~ Warren Zevon featuring Joe Walsh, Don Felder, Glenn Frey & Don Henley ~
Back in Weimar Germany, Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht wrote this song for “The Threepenny Opera,” a musical stage work set in the German underworld. The original was a strophic song underlaid by repeated droning chords to a droning vocal line.
Ernie Kovacs loved using it as background for his blackouts. This is one example.
Walden Robert Cassotto (1936-73) could do it all: sing, compose, act and play a variety of instruments. More than anything else, he wanted to be the next Sinatra. His career took off with a song writing partnership in 1955 with Don Kirshner, and in 1956 his agent negotiated a contract with Decca, which ended when he couldn’t produce a hit.
A member of the Brill Building gang, Bobby was introduced to Connie Francis, for whom he wrote several songs. They developed a romantic interest; her father, who was not fond of Darin, did not approve, so the couple split up. At one point, Bobby wanted to elope, and Connie said that not marrying Darin was the biggest mistake of her life.
He signed with Atlantic Records, where he wrote and arranged for himself and others. Old standards that he recorded in a rock and roll style didn’t sell. Enter Ahmet Ertegun. Atlantic was about R&B and rock and roll, and Bobby had to put his dreams of Sinatra aside for the label’s primary mission.
”Splish Splash” was co-written with DJ Murray “the K” Kaufman after a phone call from Bobby’s mother, a frustrated song writer. Her latest idea was, “Splish, splash, take a bath.” Both Kaufman and Darin felt the title was lackluster, but Darin, grasping at straws, said, “I could write a song with that title.” Within an hour Darin wrote the song, and it won a Gold Record.
”Mack the Knife” was his attempt to get more control over his career and revive his dream of succeeding Sinatra. To get around the repetitive nature of the song’s structure and harmony, he got the idea of changing key each verse to keep it fresh.