Inquisition

[amand_r]

Who knows something about:

1. MacHeath the highwayman
2. Mac the Knife the song, NOT THE THREEPENNY OPERA.
3. Alternate versions of highwayman stories in classic poetry, etc.

Like Alfred Noyes, I already know the story of the highwayman and Bess the landlord's daughter.

Mac the Knife, the named dead women in the version I have are Sookie Tawdry, Jenny Diver, Lottie Lignion. Are there others? IR there being.

Comments

[spiderine.livejournal.com]

The "Mac the Knife" you're talking about is either the Bobby Darrin one or the Louis Armstrong one, right? That last name is "Lotte Lenya"; it's a tribute. It's the name of the original woman who sang the song. She was a cabaret singer who was in a lot of Brecht & Weill's plays. She also played Rosa Klebb in the Bond film, "From Russia With Love".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotte_Lenya

P.S. The fourth woman's name in the song is "Lucy Brown" -- she and Jenny Diver are two more women in the Threepenny Opera.

[amand-r.livejournal.com]

Shit, yeah. Okay, this is why I asked, because internets lyrics are sketchy when you look it up. I forgot abdout Sweet Lucy Brown. I'm talking about the Armstrong version, btw. I just like it better.

[neifile7.livejournal.com]

Just to amplify: Lotte Lenya originated the role of Jenny, who sings "Mackie Messer" in the Threepenny Opera. She was also Kurt Weill's wife; he wrote the song to show off her voice and that particular genre of Weimar cabaret singing, which was heavily influenced by American black jazz and blues. So Satchmo's version kind of reappropriates it.

[amand-r.livejournal.com]

GAH YOU PEOPLE.

[neifile7.livejournal.com]

*geeks* I love that song, love Lotte Lenya, love the whole story of it, LOVE SATCHMO. You pushed a button. :)

[spiderine.livejournal.com]

MEEE TOOO! I love Weill and Brecht's work!

[amand-r.livejournal.com]

I thought he wrote it for Kurt Gerron.

[neifile7.livejournal.com]

For Lenya AFAIK; she's certainly the oldest recording of it, and sings it in TPO.

[amand-r.livejournal.com]

He performed it in the first production, because he played Moi..Moi...bugger the name.

[elainasaunt.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the Moritat, but the first recorded version is actually sung by Brecht himself - you can hear it on YouTube. It's brilliant. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QXJ3OXWaOY

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

Just clarifying, you know the song comes from Threepenny Opera, right? It was written originally by Kurt Weill, in German, which is the reason there are so many versions, it's been translated a bizillion different ways. It's been a long time since I've seen Threpenny but Jenny Diver is probably a reference to Pirate Jenny from the Opera.

(I think you are probably going to whack me on the head and say YES SAM THANKS I KNEW THAT but I wasn't sure from your post.)

[amand-r.livejournal.com]

It was my understanding that it shouldn't have been in the opera at all, and was added when the star threatened to bolt if he wasn't given a proper intro. Bully for them that they did!

I get the Lotte was added in the studio by Louis on the fly, because she was there watching him record.

I'm not too hung up on the opera itself, since the character in question using the song isn't aware/doesn't care that it's from there. But I want the girl's names right. That's important.

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

Ahh, ok, gotcha now. And yeah, it was inserted pretty late in the game.

There's kind of a trope in performances and recordings of it, undoubtedly inspired by Armstrong, to insert some tribute to whoever is there, or working on it, or hanging with the singer. Michael Buble does a cover of it where the whole final verse is about him and his mates making the album. Which, I like Michael Buble and that still ruins the song completely.

[amand-r.livejournal.com]

HAAAHAHAHA Okay then what I might do, since I've read about five different lists of names now, I go with Louie's.

[spiderine.livejournal.com]

[neifile7.livejournal.com]

That is so cool! I'd never seen it, although I have the recording...

[pommery.livejournal.com]

I know Ella Fitzgerald did a cover of Mack the Knife, I've got it on an old C.D... I don't think it'll be much use though, I'm pretty sure in the version I've got she forgets the lyrics half way through and just...da-dee-dums it. Which is awesome, but not really helpful... :$

[amand-r.livejournal.com]

It's okay though, because she's ELLA!

[pommery.livejournal.com]

OWNS MY SOUL SHE DOES. :)
(shares with Maggie Bell, but whatev)

[alienor77310.livejournal.com]

It's in "Ella in Berlin" in the "Jazz at the philharmonic" series.

[paragraphs.livejournal.com]

That's the recorded version I know, ELLA!!! My sister WORSHIPED her and has sooo many of her albums (the big thangs, round? LOL). She had tickets to see her in Houston but was horribly disappointed when the concert was canceled due to Ella having a horrid cold. Never got to see her. Pretty sure it traumatized my sister.

I am so curious why you are after this info!

[wildeagain.livejournal.com]

Oh, man, so much Loreena McKennitt right there for me in the highwayman and Bess the landlord's daughter reference. And now my comment is entirely irrelevant to your post . . .

[amand-r.livejournal.com]

NO MAN, I WAS THINKING OF THAT. I TOTES WAS.

[blue-fjords.livejournal.com]

Dude. neifile7, spiderine and copperbadge are ALL WRONG. The ORIGINAL "Mack the Knife" was entitled "Mac Tonight" and played in McDonald's commercials in the 1980s. It went a little something like this:

When the clock strikes
Half past six babe
Gotta head for
Golden lights
It's a good time
For the great taste -- dinner!
At McDonald's....
It's Mac tonight!!!!

[amand-r.livejournal.com]

OMG YES!

[kel-reiley.livejournal.com]

2. my high school english/drama teacher sang kareoke to that song on one of our drama-club cast parties at a restaurant somewhere

...that's all i got ;)

[alienor77310.livejournal.com]

Normally, the Moritat (i.e. Mack the Knife) is sung by a "street singer", who is kind of like the narrator in the Rocky Horror Picture Show ...

Lotte Lenya was fresh and young and the composer's wife when the 3PO premiered, and she played Polly Peachum. I have a much more recent recording where she's Pirate Jenny.

[amand-r.livejournal.com]

That was my understanding of the part.

[alienor77310.livejournal.com]

I also want to apologize for the piecemeal and almost random answers. Hay-fever ate my brainz.

[amand-r.livejournal.com]

It's okay! It seems like everyone was excited about the subject! I have decided to use the Armstrong text and work around that!

[alienor77310.livejournal.com]

The original Macheath the highwayman is from John Gay's "Beggar's Opera", text at wiki : http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Beggar%27s_Opera

[alienor77310.livejournal.com]

And both are often associated to this French mediaeval ballad: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballade_des_pendus

[alienor77310.livejournal.com]

Also this:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Mandrin