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
Europa
Falco Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Große Söhne, große Männer von Welt
Worüber heute ihr bevorzugt noch nicht sprechen wollt
Ist die Farbe, die euch so gefällt
Es weht ein andrer Wind und wer
Wer garantiert, dass wir uns morgen noch gegenüberstehen
Um irgendwohin zu gehen
Wir werden sehen
Ich seh' euch allesamt Revue passieren
Töchter Europas, frank und frei
Und ich verzicht' wie nichts auf meine Green Card
Wenn euch vielleicht dann wohler ist dabei, es sei
Worum es mir geht, ist
Dass du nie vergisst
Ich weiß, du weißt
Wovon wir sprechen, wenn wir wissen
Dass wir Europa heißen
Und uns verdammt vermissen
Nananananananananana
Europa
Nananananananananana
Europa
Ich seh' euch allesamt Revue passieren
Dunkle Gestalten, uniformiert in eurer Niedertracht
Und wie lange noch steht eurer Inszenierung entgegen
unsrer saftgen' Übermacht
Es geht um Mythen der Vernunft
Und die Boheme bohemisiert
Und deklassiert das Reaktionär als sekundär
Primär wollen wir die Dame Europa hierher
Und jetzt und heute noch, sofort und mehr
Nananananananananana
Europa
The lyrics of Falco's song Europa provide a commentary on the state of Europe and the world, touching on political issues such as immigration, bigotry and power dynamics, as well as the people who inhabit them. In the first verse, Falco comments on the "great sons" and "great men" of the world who are obsessed with the color of skin, a reference to racism and how it still persists in today's society. He also questions whether they will be able to meet tomorrow and "go somewhere", suggesting uncertainty and fragility in the political climate. The chorus repeats the word "Europa", highlighting the importance of unity and shared identity.
The second verse is a commentary on the image of women in Europe, especially those who are considered free-spirited and independent. Falco ironically reveals that he is willing to give up his Green Card, a symbol of his American identity, to make his European counterparts feel more at ease, highlighting the inequality and often problematic ways in which we view identity. He emphasizes the importance of remembering what it means to be European, and how we should miss and cherish each other as we all strive for a better future together.
Overall, the lyrics of Europa are a call for unity within the continent, an acknowledgement of the struggles Europe has faced, and a reminder of the work that needs to be done to continue to address the issues that Falco touches on in his lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Ich seh' euch allesamt Revue passieren
I am witnessing all of you passing in front of me as a spectacle
Große Söhne, große Männer von Welt
Powerful men, the sons of the world
Worüber heute ihr bevorzugt noch nicht sprechen wollt
What you prefer not to talk about today
Ist die Farbe, die euch so gefällt
Is the color that you like so much
Es weht ein andrer Wind und wer
A different wind is blowing and who
Wer garantiert, dass wir uns morgen noch gegenüberstehen
Who can guarantee that we will still stand face to face tomorrow
Um irgendwohin zu gehen
To go somewhere
Wir werden sehen
We will see
Töchter Europas, frank und frei
Daughters of Europe, frank and free
Und ich verzicht' wie nichts auf meine Green Card
And I easily give up my Green Card
Wenn euch vielleicht dann wohler ist dabei, es sei
If that makes you feel better, so be it
Worum es mir geht, ist
What matters to me is
Dass du nie vergisst
That you never forget
Ich weiß, du weißt
I know, you know
Wovon wir sprechen, wenn wir wissen
What we are talking about when we know
Dass wir Europa heißen
That we are called Europe
Und uns verdammt vermissen
And miss each other damn much
Dunkle Gestalten, uniformiert in eurer Niedertracht
Dark figures, uniformed in your baseness
Und wie lange noch steht eurer Inszenierung entgegen
And how long will your staging stand against us
Unsrer saftgen' Übermacht
Against our juicy superiority
Es geht um Mythen der Vernunft
It is about myths of reason
Und die Boheme bohemisiert
And the Bohemians are bohemianizing
Und deklassiert das Reaktionär als sekundär
And declassifies the reactionary as secondary
Primär wollen wir die Dame Europa hierher
Primarily, we want Lady Europe here
Und jetzt und heute noch, sofort und mehr
And now, today, immediately, and more
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Johann Hoelzel, Thomas Alexander Lang, Thomas Rabitsch
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Hurdigurdi Messerschleifer
Legenden sterben nie ❤ noch heute treibt der Refrain mir Tränen in die Augen, so ein kraftvoller Song, so ein kraftvoller Falco
MikeDerUnwissende2
Jeder Mensch hat meiner Meinung nach spezifische Stärken und Schwächen, die sich gegeneinander ausgleichen. Falco hatte ein paar extreme Spitzen, aber leider auch genau soviele Täler.
Selbst nach knapp 22 Jahren sind seine Werke großteils weiterhin gefragt, also eine großartige Hinterlassenschaft in Form von Musik, die uns von ihm hinterlassen wurde.
RIP.
Peter Adamus
We never forget your genius Falco! Absolute genius....👍
Michaela Baumgartner
Ich war schon immer ein Riesen Fan von Seiner Musik und Seinem EIGENEN STIL ‼️‼️‼️ Als ich in der Pubertät war, war Ich so verknallt in Ihn ❤️ 💋 🥰 🤗 !!!
FALCO IST UND BLEIBT FÜR MICH EIN AUSNAHME TALENT ♾ 👍🏽 !!!!!!!
Grüße aus Niederösterreich / Wachau an
ALLE FALCO FANS & an Alle Anderen 🤗 .
👋 Michaela 👋
Arschi Warwschi
Another masterpiece by Falco! It’s ace!
dieKapp
Falco war ein genialer Künstler.
Nico Schuster
Musste heute, am Tag der Europawahl, an dieses Lied denken... hach ja. Was würde Falco wohl heute zu all dem hier sagen. Er fehlt sehr! 🇪🇺
Hannes Germ
Kein Krieg mit Russland, würde er sagen.
Zillor Reicht
Was würde er heute dazu sagen? 02/22
Doris Sturm
Was würde er erstrecht zu Europa - und der ganzen Welt- sagen heute 10/21?