Das Chicago Song

Ask and you shall receive. Not sure of the title. This from an awards show hosted by Teri Garr. Madeline Kahn could sing like bird and deadpan the funniest joke in the world. We all miss her and her enormous talent but she was quite shy and humble I have heard. Thank you Madeline.

[@mmjhcb]

There are no words great enough to describe this woman's talents -- PLURAL!!!

[@mmjhcb]

@RAYNOND ST. PIERRE What????????

[@jjsmith3302]

The sad, lonely, irredeemable souls who downvoted this monument of comedic talent will spend eternity in a very dismal world.

[@MartinScreeton]

Wow! You have to love Madeline Kahn! what a extraordinary entertainer... she had it all!

[@gordonadams5891]

Her range as a performer is amazing!

[@depaola63]

She is Hall of Fame! Pure class and wit!

[@tintinsnowyful]

Madeline Kahn is the very definition of talent.

[@nonosays]

Man do I miss her! What a gem she was.

[@knitterscheidt]

kurt weill parody, brilliant, madeline is absolute perfection!

[@KingdomFantasy669]

Day-umn, that vocal range. Truly impressive

[@DiffrentDrumr]

Wonderful! It's called "Das Chicago Song" and it's from Leonard Sillman's New Faces of '68. Thank you for posting this gem!

[@samanthagonzalez8555]

I lost it when she started to sing in the girl's voice 😂😂😂

[@mzmiller52]

She sounds like the voice on the original “let the good times roll”. She was great. Judy holidayish. Understood camp. A rare talent.

[@JoeHarkinsHimself]

If you do not recognize it, the text and the music - and especially Ms Kahn's perfect performance - are loving , but acid flavored parodies of Kurt Weill's masterpiece, The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny. The best parodies are of the works that are the best of their kind. Here's a sample to demonstrate. kzbin.info/www/bejne/i4erpYWhbcZkpMU But there are layers and layers. The Kurt Weill piece may also be seen as inspiration for Cabaret - written originally as a short story "I am a Camera" by an Englishman who visited Germany at the same time as Mahagonny was being performed. And in turn you can see in Mahagonny the relationship of its music and mood to a popular show in Germany during the 1920's called Die Drei Groschen Oper" - based on an 18th century work first popular in England as as slice of underworld life in London, under the title "The Beggar's Opera" which tells another version of the events in the life of MacHeath (Mack the knife) and Jenny Diver, the principal singer in (welcome back) The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny. All great Art has the best of connections.

[@FodrMichalych]

I felt in love with her when she made "woff" in "Young Frankenstain"

[@taffetadarling7391]

If anybody would like the lyrics, I managed to find them, somewhere, a long time ago (I'll paste them down below). Don't quote me on some of the words, as I'm not entirely sure on some of them either. This is one of my favourite songs, sung by Madeline. I have the original LP of when she first sang it in 1966, in the off broadway production; An Evening at the Upstairs at the Downstairs: Mixed Doubles/Below The Belt. I love how she can mix her comedic talent with her singing :) There is a strange foreign city, six thousand miles from Berlin. Near to the mountains, where the Mississippi flows, a magic town where the drugstores never close. I know too well it’s mystic spell, I met my love in that city. God how I took it on the chin! He took my love, and then he sailed away, somewhere east of schuchard on the road to madrilene. Now in a third rate cafe. In belchmerstriesa 93. There’s a berlin girl a waiting, for her lover from that city across the sea. Me! I can’t forget, I remember it yet, that faraway city where we met. You walked up to me, and you tipped your hat, then you kicked my dog and that was that. Let’s go away you said, today you said, I must see de ail you said. Max, you dirty rat,…pooah! In old Chicago by the sea, we tangoed the night away, in a whiskey bar, don’t ask why! Gangsters crooned, to a spanish guitar, and the moan of the saxophone, and the wail of the castanet, in old Chicago remember it Max. Then you smiled and said that you meant no harm, and you took my hand, then you broke my arm. And before I could stop your nasty lying, you pulled a knife and said be mine. You were devine Max, you were like wine Max, who could decline Max, you filthy swine Max,… pooah! In old Chicago by the sea, we sambaed the night away, in the jungle rain, don’t ask, darke sang in the cotton en can. And the thump of the traffic, and the roar of the woodman’s axe, in old Chicago remember it Max. Then you broke my jaw with a single punch, and you took my seat, then you ate my lunch. And you sailed away, where the trademen's flow, without a goodbye, without a hello. Where did you go Max, with all that dough Max, I love you so Max. You fat bum Max,….pooah! In old Chicago by the sea, under the clouds, we hulaed the night away, we watched the goom, don’t! Alone Max, you left me alone with the cry of the girl with a handful of dreams, and a fractured skull. AaaAaaaAaaaaaa, Max, come back. You forgot your whip. Pooah!.

[@taffetadarling7391]

cravinbob Hahaha, go ahead, I don't mind you being bold at all :). Like I said, I couldn't pick out all the words to the lyrics, so it's great that somebody else can help me amend them. I agree, she was very classy and had a beautiful operatic voice that I could listen to all day, and not grow tired of. It's such a shame, that she is no longer with us. She was and still is one of the very few rare most special, inspirational, sincerely kind, beautiful, deeply underrated and extraordinarily talented actresses that we have ever had in the history of Movies, TV and Theatre (It maybe a very bold statement to say, but in my opinion I believe it to be true.....although I'm probably very biased, made clear by my choice of username hahaha)

[@bobolobo1753]

Taffeta Darling Where did you get the lyrics? Because from this and the OBC recording, it sounds more like she's singing "Let’s go away you said, today you said, by the CTA you said." CTA meaning Chicago Transit Authority or the El.

[@charlywobershalek7142]

It's actually Weltschmerzstraße (2:13).

[@BadWebDiver]

Very good transcribe of the lyrics, tho a line goes. "...on the road to Mandalay". It's a reference to a classic romantic story, from a book or movie, I don't remember which.

[@andy-tc2bx]

cool thanks

[@neonmoon82]

I remember my older brothers and sisters listening to I'm A Lonely Frog all the time. It was originally done by Clarence "Frogman" Henry back in 1956. I was only 7.

[@stuartlee6622]

I never heard this!! And baby, I've heard everything.

[@BoingoBurger]

she's so amazing

[@diogof1978]

Simply astonishing!

[@alisvolatpropriis4898]

"Weltschmerzstraße?" 😂

[@cletuswombat2694]

Seldom is seen this brilliance ....

[@nickbigd]

"the wail of the castanets" lol

[@davidbonfiglio5163]

A brilliant send-up of Kurt Weill.

[@mahler58]

Brilliant Kurt Weill-spoof!!

[@Digrient]

Brecht/Weill to be specific. Yes, it's hilarious and Madeline was the original performer. See for information here: www.broadway.com/buzz/10863/cds-das-chicago-song/

[@charlesjtaylor3679]

Genius!

[@robertbarnier45]

Genius

[@scroggins100]

Sadly missed.

[@oscar646]

GENIUS GENIUS GENIUS GENIUS!!!!!

[@gterrymed]

THE IMMORTAL Marlene Dietrich ❤ Madeline Kahn 😆 🤣 😂 😹 BOTH WILL ALWAYS LIVE FOREVER; I'm reminded of Marlene Dietrich at least

[@wordymom]

From a strictly musical POV? That first number? The range? The changes? The cadences? The minor keys? One to ten as hardest, that song is about an 8.5 difficulty. And the second song? Well, flat impossible.

[@jrbaskind]

I doubt that anyone but Madeline Kahn could’ve gotten away with either of those two songs.

[@cravinbob]

Clarence "Frogman" Henry got away with, especially since he wrote it. I say sing any song you wish and nobody can stop you legally, this is America! Happy Independence Day!

[@Chintastic1254]

Thank you so much! I have never seen this in its entirety.

[@marileabond]

Jehovah thank you for this

[@robertbarnier45]

The best

[@honeyjbc1]

Who could vote this one down?

[@babka22]

thank you!!!!

[@cletuswombat2694]

True mastery in 5..

[@DorothyBishop]

*love*!!!!

[@donaldgraham6414]

Wow!! I knew Madeline Kahn was incredibly talented but I never knew she could sing like Kermit the Frog’s dirty old uncle !

[@johnhall4146]

Wow.

[@fester6969]

OMG - Bob, where did you get the Love Laughs video? i've been looking FOREVER to find a digital copy of the old VHS tape I have. Have you published (do you have) the entire hour? LOVIN' it!!

[@meganeverson97]

It's actually called Das Chicago Song.

[@cravinbob]

Megan Everson Thank you!

[@daftbeeswax4439]

She's magnificent...but...is it me or is the piano REALLY out of tune?

[@rjlev]

Music sounds like that of Kurt Weill to me....