8.4K views · 788 reactions | “Surabaya Johnny“ with the @pacificjazzorch. ‘I’m a Stranger Here Myself - Wainwright Does Weill’ out now. Listen/order at the link in bio. | Rufus Wainwright | Facebook

Surabaya Johnny is one of Kurt Weill's most well-known songs, and for good reason. It is classic Weill - telling an entire narrative in only a few short minutes and a beautiful, haunting melody. He called it Gebrauchsmusik, meaning "utility music", for music that exists not only for its own sake but composed for an identifiable purpose. Since debuting in The Happy End and popularised by Weill's wife - the incomparable Lotte Lenya, it has become one of the most sung pieces in the cabaret repertoi