To Be or Not to Be (The Hitler Rap)

Last updated
"To Be or Not to Be"
Mel brooks - To cover or not to cover.jpg
UK release artwork
Single by Mel Brooks
Released1983
Genre Comedy hip hop
Length7:43(extended version)
4:35 (single version)
Label Island (UK 12IS 158)
Songwriters Mel Brooks, Pete Wingfield
Producer Pete Wingfield

"To Be or Not to Be (The Hitler Rap)" is a comedy hip hop song recorded by Mel Brooks in 1983 for Island Records. The song appeared on the soundtrack album for the movie of the same name. It was derived from the burlesque show within the film but did not appear within it. [1] It also echoes Brooks's 1967 film The Producers , with the lines "Don't be stupid, be a smarty. Come and join the Nazi Party," [2] taken from the song "Springtime for Hitler".

Contents

In the accompanying music video, Brooks is dressed like Adolf Hitler and raps about the key events in Hitler's life in Nazi Germany. The ending makes reference to Hitler's alleged escape to Argentina near the end of World War II. [2]

The song managed to chart high in Australia and the United Kingdom, peaking at number three in the former country and number 12 on the UK Singles Chart. It also reached number one in Norway and number two in Sweden.

Track listing

  1. "To Be or Not to Be (The Hitler Rap) (Part 1)" – 7:43
  2. "To Be or Not to Be (The Hitler Rap) (Part 2)" (Instrumental Mix) – 7:51

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for "To Be or Not to Be"
Chart (1983–1984)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [4] [5] 3
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [6] 23
Germany (GfK) [7] 11
Ireland (IRMA) [8] 8
Italy ( TV Sorrisi e Canzoni ) [9] 39
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [10] 24
Norway (VG-lista) [11] 1
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [12] 2
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [13] 15
UK Singles (OCC) [14] 12

Year-end charts

Chart (1984)Position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [4] 50

References

  1. ↑ James Robert Parish (2008). It's Good to Be the King: The Seriously Funny Life of Mel Brooks. John Wiley & Sons. p. 245. ISBN   978-0470225264.
  2. 1 2 Reid, Graham (January 21, 2011). "Mel Brooks: To Be Or Not To Be; The Hitler Rap (1984)". Elsewhere. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
  3. ↑ "Mel Brooks – To Be Or Not To Be at Discogs". Discogs. 1983. Retrieved April 28, 2012.
  4. 1 2 "Kent Music Report No 548 – 31 December 1984 > National Top 100 Singles for 1984". Kent Music Report . Retrieved January 23, 2023– via Imgur.com.
  5. ↑ "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Top 100 Singles 1984". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
  6. ↑ "Mel Brooks – To Be or Not to Be (The Hitler Rap)" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  7. ↑ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. To see the peak chart position, click 'TITEL VON', followed by the artist's name. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  8. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – To Be or Not to Be". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  9. ↑ Racca, Guido (2013). "Brooks, Mel". 50 Anni di Superclassifica Singoli: Sorrisi e Canzoni (2nd ed.). TV Sorrisi e Canzoni. p. 147. ISBN   5800105114757.{{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid prefix (help)
  10. ↑ "Mel Brooks – To Be or Not to Be (The Hitler Rap)". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  11. ↑ "Mel Brooks – To Be or Not to Be (The Hitler Rap)". VG-lista. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  12. ↑ "Mel Brooks – To Be or Not to Be (The Hitler Rap)". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  13. ↑ "Mel Brooks – To Be or Not to Be (The Hitler Rap)". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  14. ↑ "Official Singles Chart on 24/3/1984 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
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