Mack the Knife - Bobby Darin - MP3 instrumental karaoke

The sprightly, swinging tone of "Mack the Knife" certainly belies its macabre content. Believe it or not, this much-loved classic—which was given a jazz-pop makeover by Bobby Darin in August 1959—has its origins in a German opera from the 1920s, which was in turn inspired by the medieval equivalent of a murder ballad. 1928 music drama The Threepenny Opera (German: Die Dreigroschenoper) was composed by Kurt Weill with lyrics by Bertolt Brecht, and brings the knife-wielding titutlar criminal Macheath, known as "Mack the Knife," to life. First popularised by Louis Armstrong in 1955, Bobby Darin switched up the lyrics slightly (using "babe" instead of "dear") and soared to number one with his version of "Mack the Knife," clinging onto the top spot for eight weeks, and winning the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 1960. Bobby Darin also picked up the Grammy Award for Best New Artist that year, and "Mack the Knife" has since been garlanded with a Grammy Hall of Fame Award.