After the stabbing death of two teenagers by another teenager in 1959, some radio stations banned this Bobby Darin hit record from "The Threepenny Opera." What was the song title?

With its jaunty, finger-snapping arrangement, Bobby Darin's 1959 chart-topper sounds like a celebration. The lyrics, however, tell a much darker story, chronicling the violent crimes of a notorious murderer. Lines describing a "body oozing life" and a criminal who keeps his jackknife "out of sight" took on a disturbing new meaning following a highly publicized gang-related stabbing in New York City. In the wake of the tragedy, several radio stations felt the song's content was too grim and sensational, pulling it from the airwaves out of sensitivity to the real-world violence.

The song's sinister theme was no accident; it originated as "Die Moritat von Mackie Messer" in the 1928 German musical "The Threepenny Opera" by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill. In the play, the song serves as a grim introduction to the ruthless anti-hero and crime lord, Macheath. Darin's genius was in transforming this dark European "murder ballad" into an accessible, swinging American pop standard, though its violent roots ultimately led to its temporary censorship.