The "Alabama Song" comes from the 1930 operetta Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny. The music is by Kurt Weill; officially the lyrics are by Bertolt Brecht, but were probably actually written by Elisabeth Hauptmann. ^* The lyrics for the "Alabama Song" are in English (albeit specifically idiosyncratic English) and are performed in that language even when the opera is performed in its original German.

The song has often been covered, perhaps most famously in 1967 by The Doors; unsurprisingly, Jim Morrison changed "Show us the way to the next pretty boy" to "Show me the way to the next little girl", which David Bowie sang as "Show us the way to the next little girl" in the late 1970s. Marilyn Manson later covered the song live in a show in Berlin in 2003, during which he sang both lyrics.

Songs from musicals | 1930 songs | 1967 songs | The Doors songs | Arias | Bertolt Brecht

Alabama Song