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
Bar Minor 7 / 11
Falco Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Give it up
Wirklich?
Geh' schau -
Ich hab' soeben g'macht eine -
Eintragung, Eintragung ins Gästebuch
Erstversuch -
Baby, entschuldige -
Ganz selten -
Und wenn, dann ungern
To the bar, to the bar, to the bar...
Es ist alles klar wie's immer war -
Do wieder hinter und ich
Vor der Bar (forderbar) - Minor seven eleven
Pardon, -
Aber nie I'm Leben -
Aber geh, das kann NIE sein
Was?
Do gehst?
Was, jetzt schon?
Sag?
Sag hast do DIE gesehen?
Schau mal, schau mal -
Sag, sie ihr Schwestern?
Schau mal, schaut sie Dir nicht total ähnlich?
Is witzig, was?
Sag, wer hat Dir eigentlich gesagt, daß do Jeanny heißt?
Das war -
Das ist ganz sicher der Chef meiner Plattenfirma gewesen.
Naja, ich versteh' ihn schon -
Sag -
IST ER EIN GUTER GAST??
Give it up, Baby...
To the bar, to the bar,...
Es ist alles klar wie's immer war...
The lyrics of Falco's song "Bar Minor 7/11" are a conversation between two people, where one person is trying to convince the other to give in to a certain desire or temptation. The person singing repeatedly asks the other person to "Give it up", suggesting that they should let go and indulge in whatever they are hesitant about. The other person seems hesitant and unsure, but the singer persists, urging them to join him at the bar and let loose. Along the way, there are several tangents in the conversation where they discuss a previous encounter, a guestbook entry, and even the identity of someone named Jeanny. The lyrics end on a somewhat ambiguous note, leaving it uncertain whether the other person actually gave in or resisted the temptation.
The lyrics of "Bar Minor 7/11" are open to interpretation, but some have suggested that the song is about the pressures and temptations of the music industry. The "minor seven eleven" in the title refers to a chord progression that is commonly used in jazz music, suggesting perhaps a sense of nostalgia or longing for a simpler time. The lyrics may also be seen as a commentary on the nature of fame and success, where the pressure to indulge in certain behaviors or maintain a certain image can be overwhelming.
Line by Line Meaning
Give it up, baby don't you give it won't you -
Give it up
Falco is urging his love interest to give up and not resist his advances.
Wirklich?
Falco is questioning the response of his lover.
Geh' schau -
Ich hab' soeben g'macht eine -
Eintragung, Eintragung ins Gästebuch
Erstversuch -
Falco is telling his lover to go, then tells them he just made an entry into the guestbook as a first-time user.
Baby, entschuldige -
Tanzen?
Ganz selten -
Und wenn, dann ungern
Falco apologizes for his lack of dancing skills and confesses that he rarely dances and doesn't enjoy it when he does.
To the bar, to the bar, to the bar...
Es ist alles klar wie's immer war -
Do wieder hinter und ich
Vor der Bar (forderbar) - Minor seven eleven
Falco and his lover head to the bar, and Falco comments that everything is as it always is, with his lover behind him and him in front of the bar. He then references the chord progression in the song, which includes a minor seventh and eleventh that give it a distinctive jazzy sound.
Pardon, -
Aber nie I'm Leben -
Aber geh, das kann NIE sein
Was?
Do gehst?
Was, jetzt schon?
Sag?
Sag hast do DIE gesehen?
Schau mal, schau mal -
Sag, sie ihr Schwestern?
Schau mal, schaut sie Dir nicht total ähnlich?
Is witzig, was?
Falco interrupts himself to express disbelief that his lover is leaving. He then asks if they've seen someone who looks like the lover's sisters and finds it funny.
Sag, wer hat Dir eigentlich gesagt, daß do Jeanny heißt?
Das war -
Das ist ganz sicher der Chef meiner Plattenfirma gewesen.
Naja, ich versteh' ihn schon -
Sag -
IST ER EIN GUTER GAST??
Falco asks who told his lover that their name is Jeanny, and suggests it was his record label's boss. He then asks if this person is a good guest.
Give it up, Baby...
To the bar, to the bar,...
Es ist alles klar wie's immer war...
Falco repeats his plea for his lover to give in, and they return to the bar, where things are the same as always.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ROBERT PONGER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
France Mary
data de groove, a superb album. Not known enough