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The "'''Alabama Song'''"—also known as "'''Moon of Alabama'''", "'''Moon over Alabama'''", and "'''Whisky Bar'''"—is an [[English language|English]] version of a song written by [[Bertolt Brecht]] and translated from German by his close collaborator [[Elisabeth Hauptmann]] in 1925 and set to music by [[Kurt Weill]] for the 1927 play ''[[Little Mahagonny]]''. It was reused for the 1930 opera ''[[Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny]]'' and has been recorded by [[the Doors]] and [[David Bowie]].
The "'''Alabama Song'''"—also known as "'''Moon of Alabama'''", "'''Moon over Alabama'''", and "'''Whisky Bar'''"—is an [[English language|English]] version of a song{{clarify|reason=What is the name of the Brecht song?|date=April 2023}} written by [[Bertolt Brecht]] and translated from German by his close collaborator [[Elisabeth Hauptmann]] in 1925 and set to music by [[Kurt Weill]] for the 1927 play ''[[Little Mahagonny]]''. It was reused for the 1930 opera ''[[Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny]]'' and has been recorded by [[the Doors]] and [[David Bowie]].


==Original version==
==Original version==
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| producer =
| producer =
}}
}}
The "Alabama Song" was written as a German poem and translated into [[idiosyncratic]] English for the author [[Bertolt Brecht]] by his close collaborator [[Elisabeth Hauptmann]] in 1925<ref>{{citation |title=Bertolt Brecht: Poems and Songs from the Plays |page=223 |editor-last=Willett |editor-first=John |editor2-first=Ralph |editor2-last=Manheim |display-editors=1 |ref={{harvid|Willett & al.|1990}} |publisher=Methuen |date=1990 }}</ref> and published in Brecht's 1927 ''[[Hauspostille|Home Devotions]]'' ({{lang-de|Hauspostille}}), a parody of [[Martin Luther]]'s collection of sermons. It was set to music by [[Kurt Weill]] for the 1927 play ''[[Little Mahagonny]]'' (''{{lang|de|Mahagonny-Songspiel}}'') and reused for Brecht and Weill's 1930 opera ''[[Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny]]'' (''{{lang|de|Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny}}''), where it is sung by Jenny and her fellow prostitutes in Act I. Although the majority of all three works is in German, the "Alabama Song" retained Hauptmann's broken English lyrics throughout.
The "Alabama Song" was written as a German poem and translated into [[idiosyncratic]] English for the author [[Bertolt Brecht]] by his close collaborator [[Elisabeth Hauptmann]] in 1925<ref>{{citation |title=Bertolt Brecht: Poems and Songs from the Plays |page=223 |editor-last=Willett |editor-first=John |editor2-first=Ralph |editor2-last=Manheim |display-editors=1 |ref={{harvid|Willett & al.|1990}} |publisher=Methuen |date=1990 }}</ref> and published in Brecht's 1927 ''Home Devotions'' (''{{interlanguage link|Hauspostille|de}}''), a parody of [[Martin Luther]]'s collection of sermons. It was set to music by [[Kurt Weill]] for the 1927 play ''[[Little Mahagonny]]'' (''{{lang|de|Mahagonny-Songspiel}}'') and reused for Brecht and Weill's 1930 opera ''[[Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny]]'' (''{{lang|de|Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny}}''), where it is sung by Jenny and her fellow prostitutes in Act I. Although the majority of all three works is in German, the "Alabama Song" retained Hauptmann's English lyrics throughout.


Brecht and Weill's version of the song was first performed by the [[Vienna|Viennese]] actress and dancer [[Lotte Lenya]], Weill's wife,<ref>{{citation |last=Cad |first=Saint |contribution=Top 10 Famous Songs With Unknown Originals |contribution-url=http://listverse.com/2012/07/31/top-10-famous-songs-with-unknown-originals/ |title=Listverse |url=http://listverse.com |access-date=21 June 2013 }}.</ref> in the role of Jessie at the 1927 [[Baden-Baden]] Festival's performance of ''Little Mahagonny''. The first recording of the song—by Lenya for the Homocord record label—came out in early 1930 under the title "Alabama-Song";<ref name=kwf/> it was rerecorded the same year for the Ultraphon record label for release with the 1930 [[Leipzig]] premiere of ''The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny'', despite Lenya not being a member of that cast.<ref>{{citation |title=Lenya |page=32 |publisher=Bear Family Records |date=1998 }}.</ref> She continued to perform and record the song throughout her life, including for her 1955 album ''Lotte Lenya Sings Kurt Weill'' (''{{lang|de|Lotte Lenya singt Kurt Weill}}''), released in the United States under the title ''Berlin Theater Songs''.<ref name=kwf>{{citation |title=Kurt Weill Foundation |url=http://www.kwf.org |contribution-url=http://www.kwf.org/pages/ll-discography.html |contribution=Lotte Lenya Discography }}.</ref>
Brecht and Weill's version of the song was first performed by the [[Vienna|Viennese]] actress and dancer [[Lotte Lenya]], Weill's wife,<ref>{{citation |last=Cad |first=Saint |contribution=Top 10 Famous Songs With Unknown Originals |contribution-url=http://listverse.com/2012/07/31/top-10-famous-songs-with-unknown-originals/ |title=Listverse |url=http://listverse.com |access-date=21 June 2013 }}.</ref> in the role of Jessie at the 1927 [[Baden-Baden]] Festival's performance of ''Little Mahagonny''. The first recording of the song—by Lenya for the Homocord record label—came out in early 1930 under the title "Alabama-Song";<ref name=kwf/> it was rerecorded the same year for the Ultraphon record label for release with the 1930 [[Leipzig]] premiere of ''The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny'', despite Lenya not being a member of that cast.<ref>{{citation |title=Lenya |page=32 |publisher=Bear Family Records |date=1998 }}.</ref> She continued to perform and record the song throughout her life, including for her 1955 album ''Lotte Lenya Sings Kurt Weill'' (''{{lang|de|Lotte Lenya singt Kurt Weill}}''), released in the United States under the title ''Berlin Theater Songs''.<ref name=kwf>{{citation |title=Kurt Weill Foundation |url=http://www.kwf.org |contribution-url=http://www.kwf.org/pages/ll-discography.html |contribution=Lotte Lenya Discography }}.</ref>
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| artist = [[the Doors]]
| artist = [[the Doors]]
| album = [[The Doors (album)|The Doors]]
| album = [[The Doors (album)|The Doors]]
| released = January 4, 1967<ref>{{cite web |title=''The Doors'' – Album Details |url=https://www.thedoors.com/discography/doors-583 |website=Thedoors.com |access-date=July 29, 2020}}</ref>
| released = January 4, 1967<ref>{{cite web |title=''The Doors'' – Album Details |url=https://www.thedoors.com/discography/doors-583 |website=Thedoors.com |access-date=July 29, 2020 |archive-date=September 7, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150907002911/https://www.thedoors.com/discography/doors-583 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| recorded = August 1966
| recorded = August 1966
| studio =
| studio =
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*[[ska]]
*[[ska]]
*[[psychedelic music|psychedelia]]
*[[psychedelic music|psychedelia]]
*[[polka]]
*[[carnival music|carnival]]
| length = 3:20
| length = 3:20
| label = [[Elektra Records|Elektra]]
| label = [[Elektra Records|Elektra]]
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| producer = [[Paul A. Rothchild]]
| producer = [[Paul A. Rothchild]]
}}
}}
The song was recorded in 1966 by the rock group [[the Doors]], listed as "Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)". According to drummer [[John Densmore]] and guitarist [[Robby Krieger]], the song was presented by keyboardist [[Ray Manzarek]] to the group while recording their [[The Doors (album)|debut album]], and after the other members were dissatisfied with the melody, they changed it.<ref name="Childed"/><ref name="Classic">{{cite AV media |people=[[The Doors]] |title=Classic Albums: The Doors |year=2008 |publisher=[[Eagle Rock Entertainment]] |medium=DVD}}</ref> Doors' cover version combine [[avant-garde music|avant-garde]],<ref name="Childed">{{cite web
The song was recorded in 1966 by the rock group [[the Doors]], listed as "Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)". According to drummer [[John Densmore]] and guitarist [[Robby Krieger]], the song was presented by keyboardist [[Ray Manzarek]] to the group during their early years, and due to their dissatisfaction with the melody, they radically changed it.<ref name="Childed" /><ref name="Classic">{{cite AV media |people=[[The Doors]] |title=Classic Albums: The Doors |year=2008 |publisher=[[Eagle Rock Entertainment]] |medium=DVD}}</ref> The Doors' cover version combines [[avant-garde music|avant-garde]]<ref name="Childed">{{cite web
|first=Serg |last=Childed |date=August 27, 2018 |url=https://musictales.club/article/german-roots-moon-alabama?amp |title=German roots of the Moon of Alabama |website=Music Tales |access-date=March 23, 2021}}</ref><ref name="Jones">{{cite book |first=Dylan |last=Jones |author-link=Dylan Jones |year=2015 |title=Mr Mojo: A Biography of Jim Morrison |publisher=[[Bloomsbury Publishing]] |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w2pQBwAAQBAJ&q=Alabama+Song+avant-+garde&pg=PA52|page=52|isbn=978-1408860571}}</ref> [[carnival music]] influences,<ref name="Luhrssen">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=phsIDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA95 |title=Encyclopedia of Classic Rock |last1=Luhrssen |first1=David |last2=Larson |first2=Michael |year=2017 |publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]] |isbn=978-1440835148 |page=95}}</ref> with [[psychedelic music|psychedelic]] and [[ska]] stylistics.<ref name="Christian">{{cite book |first=Christian |last=Matijas-Mecca |year=2020 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=knTtDwAAQBAJ&q=Alabama+Song+Ska&pg=PA76|title=Listen to Psychedelic Rock! Exploring a Musical Genre |page=76 |publisher=Hardcover |isbn=978-1440861970}}</ref>
|first=Serg |last=Childed |date=August 27, 2018 |url=https://musictales.club/article/german-roots-moon-alabama?amp |title=German roots of the Moon of Alabama |website=Music Tales |access-date=March 23, 2021}}</ref><ref name="Jones">{{cite book |first=Dylan |last=Jones |author-link=Dylan Jones |year=2015 |title=Mr Mojo: A Biography of Jim Morrison |publisher=[[Bloomsbury Publishing]] |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w2pQBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA52|page=52|isbn=978-1408860571}}</ref> and [[polka music]] influences<ref name="Luhrssen">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=phsIDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA95 |title=Encyclopedia of Classic Rock |last1=Luhrssen |first1=David |last2=Larson |first2=Michael |year=2017 |publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]] |isbn=978-1440835148 |page=95}}</ref> with [[psychedelic music|psychedelic]] elements.<ref name="Christian">{{cite book |first=Christian |last=Matijas-Mecca |year=2020 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=knTtDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA76|title=Listen to Psychedelic Rock! Exploring a Musical Genre |page=76 |publisher=Hardcover |isbn=978-1440861970}}</ref> It was a regular one from their set at the [[Whisky a Go Go]], and [[Van Morrison]] reported that he was surprised when he heard the Doors playing it at the venue.<ref>{{cite magazine |first=David |last=Fricke |author-link=David Fricke |date=April 17, 2015 |title=Van Morrison: I Didn't Know I Was Going to Have This Body of Work' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/van-morrison-i-didnt-know-i-was-going-to-have-this-body-of-work-227372/amp/ |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |access-date=December 11, 2023}}</ref>


Lead singer [[Jim Morrison]] reportedly altered the second verse from "Show us the way to the next pretty boy" to "Show me the way to the next little girl",<ref name="Weidman">{{cite book
Lead singer [[Jim Morrison]] altered the second verse from "Show us the way to the next pretty boy" to "Show me the way to the next little girl",<ref name="Weidman">{{cite book
|last=Weidman |first=Richie
|last=Weidman |first=Richie
|year=2011 |title=The Doors FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Kings of Acid Rock
|year=2011 |title=The Doors FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Kings of Acid Rock
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wNCGDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT141 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1617131141 |page=141}}</ref> but, on the 1967 ''Live at the Matrix'' recording, he sang the original unaltered "next pretty boy".<ref>{{cite web |title=The Doors: ''Live at the Matrix 1967'' |url=https://www.thedoors.com/discography/live-matrix-1967-3225 |access-date=August 31, 2020 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906205809/https://www.thedoors.com/discography/live-matrix-1967-3225 |archive-date=September 6, 2015 |website=Thedoors.com}}</ref> For the Doors' recording, Ray Manzarek also contributed [[Marxophone]] along with organ and keyboard bass.<ref name="Classic Extras">{{cite AV media |people=[[The Doors]] |title=Classic Albums: The Doors [Extras] |year=2008 |publisher=Eagle Rock Entertainment |medium=DVD}}</ref>
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wNCGDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT141 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1617131141 |page=141}}</ref> but, on the 1967 ''Live at the Matrix'' recording, he sang the original unaltered "next pretty boy".<ref>{{cite web |title=The Doors: ''Live at the Matrix 1967'' |url=https://www.thedoors.com/discography/live-matrix-1967-3225 |access-date=August 31, 2020 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906205809/https://www.thedoors.com/discography/live-matrix-1967-3225 |archive-date=September 6, 2015 |website=Thedoors.com}}</ref> For the Doors' recording, Ray Manzarek also contributed [[marxophone]] along with organ and keyboard bass.<ref name="Classic Extras">{{cite AV media |people=[[The Doors]] |title=Classic Albums: The Doors [Extras] |year=2008 |publisher=Eagle Rock Entertainment |medium=DVD}}</ref> Manzarek recalled that it was producer [[Paul Rothchild]]'s idea to provide a marxophone on the track, to which Manzarek ultimately said, "It worked out perfectly, that jingle-[[jangly]] sound."<ref name="Golsen">{{cite magazine |first=Tyler |last=Golsen |date=November 19, 2022 |title=The Bizarre Instrument at the Heart of the Doors' 'Whisky Bar' Cover |url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/the-bizarre-instrument-at-the-heart-of-the-doors-whisky-bar-cover/amp|magazine=[[Far Out Magazine]] |access-date=May 8, 2023}}</ref>


===Personnel===
===Personnel===
Per sources:<ref name="Classic"/><ref name="Classic Extras"/><ref name="Liner">{{cite AV media notes| year = 1967| title = The Doors| type = Album notes| others = [[The Doors]]| location = New York City| publisher = [[Elektra Records]]| id = ELK-4007| at = Back cover}}</ref>
Per sources:<ref name="Classic" /><ref name="Classic Extras" /><ref name="Golsen" /><ref name="Liner">{{cite AV media notes| year = 1967| title = The Doors| type = Album notes| others = [[The Doors]]| location = New York City| publisher = [[Elektra Records]]| id = ELK-4007| at = Back cover}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Heinz |last=Gerstenmeyer |title=The Doors – Sounds for Your Soul – Die Musik Der Doors
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8xk_-cOcPH4C&pg=PA11 |year=2001 |isbn=978-3-8311-2057-4 |page=11 |language=de}}</ref>


* [[Jim Morrison]] – lead vocals
* [[Jim Morrison]] – lead and backing vocals
* [[Robby Krieger]] – guitar, backing vocals
* [[Robby Krieger]] – guitar, backing vocals
* [[Ray Manzarek]] – organ, [[keyboard bass]], [[marxophone]], backing vocals
* [[Ray Manzarek]] – [[Vox Continental]], [[keyboard bass]], [[marxophone]], backing vocals
* [[John Densmore]] – drums, backing vocals
* [[John Densmore]] – drums, backing vocals
* [[Paul Rothchild]] – backing vocals
* [[Paul A. Rothchild]] – backing vocals


==David Bowie version==
==David Bowie version==
{{one source|section|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox song
{{Infobox song
| name = Alabama Song
| name = Alabama Song
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| album =
| album =
| B-side = [[Space Oddity]] (1979 version)
| B-side = [[Space Oddity]] (1979 version)
| released = 15 February 1980
| released = {{start date|1980|2|15|df=yes}}
| recorded = 2 July 1978
| recorded = 2 July 1978
| studio = Good Earth, London
| studio = Good Earth, London
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* [[Cabaret]]
* [[Cabaret]]
* [[opera]]
* [[opera]]
| length = 3:51
| length = {{duration|m=3|s=51}}
| label = [[RCA Records|RCA]]
| label = [[RCA Records|RCA]]
| writer = [[Bertolt Brecht]], [[Kurt Weill]]
| writer =
*[[Bertolt Brecht]]
*[[Kurt Weill]]
| producer = David Bowie, [[Tony Visconti]]
| producer =
*David Bowie
*[[Tony Visconti]]
| prev_title = [[John, I'm Only Dancing (Again)]]
| prev_title = [[John, I'm Only Dancing (Again)]]
| prev_year = 1979
| prev_year = 1979
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| next_year = 1980
| next_year = 1980
}}
}}
[[David Bowie]], a Brecht fan, performed the song throughout his 1978 [[Isolar II – The 1978 World Tour|Isolar II]] tour. A live version from the tour, recorded in either Philadelphia on 29&nbsp;April 1978 or in Boston on 6&nbsp;May,{{sfn|O'Leary|2019|loc=chap. 3}} appeared on the 1991, 2005 and 2017 reissues of the [[live album]] ''[[Stage (David Bowie album)|Stage]]''.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|p=17}}<ref name="Stage" /> On 2&nbsp;July 1978, a day after the tour's European leg ended, Bowie recorded a studio version at [[Tony Visconti]]'s Good Earth Studios in London with his studio band. Pianist Sean Mayes stated that "it had been such a hit on the tour that David wanted to do it as a single."{{sfn|O'Leary|2019|loc=chap. 3}}{{sfn|Pegg|2016|p=17}} With unconventional key changes, the track "seemed calculated to disrupt any radio programme on which it was lucky enough to get played", in the words of ''[[NME]]'' editors [[Roy Carr]] and [[Charles Shaar Murray]].{{sfn|Carr|Murray|1981|p=108}}
Bowie, a Brecht fan, incorporated the song into [[Isolar II – The 1978 World Tour|Isolar II]], his 1978 World Tour. He cut a version at [[Tony Visconti]]’s studio after the European leg of the tour, and in 1980 it was issued as a single to hasten the end of Bowie’s contract with [[RCA Records|RCA]].


Bowie's studio cut of "Alabama Song" was released by [[RCA Records]] as a single on 15&nbsp;February 1980, with the catalogue number RCA BOW&nbsp;5.{{sfn|O'Leary|2019|loc=chap. 3}} Reaching number 23 in the UK,<ref>{{cite web |title=David Bowie – full Official Chart History |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/19138/david-bowie/ |publisher=[[Official Charts Company]] |access-date=24 April 2023}}</ref> the single featured a fold-out sleeve and was backed by Bowie's new acoustic rendition of "[[Space Oddity]]", recorded in December 1979 for ''The "Will Kenny Everett Make It to 1980?" Show''.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|p=17}} Discussing the track, biographer [[Nicholas Pegg]] calls it "one of the most defiantly uncommercial, discordant and aggressive recordings Bowie ever released".{{sfn|Pegg|2016|p=17}} In 2016, ''[[Ultimate Classic Rock]]'' placed the single at number 84 (out of 119) in a list ranking every Bowie single from worst to best.<ref name="UCRlist">{{cite web |title=Every David Bowie Single Ranked |url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/david-bowie-singles-ranked/ |website=[[Ultimate Classic Rock]] |access-date=19 September 2021 |date=14 January 2016 |archive-date=24 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210724234336/https://ultimateclassicrock.com/david-bowie-singles-ranked/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
With unconventional key changes, the track "seemed calculated to disrupt any radio programme on which it was lucky enough to get played".<ref name="Bowie: An Illustrated Record">{{cite book |first1=Roy |last1=Carr |author-link1=Roy Carr |first2=Charles Shaar |last2=Murray |author-link2= Charles Shaar Murray |year=1981 |title=Bowie: An Illustrated Record |page=108}}</ref> Nevertheless, backed with a stripped-down acoustic version of "[[Space Oddity]]" recorded in December 1979, the single reached No. 23 in the UK. Although Bowie also changed the "pretty boy" line like Morrison, he sang Weill's original melody.


Bowie later appeared in a [[BBC]] version of Brecht's ''[[Baal (play)|Baal]]'' and released an [[Baal (EP)|EP]] of songs from the play.{{sfn|O'Leary|2019|loc=chap. 4}} He subsequently performed "Alabama Song" on his 1990 [[Sound+Vision Tour|Sound+Vision]] and 2002 [[Heathen Tour|Heathen]] tours.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|p=17}} The song also appeared on the 1992 [[Rykodisc]] reissue of ''[[Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)]]'',<!-- sourced by Pegg --> as well as the [[compilation album]]s ''[[Rare (David Bowie album)|Rare]]'' (1982), ''[[The Singles Collection (David Bowie album)|The Singles Collection]]'' (1993), ''[[The Best of David Bowie 1980/1987]]'' (2007)<!-- sourced by Pegg --> and ''Re:Call 3'', part of the ''[[A New Career in a New Town (1977–1982)]]'' box set, in 2017.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|p=17}}<ref name="Stage">{{cite web |url=https://www.davidbowie.com/news/new-career-new-town-1977-1982-57146 |title=''A New Career In A New Town (1977–1982)'' – David Bowie Latest News |website=David Bowie Official Website |date=22 July 2016 |access-date=30 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170713014523/https://www.davidbowie.com/news/new-career-new-town-1977-1982-57146 |archive-date=13 July 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Erlewine |first=Stephen Thomas |author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine |title=''The Singles: 1969–1993'' – David Bowie |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-singles-1969-1993-mw0000526484 |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=7 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501155129/https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-singles-1969-1993-mw0000526484 |archive-date=1 May 2021}}</ref>
Bowie would appear in a [[BBC]] version of Brecht's ''[[Baal (play)|Baal]]'', and release an [[Baal (EP)|EP]] of songs from the play. He performed "Alabama Song" again on his 1990 [[Sound+Vision Tour]] and 2002 [[Heathen Tour|Heathen]] tours.


===Personnel===
A concert performance recorded in spring 1978 during the [[Isolar II – The 1978 World Tour|Isolar II Tour]] was released as a bonus track on the [[Rykodisc]] reissue of Bowie's live album ''[[Stage (David Bowie album)|Stage]]'' in 1991 and on the 2005 reissue of that album.
According to Chris O'Leary:{{sfn|O'Leary|2019|loc=chap. 3}}
*[[David Bowie]] – lead and backing vocal
*[[Adrian Belew]] – lead guitar, backing vocal
*[[Carlos Alomar]] – rhythm guitar, backing vocal
*Simon House – electric violin
*Sean Mayes – piano, backing vocal
*Roger Powell – synthesiser
*[[George Murray (musician)|George Murray]] – bass, backing vocal
*[[Dennis Davis]] – drums
*[[Tony Visconti]] – backing vocal


'''Technical'''
===Other releases===
*David Bowie – producer
* It was released as the B-side of the Japanese single "[[Crystal Japan]]" in February 1980.
*Tony Visconti – producer
* The German release of the single "[[Ashes to Ashes (David Bowie song)|Ashes to Ashes]]" in August 1980 had "Alabama Song" as the B-side.
* In 1992 it was released as a bonus track on the [[Rykodisc]] reissue of ''[[Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)]]''.
* It appeared on the compilation ''[[The Singles Collection (David Bowie album)|The Singles Collection]]'' in 1993 and on ''[[The Best of David Bowie 1980/1987]]'' in 2005.
* It was included on ''Re:Call 3'', part of the ''[[A New Career in a New Town (1977–1982)]]'' boxed set, in 2017.


==References in popular culture==
==References in popular culture==
{{cleanup section|reason=references may not meet [[:WP:SONGTRIVIA]].|date=August 2020}}
{{cleanup section|reason=references may not meet [[:WP:SONGTRIVIA]].|date=August 2020}}
⚫
* The [[Watergate Hotel]] lobby whisky bar is named after this song.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Watergate Hotel's luxury whiskey bar gets its name from a Doors song |url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/dec/11/watergate-hotels-luxury-whiskey-bar-gets-its-name-/ |access-date=2022-05-26 |newspaper=The Washington Times |language=en-US}}</ref>
* The lyric "Show me the way to the next whisky bar" is written on the wall of the men's restroom in the TV show ''[[Cheers]]''; it can be seen in episode 9 of Season 1 "Coach Returns to Action".
⚫
* The political commentator [[Billmon]] named his blog ''Whiskey Bar'' quoting the song. When he closed the comments, his followers created another blog named ''Moon of Alabama''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Moon Of Alabama |author=Bernhard |url=http://www.moonofalabama.org/about.html |access-date=2020-06-19}}</ref>
* In 2013, The Doors' version of the song made an appearance in [[Simon Pegg]] and [[Edgar Wright]]'s collaborative finale to the ''[[Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy|Cornetto Trilogy]]'', ''[[The World's End (film)|The World's End]]''.
* [[Galgalatz]] plays this song every Friday just before [[midnight]].
⚫
* The [[Watergate Hotel]] lobby whisky bar is named after this song.<ref>{{Cite web |last=https://www.washingtontimes.com |first=The Washington Times |title=Watergate Hotel’s luxury whiskey bar gets its name from a Doors song |url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/dec/11/watergate-hotels-luxury-whiskey-bar-gets-its-name-/ |access-date=2022-05-26 |website=The Washington Times |language=en-US}}</ref>
* In the internet horror game [[Sad Satan]], a slowed down version of this song can be heard in the background at some points which may cause the listener to feel nauseous while it plays.
⚫
* The political commenter [[Billmon]] named his blog ''Whiskey Bar'' quoting the song. When he closed the comments, his followers created another blog named ''Moon of Alabama''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Moon Of Alabama |author=Bernhard |url=http://www.moonofalabama.org/about.html |access-date=2020-06-19}}</ref>


==Selective list of recorded versions==
==Selective list of recorded versions==
{{cleanup section|reason=versions may not meet [[:WP:SONGCOVER]].|date=August 2020}}
The song has been covered often:
* Jazz musicians [[Eric Dolphy]] and [[John Lewis (pianist)|John Lewis]] recorded ''Mack the Knife and Other Berlin Theatre Songs of Kurt Weill'', an album of Kurt Weill tunes in 1964. "Alabama Song" was performed by a band consisting of Dolphy on [[bass clarinet]], Lewis on piano, [[Nick Travis]] on trumpet, [[Mike Zwerin]] on trombone, [[Richard Davis (bassist)|Richard Davis]] on double bass, and [[Connie Kay]] on drums. The solo order is trombone, piano, and bass clarinet. Zwerin asked Dolphy to "play what [he] felt about Alabama".
* Jazz musicians [[Eric Dolphy]] and [[John Lewis (pianist)|John Lewis]] recorded ''Mack the Knife and Other Berlin Theatre Songs of Kurt Weill'', an album of Kurt Weill tunes in 1964. "Alabama Song" was performed by a band consisting of Dolphy on [[bass clarinet]], Lewis on piano, [[Nick Travis]] on trumpet, [[Mike Zwerin]] on trombone, [[Richard Davis (bassist)|Richard Davis]] on double bass, and [[Connie Kay]] on drums. The solo order is trombone, piano, and bass clarinet. Zwerin asked Dolphy to "play what [he] felt about Alabama".
* [[The Mitchell Trio]] on ''The Slightly Irreverent Mitchell Trio'' in 1964
* [[Dave Van Ronk]] (of the [[Greenwich Village]] folk movement), in 1964 and 1992.
* [[Jacques Higelin]], a French singer, covered the song with [[:fr:Catherine Sauvage|Catherine Sauvage]], on his LP devoted to [[Boris Vian]] in 1966 (French lyrics by Boris Vian)
* [[Mike Westbrook]] featured the song in performances of his Brass Band in the 1970s, with lyrics by his wife [[Kate Westbrook (musician)|Kate]].
* [[Bette Midler]]. The song was included in a medley in her 1977 live show and double album ''[[Live at Last (Bette Midler album)|Live at Last]]''.
* [[Bette Midler]]. The song was included in a medley in her 1977 live show and double album ''[[Live at Last (Bette Midler album)|Live at Last]]''.
* [[Abwärts]], the song featured in the 1980 EP ''Computerstaat'' the German punk band.
* [[Dalida]], the song was covered by the French chanteuse in English during the 1980s. She changed the lyrics in verses to "Show me the way to the next little dollar" and "For if we don't find the next petit dollar."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dalida.com/anglais/816-alabama-song.html |title=Dalida site Officiel - Alabama song |language=fr |publisher=dalida.com |access-date=2013-10-28}}</ref>
* [[Električni Orgazam]] recorded a version on their 1982 album ''Lisce Prekriva Lisabon''.
* [[Nina Simone]], on her 1987 album ''[[Live at Ronnie Scott's (Nina Simone album)|Live At Ronnie Scott's]]'', recorded at [[Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club]] in London in 1984.
* [[Nina Simone]], on her 1987 album ''[[Live at Ronnie Scott's (Nina Simone album)|Live At Ronnie Scott's]]'', recorded at [[Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club]] in London in 1984.
* It was covered by [[Ralph Schuckett]] with [[Richard Butler (singer)|Richard Butler]], [[Bob Dorough]], [[Ellen Shipley]] and John Petersen on the [[tribute album]] ''[[Lost in the Stars: The Music of Kurt Weill]]''.
* It was covered by [[Ralph Schuckett]] with [[Richard Butler (singer)|Richard Butler]], [[Bob Dorough]], [[Ellen Shipley]] and John Petersen on the [[tribute album]] ''[[Lost in the Stars: The Music of Kurt Weill]]''.
* [[Moni Ovadia]], the Italo-Bulgarian actor, in 1997, included the song in his album ''Ballata di fine millennio''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.moniovadia.it/content/ |title=Moni Ovadia Sito Ufficiale |archive-date=23 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090323054050/http://www.moniovadia.it/content/ |access-date=2016-02-09}}</ref>
* [[Ute Lemper]] in 1991: ''Ute Lemper Sings Kurt Weill''
* [[Ute Lemper]] in 1991: ''Ute Lemper Sings Kurt Weill''
* [[The Young Gods]] covered it on their 1991 release ''[[The Young Gods Play Kurt Weill]]'', with the lyrics "Show us the way to the next little girl".
* [[The Young Gods]] covered it on their 1991 release ''[[The Young Gods Play Kurt Weill]]'', with the lyrics "Show us the way to the next little girl".
*[[Big John Bates]] covered it as a duet on their 2019 Skinners Cage LP with upright bass, violin, guitar and drums, omitting "show us the way to the next little girl" to reflect the change in modern sensibilities.
* [[Marianne Faithfull]] performed this song (along with several other Brecht/Weill songs) live on her ''20th Century Blues'' album released in 1996.
* [[Marianne Faithfull]] performed this song (along with several other Brecht/Weill songs) live on her ''20th Century Blues'' album released in 1996.
* [[David Johansen]] covered the song on a compilation of Kurt Weill's music entitled ''[[September Songs – The Music of Kurt Weill]]'', released in 1997.
* [[David Johansen]] covered the song on a compilation of Kurt Weill's music entitled ''[[September Songs – The Music of Kurt Weill]]'', released in 1997.
* [[eX-Girl]] covered, the song on the album ''[[Big When Far, Small When Close]]'' in 2000.
* [[Kazik Staszewski]] covered the song by interpreting the lyrics and adding a new verse. Moreover, the song was performed in [[Rock music|rock]] style. The song was published on the album ''Melodie Kurta Weill'a i coś ponadto'' (''The Melodies of Kurt Weill and Something More'') released in 2001.
* [[Dee Dee Bridgewater]] recorded the song on an album ''[[This Is New (Dee Dee Bridgewater album)|This Is New]]'' in 2002.
* [[Marilyn Manson (band)|Marilyn Manson]] covered the song live in a show in [[Berlin]] in 2003.
* [[The Bobs]], an [[a cappella]] quartet, recorded an arrangement of the song on their 2005 album ''Rhapsody in Bob''.
* [[Arthur H]]. and [[:fr:Jeanne Cherhal|Jeanne Cherhal]] also covered the song live in 2007 at the [[:fr:Muzik'Elles|Muzik'Elles]] festival in Meaux. The cover was performed in English.
* [[Max Raabe]] and Palast Orchester performed the song live (as "Moon of Alabama"), albeit only its first verse and the chorus, recorded on a two-CD set of the Carnegie Hall performance in November 2007 titled ''Heute Nacht Oder Nie'' (''Tonight or Never'')
* [[Amy X Neuburg]] recorded a version on ''Sports! Chips! Booty!'' in 2000.
* [[Gianluigi Trovesi]] and [[Gianni Coscia]] recorded a [[clarinet]] and [[accordion]] version in 2005.
* [[Dagmar Krause]], former [[Henry Cow]] member, recorded a version (as well as several other songs written by Bertolt Brecht) on her 1986 solo album, ''[[Supply and Demand (Dagmar Krause album)|Supply and Demand]]''.
* [[Johnny Logan (singer)|Johnny Logan]] covered the song on his album, ''[[Irishman in America]]'' (2008).
* [[Viza]] released a free download of their recording in 2012.
* [[Chiara Galiazzo]], the winner of the [[X Factor (Italy series 6)|sixth series]] of the Italian version of ''[[The X Factor (TV series)|The X-Factor]]'', presented a dance version on November 22, 2012.
* [[Justin Vivian Bond]] covered the song on their 2012 solo album ''Silver Wells''.
* [[Amanda Palmer]] covered the song as a duet with [[Gavin Friday]] at her show in [[Dublin]] on July 18, 2013.
Linda van Dyck performed it on Swedish television show Forsta Samlek on May 10, 1972.


==See also==
==See also==
Line 170: Line 150:


===Bibliography===
===Bibliography===
* {{citation |last=Pegg |first=Nicholas | title = The Complete David Bowie | publisher = Reynolds & Hearn | location = London | year = 2000| isbn = 1-903111-14-5 }}
*{{cite book|last1=Carr|first1=Roy|author-link1=Roy Carr|last2=Murray|first2=Charles Shaar|author-link2=Charles Shaar Murray|title=Bowie: An Illustrated Record|publisher=[[Eel Pie Publishing]]|location=London|year=1981|isbn=978-0-380-77966-6}}
*{{cite book| last=O'Leary| first=Chris| year=2019| title=Ashes to Ashes: The Songs of David Bowie 1976–2016| location=London |publisher=[[Repeater Books|Repeater]]| isbn=978-1-912248-30-8 }}
*{{cite book|last=Pegg|first=Nicholas|author-link=Nicholas Pegg|title=The Complete David Bowie|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LqFkDQAAQBAJ|publisher=[[Titan Books]]|location=London|edition=revised and updated|year=2016|isbn=978-1-78565-365-0}}


{{Lotte Lenya}}
{{Lotte Lenya}}

Latest revision as of 21:24, 19 September 2024

For the novel, see Alabama Song (novel); for the Allison Moorer album, see Alabama Song (album); for songs with similar titles, see Alabama (disambiguation)#Music.
Alabama Song
song by Kurt Weill
Textby Bertolt Brecht
translated by Elisabeth Hauptmann
LanguageEnglish, trans. from German
Composed1927 (1927)

The "Alabama Song"—also known as "Moon of Alabama", "Moon over Alabama", and "Whisky Bar"—is an English version of a song[clarification needed] written by Bertolt Brecht and translated from German by his close collaborator Elisabeth Hauptmann in 1925 and set to music by Kurt Weill for the 1927 play Little Mahagonny. It was reused for the 1930 opera Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny and has been recorded by the Doors and David Bowie.

Original version

[edit]
"Alabama-Song"
Single by Lotte Lenya
B-sideDenn wie man sich bettet
Recorded24 February 1930
Genre
LabelHomocord
Songwriter(s)Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Weill

The "Alabama Song" was written as a German poem and translated into idiosyncratic English for the author Bertolt Brecht by his close collaborator Elisabeth Hauptmann in 1925[1] and published in Brecht's 1927 Home Devotions (Hauspostille [de]), a parody of Martin Luther's collection of sermons. It was set to music by Kurt Weill for the 1927 play Little Mahagonny (Mahagonny-Songspiel) and reused for Brecht and Weill's 1930 opera Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny (Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny), where it is sung by Jenny and her fellow prostitutes in Act I. Although the majority of all three works is in German, the "Alabama Song" retained Hauptmann's English lyrics throughout.

Brecht and Weill's version of the song was first performed by the Viennese actress and dancer Lotte Lenya, Weill's wife,[2] in the role of Jessie at the 1927 Baden-Baden Festival's performance of Little Mahagonny. The first recording of the song—by Lenya for the Homocord record label—came out in early 1930 under the title "Alabama-Song";[3] it was rerecorded the same year for the Ultraphon record label for release with the 1930 Leipzig premiere of The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, despite Lenya not being a member of that cast.[4] She continued to perform and record the song throughout her life, including for her 1955 album Lotte Lenya Sings Kurt Weill (Lotte Lenya singt Kurt Weill), released in the United States under the title Berlin Theater Songs.[3]

The Doors version

[edit]
"Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)"
Song by the Doors
from the album The Doors
ReleasedJanuary 4, 1967[5]
RecordedAugust 1966
Genre
Length3:20
LabelElektra
Songwriter(s)Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Weill
Producer(s)Paul A. Rothchild

The song was recorded in 1966 by the rock group the Doors, listed as "Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)". According to drummer John Densmore and guitarist Robby Krieger, the song was presented by keyboardist Ray Manzarek to the group during their early years, and due to their dissatisfaction with the melody, they radically changed it.[6][7] The Doors' cover version combines avant-garde[6][8] and polka music influences[9] with psychedelic elements.[10] It was a regular one from their set at the Whisky a Go Go, and Van Morrison reported that he was surprised when he heard the Doors playing it at the venue.[11]

Lead singer Jim Morrison altered the second verse from "Show us the way to the next pretty boy" to "Show me the way to the next little girl",[12] but, on the 1967 Live at the Matrix recording, he sang the original unaltered "next pretty boy".[13] For the Doors' recording, Ray Manzarek also contributed marxophone along with organ and keyboard bass.[14] Manzarek recalled that it was producer Paul Rothchild's idea to provide a marxophone on the track, to which Manzarek ultimately said, "It worked out perfectly, that jingle-jangly sound."[15]

Personnel

[edit]

Per sources:[7][14][15][16][17]

David Bowie version

[edit]
"Alabama Song"
Single by David Bowie
B-side"Space Oddity (1979 version)"
Released15 February 1980 (1980-02-15)
Recorded2 July 1978
StudioGood Earth, London
Genre
Length3:51
LabelRCA
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
David Bowie singles chronology
"John, I'm Only Dancing (Again)"
(1979) 		"Alabama Song"
(1980) 		"Crystal Japan"
(1980)

David Bowie, a Brecht fan, performed the song throughout his 1978 Isolar II tour. A live version from the tour, recorded in either Philadelphia on 29 April 1978 or in Boston on 6 May,[18] appeared on the 1991, 2005 and 2017 reissues of the live album Stage.[19][20] On 2 July 1978, a day after the tour's European leg ended, Bowie recorded a studio version at Tony Visconti's Good Earth Studios in London with his studio band. Pianist Sean Mayes stated that "it had been such a hit on the tour that David wanted to do it as a single."[18][19] With unconventional key changes, the track "seemed calculated to disrupt any radio programme on which it was lucky enough to get played", in the words of NME editors Roy Carr and Charles Shaar Murray.[21]

Bowie's studio cut of "Alabama Song" was released by RCA Records as a single on 15 February 1980, with the catalogue number RCA BOW 5.[18] Reaching number 23 in the UK,[22] the single featured a fold-out sleeve and was backed by Bowie's new acoustic rendition of "Space Oddity", recorded in December 1979 for The "Will Kenny Everett Make It to 1980?" Show.[19] Discussing the track, biographer Nicholas Pegg calls it "one of the most defiantly uncommercial, discordant and aggressive recordings Bowie ever released".[19] In 2016, Ultimate Classic Rock placed the single at number 84 (out of 119) in a list ranking every Bowie single from worst to best.[23]

Bowie later appeared in a BBC version of Brecht's Baal and released an EP of songs from the play.[24] He subsequently performed "Alabama Song" on his 1990 Sound+Vision and 2002 Heathen tours.[19] The song also appeared on the 1992 Rykodisc reissue of Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps), as well as the compilation albums Rare (1982), The Singles Collection (1993), The Best of David Bowie 1980/1987 (2007) and Re:Call 3, part of the A New Career in a New Town (1977–1982) box set, in 2017.[19][20][25]

Personnel

[edit]

According to Chris O'Leary:[18]

Technical

  • David Bowie – producer
  • Tony Visconti – producer
[edit]
  • The Watergate Hotel lobby whisky bar is named after this song.[26]
  • The political commentator Billmon named his blog Whiskey Bar quoting the song. When he closed the comments, his followers created another blog named Moon of Alabama.[27]

Selective list of recorded versions

[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Willett, John; et al., eds. (1990), Bertolt Brecht: Poems and Songs from the Plays, Methuen, p. 223
  2. ^ Cad, Saint, "Top 10 Famous Songs With Unknown Originals", Listverse, retrieved 21 June 2013.
  3. ^ a b "Lotte Lenya Discography", Kurt Weill Foundation.
  4. ^ Lenya, Bear Family Records, 1998, p. 32.
  5. ^ "The Doors – Album Details". Thedoors.com. Archived from the original on September 7, 2015. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  6. ^ a b Childed, Serg (August 27, 2018). "German roots of the Moon of Alabama". Music Tales. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  7. ^ a b The Doors (2008). Classic Albums: The Doors (DVD). Eagle Rock Entertainment.
  8. ^ Jones, Dylan (2015). Mr Mojo: A Biography of Jim Morrison. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 52. ISBN 978-1408860571.
  9. ^ Luhrssen, David; Larson, Michael (2017). Encyclopedia of Classic Rock. ABC-CLIO. p. 95. ISBN 978-1440835148.
  10. ^ Matijas-Mecca, Christian (2020). Listen to Psychedelic Rock! Exploring a Musical Genre. Hardcover. p. 76. ISBN 978-1440861970.
  11. ^ Fricke, David (April 17, 2015). "Van Morrison: I Didn't Know I Was Going to Have This Body of Work'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  12. ^ Weidman, Richie (2011). The Doors FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Kings of Acid Rock. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 141. ISBN 978-1617131141.
  13. ^ "The Doors: Live at the Matrix 1967". Thedoors.com. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  14. ^ a b The Doors (2008). Classic Albums: The Doors [Extras] (DVD). Eagle Rock Entertainment.
  15. ^ a b Golsen, Tyler (November 19, 2022). "The Bizarre Instrument at the Heart of the Doors' 'Whisky Bar' Cover". Far Out Magazine. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  16. ^ The Doors (Album notes). The Doors. New York City: Elektra Records. 1967. Back cover. ELK-4007.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  17. ^ Gerstenmeyer, Heinz (2001). The Doors – Sounds for Your Soul – Die Musik Der Doors (in German). p. 11. ISBN 978-3-8311-2057-4.
  18. ^ a b c d O'Leary 2019, chap. 3.
  19. ^ a b c d e f Pegg 2016, p. 17.
  20. ^ a b "A New Career In A New Town (1977–1982) – David Bowie Latest News". David Bowie Official Website. 22 July 2016. Archived from the original on 13 July 2017. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  21. ^ Carr & Murray 1981, p. 108.
  22. ^ "David Bowie – full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  23. ^ "Every David Bowie Single Ranked". Ultimate Classic Rock. 14 January 2016. Archived from the original on 24 July 2021. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  24. ^ O'Leary 2019, chap. 4.
  25. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Singles: 1969–1993 – David Bowie". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 1 May 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  26. ^ "Watergate Hotel's luxury whiskey bar gets its name from a Doors song". The Washington Times. Retrieved 2022-05-26.
  27. ^ Bernhard. "About Moon Of Alabama". Retrieved 2020-06-19.

Bibliography

[edit]
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