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
Dance Mephisto
Falco Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Das unendlich Böse
Lieben auch die Angst
Solang sie uns nicht trifft
Wir wollen die Vernichtung
Exzentrische Verdichtung
Des Seichten, dümlich Süflen
Mögen unsere Nachbarn nicht
Wer steht uns bei?
Wer hält den Tanz uns frei?
Dance Mephisto, Dance Mephisto
Wenn dich erst der Teufel packt
So bist du ausgeliefert nackt
Dance Mephisto, dance
Tanz füare uns und tu' als wärst du dabei
Nichts dabei
Halt' den Tanz füare uns frei
Dunkelbrauner Gürtel und dunkelbraune
Schuh'
Am Rücken wohlgeschnürt
Das strenge Hemd dazu
Dann erklingen auf und nieder
Alte Weisen wieder
Jede Halle unserer Anstalt
Erhellt durch unsere Lieder
Wer hilft dabei?
Wer steht uns bei?
Wer hält den Tanz füare uns frei?
Dance Mephisto, Dance Mephisto
Wenn dich erst der Teufel packt
So bist du ausgeliefert nackt
Dance Mephisto, Dance Mephisto
Hit them with your rythm stick
Vollstrecke deinen Psycho-Trick
Dance Mephisto, Dance Mephisto
Nimm die Tänzerin im Takt
Bis es in den Speakern knackt
Dance Mephisto, Dance Mephisto
Schlag mit deinem Pferdefuß
Go on with your Bühnenshow
Halt' den Tanz füare uns frei!
Dance Mephisto, Dance Mephisto
Halt' den Tanz füare uns frei!
The lyrics to Falco's song "Dance Mephisto" speak to society's fascination with evil and destruction, and the desire to push boundaries and go against the norm. The first verse expresses a desire for infinite evil and the love of fear, as long as it doesn't directly affect them. They also desire the destruction of the shallow and mundane, which their neighbors may not appreciate. However, the singer is seeking help and support for their pursuit of these destructive desires, asking who will stand with them and keep the dance - their destructive behavior - free.
The chorus references Mephisto, who is a malevolent spirit in German folklore and literature known for tempting people into evil deeds. The singer is calling on Mephisto to dance for them, to show them how to let go and fully embrace the "psycho-trick" of destruction. The second verse describes the dress of the dancers, with brown belts and shoes, and a strict shirt to match. The lyrics suggest that the dancers draw from old music to inspire their destructive dances, brightening the halls of their institution.
"Dance Mephisto" appears to be a commentary on the nature of society's attraction to darkness and destruction, as well as an exploration of how people often hide their transgressive desires out of fear of rejection. The singer is calling for help in embracing their own destructive tendencies, to let go and dance freely without fear of judgement.
Line by Line Meaning
Wir wollen das Böse
We want evil
Das unendlich Böse
The infinitely evil
Lieben auch die Angst
Loving the fear too
Solang sie uns nicht trifft
As long as it doesn't affect us
Wir wollen die Vernichtung
We want destruction
Exzentrische Verdichtung
Eccentric compaction
Des Seichten, dümlich Süflen
Of the shallow, foolish sweetness
Mögen unsere Nachbarn nicht
Our neighbors may not like it
Wer hilft dabei?
Who helps us with this?
Wer steht uns bei?
Who supports us?
Wer hält den Tanz uns frei?
Who keeps our dance free?
Dance Mephisto, Dance Mephisto
Dance, Mephisto, dance
Wenn dich erst der Teufel packt
Once the devil grabs you
So bist du ausgeliefert nackt
You're delivered naked
Tanz füare uns und tu' als wärst du dabei
Dance for us and act like you're part of it
Nichts dabei
Nothing to it
Halt' den Tanz füare uns frei
Keep the dance free for us
Dunkelbrauner Gürtel und dunkelbraune Schuh' Am Rücken wohlgeschnürt Das strenge Hemd dazu
Dark brown belt and shoes Laced tightly on the back The strict shirt to go with it
Dann erklingen auf und nieder Alte Weisen wieder
Then ancient tunes ring up and down again
Jede Halle unserer Anstalt Erhellt durch unsere Lieder
Each hall of our institution illuminated by our songs
Hit them with your rythm stick
Hit them with your rhythm stick
Vollstrecke deinen Psycho-Trick
Execute your psycho-trick
Nimm die Tänzerin im Takt Bis es in den Speakern knackt
Take the dancer in rhythm until the singers burst
Schlag mit deinem Pferdefuß
Hit with your horse hoof
Go on with your Bühnenshow
Keep going with your stage show
Halt' den Tanz füare uns frei!
Keep the dance free for us!
Lyrics © Budde Music Publishing GmbH, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: Ferdinand Bolland, Johann Hoelzel, Robert Bolland
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
meritamun100
Nur wer wirklich zuhört wird seine Genialität erkennen
Susi Su.
Ich bewundere Falco sehr. Seine Songs sind genial. Vor allem ist es erstaunlich, wie er in seinen Texten in menschliche Abgründe blickt. 💪Falco for ever. 😍
Löwenzahn FanClub
Er hatte wirklich gute Leute die ihm das Material schrieben.
Kersten Weltlich
Ich verehre ihn noch immer sehr ❤
Petra18 Baranyai
Ich habe dieses Lied vorher nicht gekannt,bevor ich mir Falco-Das Musical angeschaut hätte. Vielen Dank für diese wunderschöne Lieder!!😍
Zorro
Was mich bei dem Song wundert sind die geringen Aufrufzahlen, dabei ist der Titel vom Text und der Melodie eine seiner stärksten Songs überhaupt!
Markus
Da gib Ich dir vollkommen Recht
boehse fürsLeben
Melodische Ohrwürmer ziehen mehr als Tiefgründiges. Zwischen den Zeilen lesen , ein Lied zu verstehen fällt oft schwer .
M R
Falco halt...
The Window
@M R What does mean " Wenn dich erst der Teufel packt, so bist du ausgeliefert"?