Mack The Knife: From Common Thief To Beloved Jazz Tune
A rogue’s exploits inspire later generations of musicians
Mack the Knife is one of my favorite songs. It’s an upbeat, fun standard chart that’s just as popular in jazz circles as hits like Take Five, Birdland, or Sing, Sing, Sing. I never tire of it.
For the first few decades of my jazz life, I focused on the music and rhythms of tunes. I didn’t pay much attention to the lyrics. But as I got older, I stopped hearing and started listening to the words.
Most songs enjoy a good marriage of lyrics and music. The lyricist writes about a topic — a favorite place, a special ability, a folk hero, a love infatuation, or even music itself. The composer accompanies that story with a good beat and a melody that sticks in your head. The music style often supports the story the singer is trying to tell.
But not always. Mack provides a dark piece to this puzzle.
Mack the Knife became popular in the 1950s and 60s. It’s been sung in rock and ballad styles, yet the upbeat, jazzy rhythm is still the most popular.
Here’s the kicker: the song is about a serial murderer, yet people still love it.
The lyrics weren’t obvious when I first listened, and I wondered why the singer belted…
