He is the only artist to score a #1 Hit in the U.S. with a German language song, and his albums and singles have sold about 60 million copies worldwide.
Early Years
Born in Vienna, studying at the Vienna Music Conservatory in 1977 which he left after one semester to pursue a career in music, he lived for a short time in West Berlin while singing in a jazz-rock band. When he returned to Vienna he was calling himself "Falco," reportedly in tribute to the East German ski jumper Falko Weißpflog, and playing in the Austrian bands Spinning Wheel and Hallucination Company. En route to becoming an international rock star in his own right, he was bass player in the Austrian hard rock-punk rock band Drahdiwaberl (from 1978 until 1983). With Drahdiwaberl he wrote and performed the song "Ganz Wien" which he would also include on his debut solo album Einzelhaft.
Individual success
Falco's first hit was "Der Kommissar" from the 1982 album Einzelhaft. A German language song about drug consumption that combines rap verses with a sung chorus, Falco's record was a number-one success in many countries but failed to break big in the U.S. The song, however, would prove to have a life of its own in two English-language versions. British Rock band After the Fire recorded an English cover version, loosely based on Falco's lyrics and also called "Der Kommissar" (with "uh-oh" and "alles klar Herr Kommissar" the only other lyrics held over from the original). This time, the song shot to number three in the United States (their only major hit there) in 1983, though it failed to crack the UK Top 40. The band - who had been together more than a decade - broke up almost immediately thereafter. That same year, American singer Laura Branigan recorded a version of the song with new English lyrics, under the title "Deep in the Dark" on her album Branigan 2.
After a second album, Junge Roemer, failed to provide a repeat to his debut single's success (outside of Austria and Germany, where the album topped the charts), Falco began to experiment with English lyrics in an effort to broaden his appeal, and chose a new production team. The result would be the most popular album and single of his career.
Falco recorded "Rock Me Amadeus" inspired in part by the Oscar-winning film Amadeus, and the song became a worldwide hit in 1986. This time, his record reached #1 in the U.S. and UK, bringing him the success that had eluded him in that major market a few years earlier. The song remained in the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks and his album, Falco 3, fittingly peaked at the number three position on the Billboard album charts. Unheard of at the time for a white performer, much less a European one, the Austrian rapper's single climbed to the upper reaches of the Billboard Top R&B Singles Chart (only a few years earlier called the "Black Singles" chart), peaking at number 6. Falco 3 peaked at number 18 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. Ultimately, "Rock Me Amadeus" went to the #1 spot in over a dozen countries including the Soviet Union and Japan. Follow-up single "Vienna Calling" was another international pop hit, peaking at #18 of the Billboard Charts and #17 on the U.S. Cash Box Charts in 1986. A double A-side 12" single featuring remixes of those two hits peaked at #4 on the U.S. Dance/Disco charts.
"Jeanny" the third release from the album Falco 3, brought the performer back to the top of the charts across Europe. Highly controversial when it was released in Germany and the Netherlands, the story of "Jeanny" was told from the point of view of a rapist and possible murderer. Several DJs and radio stations refused to play the ballad, which was ignored in the U.S., although it became a huge hit in many European countries, and inspired two sequels on later albums.
In 1986, the album Emotional was released, produced by Rob and Ferdi Bolland (Bolland & Bolland). On the Album were "Coming Home (Jeanny Part 2, Ein Jahr danach)" and the song "Kamikaze Cappa" which was written as a tribute to the late photojournalist Robert Capa. "The Sound of Musik" was another international success, and a Top 20 U.S. Dance hit, though he failed to make the U.S. pop charts. He also went on "Emotional-Tour" which was a world tour where he ended up in Japan at 1987. In 1987, he sang a duet with Brigitte Nielsen "Body Next to Body" and the single was a Top 10 hit in the Germanic countries. The Album Wiener Blut was released in 1988 but it did not get much publicity outside Germany and Austria.
After "Jeanny," there were a number of European hits, but Falco was rarely heard in the U.S. and the UK. His 1992 U.S. comeback attempt, the album Nachtflug with the song "Titanic" won a number of awards, but failed to chart in America.
Death
Falco died of severe injuries received from a collision with a bus in his Mitsubishi Pajero near the city of Puerto Plata, in the Dominican Republic on 6 February 1998, just two weeks before his 41st birthday. While it was initially reported that the autopsy showed high blood levels of alcohol and cocaine, this was disputed. At the time of his death, he was working on a comeback into the music world.
He was buried in the Zentralfriedhof (Central Cemetery) in Vienna, Austria.
Years active: 1974 -1998
America (City Of Grinzing Vers
Falco Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Die G'schicht is a jene,
Des waß a jeder
Denn es liegt doch auf der Hand
Es war mit Pop und Roll Musik
Net immer leicht in diesem Land
Was in mir sitzt is weiß gespritzt
Obgleich ich Whiskey tschechan tu
Seitdem in USA ich woar
Dort sagen's "Falco You Are Wonderful"
Komm habt's mi langsam gern
Wenn's meine records
Trotzdem kaufen tätet's,
Täte's mich net störn
Das typische an mir
I bin untypisch ganz und gar
Einmal hoch und einmal tief
Einmal gspritzt, dann wieder klar
Ihr werds mi nehmen miassen wia i bin
Ich sag euch lieber gleich
Zagts ma den nächsten schlanken Fuaß
Dann bin i vielleicht live dabei
America herts wia ma glaubat
Wia ma euch vermissen kann
(Mmmmm America)
Spü auf Regean,
Come on!
Der "Spiegel" sagte: "Wien ist vorn!"
Wenns der es net waß, wer dann?
Wann da Mr. Smith a Glatzen hat
Verkaufen ma erm an Kamm
Der Herr war dick
Das madel slick
So denn er lallend fragt
"What's your name?"
I nehm zweitausend
Keusch das Dirndl sagt:
"Ihr werdet uns nehmen miassen wie ma san
Mia sagens euch liaba glei
Zeigt uns den nächsten Präsidenten
Und mia san live dabei
Oder auch nicht"
Dialog zwischen einen Touristen und einem Würstchenhändler:
Tourist: "I would like to have that wonderful Wiener Schnitzel"
Würstchenhändler: "Geh gib erm 10 deka Polnische in an Wachauer"
Tourist: (schmatzend zu beiden) "Yeah, that's really great!"
Würstchenhändler: "Was i eh. Des macht 100.
Na, na Schilling net Dollar. Übertreibn woin ma's net."
America...
La la la
La la
La la
Falco’s song “America (City of Grinzing Vers)” is an ode to the United States of America, specifically from the perspective of someone who has moved there from Austria. The lyrics speak of the difficulties of making it in the music industry, as well as the contrasting experiences of being both celebrated and criticized for one’s music. Falco reflects on his own uniqueness as an artist and notes that he has highs and lows, but ultimately asks to be accepted for who he is.
The chorus of the song is primarily in English, with Falco singing “America hears like we believe/ How we miss you” and “Spü auf Regean/ Come on!”. These lines could be interpreted as Falco expressing his admiration for the American spirit and the leadership of former President Ronald Reagan. Additionally, the song includes a comical dialogue between a tourist and a sausage seller, which adds some levity to the otherwise reflective tone of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Oiso,
So,
Die G'schicht is a jene,
The story is such,
Des waß a jeder
As everyone knows
Denn es liegt doch auf der Hand
Because it's obvious
Es war mit Pop und Roll Musik
It was with pop and rock music
Net immer leicht in diesem Land
Not always easy in this country
Was in mir sitzt is weiß gespritzt
What's inside me is painted white
Des is mir völlig klar,
It's completely clear to me
Obgleich ich Whiskey tschechan tu
Although I drink whiskey
Seitdem in USA ich woar
Since I was in the USA
Dort sagen's "Falco You Are Wonderful"
They say "Falco You Are Wonderful" there
Komm habt's mi langsam gern
Come, like me slowly
Wenn's meine records
If you bought my records
Trotzdem kaufen tätet's,
Even still, if you bought them
Täte's mich net störn
It wouldn't bother me
Das typische an mir
The typical thing about me
I bin untypisch ganz und gar
I'm atypical completely
Einmal hoch und einmal tief
Once high and once low
Einmal gspritzt, dann wieder klar
Once painted, then clear again
Ihr werds mi nehmen miassen wia i bin
You'll have to take me as I am
Ich sag euch lieber gleich
I'd rather tell you now
Zagts ma den nächsten schlanken Fuaß
Show me the next slim foot
Dann bin i vielleicht live dabei
Then maybe I'll be there live
America herts wia ma glaubat
America hears how we believe
Wia ma euch vermissen kann
How we can miss you
(Mmmmm America)
(Mmmmm America)
Spü auf Regean,
Feel Reagan
Come on!
Come on!
Der "Spiegel" sagte: "Wien ist vorn!"
The Spiegel said: "Vienna is ahead!"
Wenns der es net waß, wer dann?
If they didn't know, who would?
Wann da Mr. Smith a Glatzen hat
When Mr. Smith has a bald head
Verkaufen ma erm an Kamm
We'll sell him a comb
Der Herr war dick
The man was fat
Das madel slick
The girl was slick
So denn er lallend fragt
So then he asks drunkenly
"What's your name?"
"What's your name?"
I nehm zweitausend
I'll take two thousand
Keusch das Dirndl sagt:
The modest girl says:
"Ihr werdet uns nehmen miassen wie ma san
"You'll have to take us as we are
Mia sagens euch liaba glei
We'd rather tell you now
Zeigt uns den nächsten Präsidenten
Show us the next president
Und mia san live dabei
And we'll be there live
Oder auch nicht"
Or maybe not"
Dialog zwischen einen Touristen und einem Würstchenhändler:
Dialogue between a tourist and a hot dog vendor:
Tourist: "I would like to have that wonderful Wiener Schnitzel"
Tourist: "I would like to have that wonderful Wiener Schnitzel"
Würstchenhändler: "Geh gib erm 10 deka Polnische in an Wachauer"
Hot dog vendor: "Go give him 10 decagrams of Polish sausage in a Wachau roll"
Tourist: (schmatzend zu beiden) "Yeah, that's really great!"
Tourist: (smacking their lips to both) "Yeah, that's really great!"
Würstchenhändler: "Was i eh. Des macht 100.
Hot dog vendor: "That's right. That will be 100.
Na, na Schilling net Dollar. Übertreibn woin ma's net."
No, no Schilling, not dollars. Let's not exaggerate."
America...
America...
La la la
La la la
La la
La la
La la
La la
Contributed by Julia D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Libor Synthesizer
on Out of the Dark
super muzika ,nádhera