Lotta Lenya." Bobby Darin incorporated the line in his pop version, and so have others since then. Don't miss Liberace's piano variations at the bottom of this post.
Here is Bobby Darin, whose version reached number one on the Hot 100, won a Grammy, and was voted Song of the Year for 1959. Frankly, I don't see it as all that impressive, especially compared to Armstrong and Fitzgerald, but lots of people must have liked it.
Lotta Lenya in German, audio only:
Lotta Lenya with Louis Armstrong, audio only:
Historical interest, music begins at 1:00
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