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
Do It Again
Falco Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For the man who stole your water
And you fire 'till he is done in
But they catch you at the border
And the mourners are all singin'
As they drag you by your feet
But the hangman isn't hangin'
So they put you on the street
You go back, Jack
Do it again
Wheel' turnin' round and 'round
You go back, Jack
Do it again
When you know she's no climber
Then you find your only friend
In a room with your two timer
And you're sure you're near the end
Then you love a little wild one
And she brings you only sorrow
And all the time you know she's smilin'
You'll be the one on your knees tomorrow
Do gehst back, back
Do it again
Wheel's turnin' round and round
Do gehst back, back
Do it again
Now your swear and kick and beg us
That you're not a gambling man
Then you find you're back in Vegas
With a handle in your hand
Your black cards can make you money
So you hide them when you're able
In the land of milk and honey
You must put them on the table
You go back, Jack
Do it again
Das Rad umschließt den Kreis
Und do gehst back, back
Do it again
The opening verse of Falco's song "Do It Again" describes a vengeful mentality that leads to violent retribution. The singer explains that the person wakes up in the morning with a mission to punish the man who has wronged them by stealing their water. They continue shooting until he is finished, however, they eventually get caught at the border. The mourners are singing as they drag him by the feet, but the hangman is not hanging him, and instead, they put him back on the street. The lines suggest that vigilante justice leads to a cycle of violence that is never-ending. Despite the punishment, the victim is not forgone, and the cycle begins anew.
The second verse shifts the focus to a romantic relationship that is also repeating the same cycle. The singer describes a moment where the singer ends up in a room with their partner's lover, realizing that their partner is unfaithful. They continue to love another person who brings them sorrow and realizes that they will be the one kneeling in front of them tomorrow. The singer suggests that the singer is caught in an endless loop of destructive relationships, unable to break free and repeating the same mistakes again and again.
"Do It Again" explores the idea that human beings often lack the will or ability to break destructive patterns in their life, which leads to never-ending cycles of damage and pain.
Line by Line Meaning
In the mornin' you go gunnin'
Starting your day with a mission to pursue someone who has wronged you in some way
For the man who stole your water
Targeting someone who has taken something important from you
And you fire 'till he is done in
Relentlessly pursuing the person until they are defeated
But they catch you at the border
Being caught and facing consequences for your actions
And the mourners are all singin'
People celebrating your downfall and demise
As they drag you by your feet
Facing public humiliation and punishment
But the hangman isn't hangin'
Escaping a potentially lethal punishment
So they put you on the street
Being released back into society, but not necessarily a free person
You go back, Jack
Returning to old habits and patterns
Do it again
Repeating the same mistakes and actions
Wheel' turnin' round and 'round
Feeling stuck in a cycle of repeating the same patterns
When you know she's no climber
Realizing that someone does not have the qualities you desire
Then you find your only friend
Turning to someone for comfort and companionship, even if they may not be trustworthy
In a room with your two timer
Being in a situation where your partner is unfaithful
And you're sure you're near the end
Believing that the situation is hopeless and nearing its conclusion
Then you love a little wild one
Falling for someone who is unpredictable and potentially dangerous
And she brings you only sorrow
Realizing that this person is not good for you and causes emotional pain
And all the time you know she's smilin'
Knowing that this person is not good for you, but still being drawn to them
You'll be the one on your knees tomorrow
Anticipating being hurt and humbled by this person in the future
Now your swear and kick and beg us
Pleading with others that you are not someone who takes risks or gambles
That you're not a gambling man
Denying that you are someone who enjoys taking risks
Then you find you're back in Vegas
Finding yourself in a situation where you are taking risks and making potentially dangerous decisions
With a handle in your hand
Holding the lever on a slot machine, potentially losing large amounts of money
Your black cards can make you money
Having access to resources and tools that can help you succeed financially
So you hide them when you're able
Keeping your financial success and potential to make money a secret from others
In the land of milk and honey
Living in a place of abundance and prosperity
You must put them on the table
Being forced to reveal your hand and take risks in order to succeed in this environment
Das Rad umschließt den Kreis
The wheel completes the circle
Und do gehst back, back
And you go back, back
Do it again
Repeating the same mistakes and actions
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Donald Jay Fagen, Walter Carl Becker, Donald Fagen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Libor Synthesizer
on Out of the Dark
super muzika ,nádhera