Bobby Darin - "Mack the Knife"
Hit Number 1: October 5, 1959
Stay at Number 1: 9 Weeks
There really weren't a ton of songs about a serial killer going around town and killing a bunch of innocent people, and then bragging about it. But, that's exactly what "Mack the Knife" is about. And just like a few songs before it, "Mack the Knife" had some history with it before someone eventually took it to #1. "Mack the Knife" was originally published in August of 1928, and was composed for a drama opera called "The Threepenny Opera". The song is based on highwayman Macheath in John Gay's "The Beggar's Opera" and he in turn was based on the real life historical thief named Jack Sheppard. But then the jazzy and old school Bobby Darin got a hold of the song, and brought it to #1 for 9 weeks in 1959.
Darin had been involved in the music industry for a couple years, starting out as a songwriter for Connie Francis (who will eventually show up in this blog). In 1958, he had his first big hit with the silly and bluesy "Splish Splash", a song about someone taking a bath, then getting out only to discover that a party had invaded his house. It was a #3 hit, and it's a 6. He then followed that up by "Dream Lover", which peaked at #2 earlier in 1959. (It's a 9). And then came "Mack the Knife". The song doesn't fit in with its time at all and it isn't hard to tell that the song was written long before 1959, but people still went crazy for it.
It isn't hard to see why people loved this song so much. When it first starts, Macheath is essentially introducing himself and what he's all about, and the song sounds soft and unintimidating, despite the lyrics being sung. Macheath compares himself to a shark, and describes how he holds his knife out of sight, getting ready for the right time to do his ugly work. Throughout the song, Macheath describes himself in the third person, and the song starts to build up more and more as it carries on. It changes pitch numerous times, and as the song continues to carry on, you're more and more into it. You want to know where this thing is going! Then the ending comes, and it turns the song into a total masterpiece. Darin is basically wailing away at this point, and is accompanied by shouting trumpets that take this song into a completely different universe. Even the way Darin sings it is great, as he really does sound like someone who is proud of what they've done, and doesn't feel bad for their actions at all. Oh yeah, and none of what I just said is even the best part of the song. The very last part of the song is Darin belting out "Mackey's back in TOWN!!!" and he holds the note for several seconds while still being accompanied by the shouting trumpets. And then for good measure he wraps it up by warning you "Look out old Mackey's back!!", and you're left in disbelief on how awesome the song was that you just heard.
Darin sure seemed like someone that couldn't make a bad song even if he tried. However, he wasn't long for the music industry, as he turned to acting in the 1960s, and even became more politically active. He was present when JFK was assassinated in 1963. And then things got bad for Darin after that, when he discovered that he was being raised by his grandmother, who he had thought was his mother, and then who he thought was his sister was his mother instead. He stayed away from the public eye after that, and rightfully so. In the 70s, his health began to fail, but he expected this. He had suffered from rheumatic fever chronically as a child, so he wanted to use his musical abilities while he was still young. Then finally in 1973, he died after a heart operation.
Darin is likely the one who is most associated with "Mack the Knife" considering he was the one that made it a #1 hit. Frank Sinatra (who will also show up in this blog) had a noteworthy version as well, but he even admitted that it was Darin who had the most iconic version of the song. He was right.
GRADE: 10/10
THE TWOS:
Paul Anka's "Put Your Head on My Shoulder" peaked at #2 behind "Mack the Knife". It's an 8.
Della Reese's "Don't You Know" also peaked at #2 behind "Mack the Knife". It's a 4.
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