During my junior year in college I saw a Broadway production of the Threepenny Opera (styled “3 Penny Opera“), featuring Sting in the lead role of MacHeath. The musical was written by Bertolt Brecht with music by Kurt Weill. A synopsis of the show can be found here.
“Threepenny Opera” was somewhat considered avant garde when first produced, but it did not strike me that way in 1989. I was already familiar with Brecht, having performed in The Caucasian Chalk Circle in high school. I also suspect that many of Brecht’s theatrical innovations seemed far less revolutionary decades after they were introduced to theater audiences.
“Mack the Knife” is undoubtedly the most famous song from the show, having been famously covered by Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Bobby Darin, and Nick Cave, among many others. Simon Cowell apparently believes it was the best song ever written (though I doubt because of this version).
“Alabama Song” (aka “Whiskey Bar”) [from the Brecht-Weill collaboration “The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahogany”] is also well known, having been immortalized by The Doors. Others covered the track subsequently, with varying degrees of success. David Bowie was up to the task, but I can’t say the same about Marilyn Manson.
For today’s song lyric I thought I’d select something less well known. I considered the lyrics of the “Cannon Song” (aka “Army Song“). That song is somewhat timely, almost reminiscent of the “Baghdad Diarist.” Rather than wade into that controversy, I opted for “Solomon Song” instead (which, incidentally, I much prefer). Here is the first verse:
You all have heard of Solomon
The wisest man on earth
He understood humanity
And so he cursed the hour of his birth
And saw that all was vanity
How great and wise was Solomon!
And yet before the day was done
The world could see where it would end
His wisdom brought him to his bitter end
How fortunate the man with none
The full lyrics can be found here.