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
It's All Over Now Baby Blue
Falco Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Take what you need, you think will last
But whatever you wish to keep, you better grab it fast
Yonder stands your orphan, with his gun
Crying like a fire in the sun
So, so look out baby the saints are comin' through
Aber was vorbei ist, ist vorbei, baby blue
Take whatever you've got, take what you have gathered from coincidence
The empty-handed painter from your streets
Is drawing crazy patterns on your sheets
And with the sky too, is folding over you, alright
Aber trotzdem, was vorbei ist, ist vorbei, baby blue
Und vergiss nicht deine High Heels
Deine High Heels, deine heißen, roten Schuh', baby blue
Leave your steppin' stones behind, there's something that calls for you
Forget the dead you've left, they will not follow you
Your lover who has just walked out the door
He has taken all his blankets from the floor, Jesus
Look out baby the saints are comin' through
Aber was vorbei ist, ist vorbei, baby blue
Go strike another match, go girl get start something new, start something new
Aber was vorbei ist, ist vorbei, baby blue
Get us a couple of drinks more please
The song It's All Over Now Baby Blue by Falco is a cover of the Bob Dylan song which talks about leaving and letting go of the things that were once important. The lyrics are sung to someone called Joe, telling him to blow the horn before leaving. The first verse tells Joe that he must leave now and take what he needs, but suggests that he should grab what he wants to keep quickly. The song continues by mentioning the highway being for gamblers and how Joe should take whatever he has gathered from there. There is also mention of an empty-handed painter drawing crazy patterns and the sky folding over. The chorus warns the listener to lookout as the saints are coming through and that what is over is over for Baby Blue, telling her to leave her high heels behind and forget the dead she has left behind.
The second verse mentions a lover who has just walked out the door, taking all his blankets from the floor. The chorus is repeated again, suggesting to start something new and forget the past. In the end, Falco sings in German and mentions that he is still loving Baby Blue and that if she hears him, she will know what he means while requesting a couple of drinks more.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey, Joe you got it
Right, blow horn
Addressing someone named Joe and telling him to sound the horn, possibly referring to announcing something important or signaling a significant moment
You must leave now
Take what you need, you think will last
But whatever you wish to keep
You, you better grab it fast
Indicating that it's time to move on and advising to take only what's necessary and valuable, and to take it quickly
You understands
Your orphan with his gun
And that's no fun
Crying
Like a fire in the sun
Acknowledging that the listener understands the urgency of the situation and the danger involved, describing an orphan with a gun who is crying intensely
So, so look out, babe
The saints are comin' through
Oba, was vorbei is
Is vorbei, baby blue
Warning to be careful because something significant is about to happen, referencing the arrival of saints, and stating that what's over is over
The highway is for gamblers
You better use your sins
Take whatever you gathered
Take whatever you gathered
From your coincidence
Comparing life to a highway where people take risks, advising to take advantage of opportunities, and saying to take whatever good fortune comes your way
The empty handed painter
From your streets
Is drawing crazy patters
On his sheets
Describing an artist who creates strange patterns, possibly reflecting the chaos of life
And babe, the sky too
Is folding over you
Oba trotzdem, was vorbei is
Is vorbei, baby blue
Implying that the sky is closing in ominously, indicating that despite what has ended, life goes on
Und vergi nicht deine
High heels, deine high heels
Deine heien, roten schuh'
Baby blue
Encouraging the listener to not forget about their fancy shoes, possibly as a nod to enjoying life's pleasures
Leave your stepping stones behind
There's something that calls for you
Forget the dead you've left
They will not follow you
Suggesting that the past can be left behind and that there's something yet to be experienced or achieved, and that the deceased are not coming back
Your lover who has just walked
Out the door
He has taken all his blankets
From the floor, Jesus
Referring to someone who has left, taking their things and leaving a sense of emptiness or loss
Look out, babe
The saints are comin' through
Oba, was vorbei is
Is vorbei, baby blue
Repeating the warning of saints arriving and implying that what's passed is over
Go, strike another match, go, go
Get, start something new
Start something new
Oba, was vorbei is
Is vorbei, baby blue
Encouraging to light another fire or begin a new endeavor while accepting the past is gone
Still lovin', baby
Und wenns'd mi hearst
Dann wat eh wen I man, okay
There's a couple of drinks more, please
Expressing love and suggesting that if the listener hears them, they would say that it's true, followed by asking for more drinks
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bob Dylan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Barbi1962
Unfassbare Stimme! Und diese unfassbare Stimme ist das kleinste Talent von Hans ..... des Falken. ❤
Marta Morales
Yo ame, amo y amaré a este hombre por siempre, su carita de niño bueno, me encanta. Mi amor imposible😔🙏🙌❤️por siempre Falco ❤️🙌🙏
Angela
Era tan hermoso, yo lo veo siempre, ay esa canción por Dios
Xenia Jaritz
Unvergessliche Momente, für immer in unserem ❤️ FALCO 💖😎😍
Chris WG
I really love this!! - Rest easy our musical friend 🙏💕
Marta Morales
Ich liebe, liebe und werde diesen Mann für immer lieben, sein Gesicht als guter Junge, ich liebe es. Meine unmögliche Liebe 😔❤️🙌🙏 für immer Falco ❤️🙌🙏
Yvonne I.
Seit Kindheit großer Fan ❤️ und ich liebe dieses Lied 😍
Karla VlogsTV
Falco forever and ever💙💙❣️
T Missing Link Videos
😊👍
Michele Laraia
Last "Falco 3" song