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
Coming Home-Jeanny
Falco Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ein Jahr wie eine Ewigkeit
Aber es war Liebe auf den ersten Blick
Niemand wollte uns verstehen
Du und ich
Gegen die Welt
Ihr habt mich verurteilt
Aber unsere Zeit ist gekommen
Wenn ein Traum Wirklichkeit wird
Coming home
I'm coming home
Let me show you who I am
Let me show you I'm your man
I would give anything just to see you again
Coming home
I'm, I'm coming home
Let me show you that I care
Let me show you that I share
I would give anything to see Jeanny again
Coming home
Du hast dich verändert
Wir haben uns verändert
Das Leben ist Veränderung
Denkst du noch an mich?
Spürst du es noch?
Für immer und immer
Bist du bei mir
Ich bin sehr nahe
Take care
Because
I'm coming home
I'm
I'm coming home
Let me show you who I am
Let me show you I'm your man
I would give anything to see you again
Coming home, I'm
I'm coming home
Let me show you that I care
Let me show you that I share
I would give anything to see Jeanny again
Coming home
Coming home
Denkst du noch an mich?
Willst du mich noch?
Wo bist du?
Kommst du wieder?
Denkst du noch an mich?
Willst du mich noch?
Wo bist du?
Coming home
Yeah he's coming home (I'm coming home)
Love will never die
Love will never fade away
Coming home
Yeah he's coming home (I'm coming home)
Love will never die
Love will never never fade away (coming home)
Coming home
Yeah he's coming home (hey, I'm coming home)
Love will never die
Love will never never fade away
Coming home
Yeah he's coming home (I'm coming home)
Love will never die
Love will never never fade away (fade away)
Coming home (yeah)
Coming home
Let me show you who I am
Let me show you I'm your man
I would give anything just to see you again
Coming home, I'm
I'm coming home (coming home)
Let me show you that I care
Let me show you that I share
I would give anything to see Jeanny again (to see Jeanny again)
Coming home (coming home)
I'm coming home
Let me show you who I am
Let me show you I'm your man
I would give anything just to see you again (just to see you again)
Coming home
Coming home
Let me show you that I care
Let me show you that I share
I would give anything to see Jeanny again
The song "Coming Home" by Falco is about the desire to return to a lost love, a woman named Jeanny. The lyrics describe the yearning for someone who has drifted apart, and the hope that they will reunite. The opening lines of the song set the stage for this emotion: "One year ago, A year like an eternity, But it was love at first sight." Despite the disapproval and judgment of others, the singer and Jeanny had a deep connection that persisted through time and change.
The chorus of the song features the repeated phrase "Coming home," which represents the idea of returning to Jeanny after a long absence. The singer wants to show her who he is, prove his love and dedication to her, and asks if she still thinks about him and feels the same way. The repetition of these phrases underscores the intense longing and the determination to reconnect with her. The song ends on a hopeful note, with the assertion that love will never die or fade away.
Some possible interpretations of the song include themes of regret, redemption, and the transformative power of love. The lyrics suggest that even after time and distance have separated two people, the emotions they shared can still be intense and powerful, and can motivate them to overcome any obstacle to be together. Moreover, the song implies that love can bring meaning and purpose to one's life, and that it can guide someone on a journey of self-discovery and growth.
Line by Line Meaning
One year ago
It has been a year since the events being sung about happened.
Ein Jahr wie eine Ewigkeit
The year felt like an eternity.
Aber es war Liebe auf den ersten Blick
However, it was love at first sight.
Niemand wollte uns verstehen
No one wanted to understand us.
Du und ich
You and I.
Gegen die Welt
Against the world.
Ihr habt uns verurteilt
You condemned us.
Ihr habt mich verurteilt
You condemned me.
Aber unsere Zeit ist gekommen
But our time has come.
Wenn ein Traum Wirklichkeit wird
When a dream becomes a reality.
Coming home
Returning home to my love.
Let me show you who I am
I'll show you who I really am.
Let me show you I'm your man
I can prove that I'm the one for you.
I would give anything just to see you again
I would do anything to be reunited with you.
Du hast dich verändert
You have changed.
Wir haben uns verändert
We have changed.
Das Leben ist Veränderung
Life is change.
Denkst du noch an mich?
Do you still think of me?
Spürst du es noch?
Do you still feel it?
Für immer und immer
Forever and ever.
Bist du bei mir
Are you with me.
Ich bin sehr nahe
I am very close.
Take care
Take care of yourself.
Because
That's why.
Love will never die
Love is eternal.
Love will never fade away
Love will never disappear.
Yeah he's coming home
Yes, he's coming home.
Wo bist du?
Where are you?
Kommst du wieder?
Will you come back?
Let me show you that I care
I want to prove that I care about you.
Let me show you that I share
I want to prove that I want to share my life with you.
To see Jeanny again
To be reunited with my love Jeanny.
Lyrics © Budde Music Publishing GmbH, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Johann Hoelzel, Robert Bolland, Ferdinand Bolland
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Ri7za
Nur weil wir syntaktisch die selben Worte benutzen,
bedeutet das noch lang nicht, wir würden semantisch die selbe Sprache sprechen.
Schmaler Grad zwischen Wahnsinn und Genie.
Diesen ganzen Weltschmerz hält doch keiner aus ohne Ventil oder zu kollabieren.
Solche Kontroversen sind absolut zeitgenössisch für die damalige Zeit sowie den Umbruch in Kultur & Musik.
Die Gesellschaft war damals einfach nicht mehr bereit alles hinzunehmen und weiterhin über alles zu schweigen.
Die 60er und 70er waren bestimmt nicht so leuchtend bunt und prächtig farbenfroh wie einige das behaupten wollen.
Mit Sicherheit aber die Hämatome der Frauen wenn Sie mal wieder nicht direkt raus wollten ins Kalte, anschaffen für ihren Freund der Sie mit Heroin substituiert.
Wie kann man etwas lieben, wenn man es doch so sehr hasst.
Wie kann man etwas hassen, wenn man etwas so sehr liebt.
Paradox & faszinierend zugleich wie nah Liebe & Wahnsinn doch einher gehen.
Der Kontrast zwischen (ver)-schweigen und (ver)-sprechen im Generationen Konflikt prägte die 80er ungemein.
Sein, oder nicht sein, das ist hier die Frage.
@martinkoerner7010
English Lyrics:
Jeanny, come, come on
Get up, please, you will be completely wet
It's getting late,come,we must get out of here
Out of the woods,don't you understand?
Where is your shoe? You lost it
When I had to show you the way
Who lost? You, yourself?
I, myself? Or...or we ourselves?
(Refrain):
Jeanny, quit livin' on dreams
Jeanny, life is not what it seems
Such a lonely little girl in a cold, cold world
There's someone who needs you
Jeanny, quit livin' on dreams
Jeanny, life is not what it seems
You're lost in the night,don't wanna struggle and fight
There's someone who needs you,babe
It's cold,we must get out of here. Come.
Your lipstick is smeared
You bought it and...and I saw it
Too much red on your lips and you said:
"Leave me alone"
But I saw right thru you.Eyes say more than words
You need me, don't you, hmmmh?
Everyone knows, that we're together from today
Now I can hear them!They are coming!
They are coming to get you!
They won't find you!
Nobody will find you!You're with me!
(Refrain)
Jeanny, quit livin' on dreams
Jeanny, life is not what it seems
Such a lonely little girl in a cold, cold world
There's someone who needs you
Jeanny, quit livin' on dreams
Jeanny, life is not what it seems
You're lost in the night,don't wanna struggle and fight
There's someone who needs you,babe
Newsflash:In the last months the number of missing persons is dramatically increased. The latest publications of local police authority report of another tragic case. It is a matter of a nineteen year old girl that was last seen fourteen days ago. The police is not ruling out the possibility of a crime in this case.
(Refrain)
Jeanny, quit livin' on dreams
Jeanny, life is not what it seems
Such a lonely little girl in a cold, cold world
There's someone who needs you
Jeanny, quit livin' on dreams
Jeanny, life is not what it seems
You're lost in the night,don't wanna struggle and fight
There's someone who needs you,babe
Show less
@RickSummon
Ich habe Deutsch vor 35 Jahre gelernt, nur um Falcos Lieder zu verstehen.
@smulbeer13
took a while but worth it 🤙💪
@rosaalmeida5315
Ich auch
@user-il7vb9vz5o
=@@smulbeer13
@Comet701
Dass ist gut!
Dass ist showbizz.
@christianhutzler9400
Wenn das nicht eine Aussage ist, was dann.
@master2086
Falco hat gezeigt das Genie und Wahnsinn nah beieinander liegen
@ishkagurtner8751
JAWOHL!!!!
@henkpaschulke7267
Er war seiner Zeit zuweit voraus
@cop8089
Der Typ ist Legende