85.130Apply it to “Mack the Knife”

Because the song works beautifully through repeated choruses, think structurally rather than adding material continuously.

Possible arrangement:

Intro Sparse cabaret/two-beat hint.

Chorus 1 Simple two-beat.

Turnaround Bass becomes more active.

Chorus 2 Walking swing.

Interlude Motif/riff derived from accompaniment, not full copyrighted melody.

Chorus 3 Blocks/responses.

Modulating turnaround Lead into semitone lift.

Final chorus Maximum theatrical texture.

Tag Repeat ending idea with decreasing density.

Coda Return to the sparse intro character.

That creates a complete story:

small → large → small.