Skip to main content

Dr. Lotte Lenya from Undercover Blues

I love Undercover Blues!  I catch something new and interesting every time I watch it.  While listening to some oldies music, I heard the MOST-EXCELLENT Undercover Blues reference.


 The Story of Dr. Lotte Lenya:

  1. Michael Bublé sang a cover of Mack the Knife.  Bublé covered Sinatra who covered Bobby Darin's "definitive version," who took it from Louis Armstrong, who brought it to the U.S. from Germany in 1956 from a beautiful singer/actress named Lotte Lenya.
  2. So I looked up the song on Wikipedia and found that The Ballad of Mack the Knife was originally a medieval, German murder ballad sung in an Opera called, Die Dreigroschenoper or The Threepenny Opera.  The Opera opens with a carefree, traveling mistral (read: Jefferson Blue), who sings the gruesome tale of Macheath, comparing him (unfavorably) with a shark, and and recounting the tales of his robberies, murders, rapes, and arson in order to intimidate and frighten the audience (read: Mr. Ferderber).  But article didn't mention Lotte Lenya.  So I looked her up too...
  3. Wikipedia informs us that "Lotte Lenya (born: 18 October 1898 – died: 27 November 1981) was an Austrian singer and actress. In the German-speaking and classical-music world she is best remembered for her performances of the songs of her husband, Kurt Weill [composer of the Opera, Die Dreigroschenoper]."  Therefore, if Jefferson Blue is Weill, telling the Opera through his main character, the verbose Balladeer, then naturally Weill's wife, Lenya, is Jane Blue.
  4. Now, here is where the metaphor gets good! The article continues, "In English-language film, Lenya is remembered for her Academy Award-nominated role in The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (1961) and as the sadistic Rosa Klebb in the James Bond movie From Russia with Love (1963)!"
  5. Boom!  Mind blown.  Most brilliant script-writing ever.

*Side Note: Pop mogul and creator of American Idol,  Simon Cowell, named "Mack the Knife" the best song ever written.
Labels:

Comments

  1. Julie TSat Mar 05, 12:47:00 AM MST

    thanks for that great detective work, Muerte...would ever would have known? Just ask Rick about Mel Torme's cover of Jack the Knife. It's world renowned.

    ReplyDelete
  2. HeatherSat Mar 05, 06:49:00 AM MST

    That is absolutely fascinating! I should've looked into the name more. Did you know that when he goes in as a reporter and asks about a big front page picture he uses the name of a famous reporter character in an old Cary Grant film. Genius script writing it is.

    ReplyDelete
  3. NoelleSun Mar 06, 10:32:00 AM MST

    And here all this time I just imagined it was a name they'd made up. I'm impressed you did all that research. Bravo, most interesting stuff.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Please share your thoughts.

Popular posts from this blog

Rummi-"CUB" vs. Rummi-"CUBE"

The "Rummikub" Pronunciation Debate Affirmative Constructive: "Cub" For years, I have been a firm advocate and defender of the pronunciation, Rummi-"CUB".  The game box I grew up with spelled it, Rummicub  on the box. However, other productions of the game have variant spellings: Rummykub , Rummy Kube , Rummy Tiles , etc.  Based solely on box spelling, the game's true pronunciation is open to interpretation. Therefore, Rummi"cub" is equally acceptable to any other given pronunciation. Negative  Constructive : "Cube" My opponents argue that since the game originated over seas, we ought to respect and maintain its original pronunciation. Affirmative Rebuttal: Americanization of the Term When the game was brought to America and given Americanized rules, its name was also Americanized. Pronunciation loyalists then counter my rebuttal with, "there are lots of adopted foreign words that have retained their original pron...
5 comments
Read more

Who's Got The Funk?

I am an amateur guitarist, and I've got no funk. My musical skills seem to lacking that special something . Great musicians have it . Those fortunate enough to have gotten hold of  it , create timeless hits. While musicians without it  fade into oblivion. After spending hours searching through Blues history websites and 1970's band documentaries online, I discovered what that special something  is thank to a (70% Man, 30% fish) character from the BBC show "The Mighty Boosh" named Old Gregg. He identified that  thing  as  The Funk ! But what exactly is The Funk ? Here is some dialogue from the show to help explain its origin and purpose: Old Gregg: You're a musician, yeah? Howard: Yes I am. Old Gregg: Butchya ain't very good, are ya? Howard: I'm one of the best in town. Old Gregg: Come on, I read your reviews. Hmm? You know what your problem is? Howard: What? Old Gregg: Ya ain't got the funk. You're all rigid. Hmm? You're l...
2 comments
Read more

Song Analysis: Your Blood by Aurora

Do You Recognize the Melody? When I first listened to Aurora's 2023 hit single, " Your Blood ," I was immediately reminded of " Lovefool ," a 1996 classic from fellow Scandinavians, The Cardigans. I assumed they were both singing about unrequited love, but I realized they told different stories as I spent more time with Aurora's work. Background Interview with the Artist In this article, A Matter of the Heart , Aurora gives listeners a glimpse into the meaning behind her hit single, " Your Blood" .  In summary, "Your Blood" reflects on the loss of heart and empathy in a world driven by rationality and profit, exploring themes of pain, empathy, and interconnectedness.  Inspired by a letter written by  Indigenous activists from Brazil , Aurora's album,  What Happened to the Heart?,  questions humanity's reliance on mind over heart, highlighting how decisions driven by logic rather than compassion lead to suffering, both for the Eart...
Post a Comment
Read more