Why did Ruben Blades wrote the song "Pedro Navaja"?

Rubén Blades was inspired to write Pedro Navaja when he first heard the medley of The Threepenny Opera song. He felt the haunting story and medley of the characters in the opera and fell in love with it. Later in his life, he heard the song Mack the Knife. The first singer to record Mack the Knife was Bobby Darin and later Louis Armstrong performed the song. In parties, Blades was asked to sing the Mack the Knife song, which tells the story of a panderer's life and his presumed death. Rubén Blades was shy in singing the song but he loved it since his early youthful days.  The song stuck with him for the remainder of his life, which later influence him and Willie Colon to produce a 1978 collaboration album titled Siembra. The album introduced us to songs like Plástico, Buscando Guayaba and the hit classic Pedro Navaja.

Mack the Knife (Bobby Darin)

Mack the Knife (Louis Armstrong)