Simply sign up to the Life & Arts myFT Digest -- delivered directly to your inbox. At the heart of the story of “Mack the Knife” is a great irony: a song about a cold-blooded serial murderer ...

Darin began including “Mack the Knife” in his nightclub show and went on to record it on an album of standards. Darin’s arrangement was similar to Armstrong’s except for the key changes.