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Mack the Knife

Episode 3 of 5

Suzi Quatro and Lenny Kaye discuss the famous Brecht/Weill song written for The Threepenny Opera in 1928. From December 2015.

The Brecht/Weill song, 'Mack The Knife' first appeared in 'The Threepenny Opera' in Berlin in 1928. Sung about the criminal MacHeath, the 'play with music' is based on John Gay's 'The Beggar's Opera', who was inspired by the real-life English highwayman, Jack Sheppard.

The song became a hit when performed in 1959 by Bobby Darin.

Ella Fitzgerald famously forgot the words when performing live in Berlin in 1960 and her improvised version won a Grammy.

Suzi Quatro talks about how she performed it with her father as a child, playing bongos to accompany him.

Lenny Kaye from the Patti Smith Group recalls how he and Patti did a version of 'Mack The Knife' at their first ever performance together at St Marks Church in New York on 10th February 1971, as it was Brecht's birthday.

Film-maker Malcolm Clark tells the story of the song's first public performer, Kurt Gerron, an actor and director, who took the song into the darkest places of the Third Reich.

Contributors:

Stephen Hinton
Stephen Parker
Jane Tipping
John Bird
Malcolm Clarke
Lenny Kaye
Suzi Quatro

Series about pieces of music with a powerful emotional impact.

Producer: Sarah Conkey

First broadcast on 麻豆社 Radio 4 in December 2015.

Available now

30 minutes

Last on

Wed 20 Apr 2022 00:30

Broadcasts

  • Tue 8 Dec 2015 11:30
  • Sat 12 Dec 2015 15:30
  • Fri 10 Nov 2017 18:30
  • Sat 11 Nov 2017 00:30
  • Tue 19 Apr 2022 18:30
  • Wed 20 Apr 2022 00:30

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