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
Kissing In The Kremlin
Falco Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Und immer noch fehlt eine Hälfte von Berlin,
Na, haben dann und wann auch Volk und mehr,
Say what. say yeah.
Und auf der neuen Single to the Rasputin,
Sogar der Kommisar ist da, aber er sieht nicht hin.
Paris und London müssen her,
Man freut sich sehr, demnächst-noch mehr.
I just want to know,say,whats the price for
Kissing in the Kremlin (ayaya,ayaya)
Rock n' Roll meets the russian soul, Schiwago ist der Weiße
Kissing in the Kremlin (ayaya,ayaya)
Rock n' Roll meets the russian soul,Sibirien wird heißer.
(yeah,yeah...)
In der Designerwelt ist es schon lang' bekannt:
Trash und Trend zieht es in das rote Land.
Beluga,Borschtsch und Vodka - Kaviar wunderbar, say Ka-viar.
We can look up here, by the look up there,
If it's moving at the satisfaction, we will care,
And the Ruska is the new ander better way and see,
Its' fine,with me.
I just want to know,say,whats the price for
Kissing in the Kremlin (ayaya,ayaya)
Rock n' Roll meets the russian soul, Schiwago ist der Weiße
Kissing in the Kremlin (ayaya,ayaya)
Rock n' Roll meets the russian soul,Sibirien wird heißer.
(yeah/say what...)
I just want to know,say,whats the price for
Kissing in the Kremlin (ayaya,ayaya)
Rock n' Roll meets the russian soul, Schiwago ist der Weiße
Kissing in the Kremlin (ayaya,ayaya)
Rock n' Roll meets the russian soul,Sibirien wird heißer.
The lyrics of Falco's song "Kissing in the Kremlin" capture the excitement of Western culture colliding with Soviet Russia in the 1980s. The song highlights the contrasts of high-end luxury offered by the Russian upper class as they sip on Stolichnaya vodka and Krim sparkling wine while simultaneously longing for the other half of Berlin. Despite having access to all of these lavish experiences, their fascination with Western culture is evident in the mention of Paris and London. Falco sings about a new single featuring Rasputin and the Kommissar but points out that even the Kommissar is too preoccupied to enjoy it. The lyrics capture the enthusiasm towards the prospect of experiencing different facets of Russian culture, including Beluga, borscht, vodka, and fine caviar. The song reflects the surge of interest in Russia that was brought on by the glasnost and perestroika policies, which aimed to ease restrictions and increase innovation and growth in the Soviet Union.
The use of phrases like "Rock n' Roll meets the Russian soul" is a reflection of the cultural exchange that took place between the two differing cultures. The mention of "Schiwago ist der Weiße" and "Sibirien wird heißer" reference the fictional Dr. Zhivago, who travels to Siberia during the Russian Revolution. Falco makes an assimilation of the rugged Russian landscape to the intensity of the rock and roll music he was known for.
Overall, the lyrics of "Kissing in the Kremlin" capture the fascination generated by the Soviet Union's opening up to the West and the excitement of discovering Russian culture for the first time.
Line by Line Meaning
Sie haben Stolichnaya, haben Sekt vom Krim,
They have Stolichnaya Vodka and sparkling wine from Crimea,
Und immer noch fehlt eine Hälfte von Berlin,
And still half of Berlin is missing,
Na, haben dann und wann auch Volk und mehr,
Well, they occasionally have some people and more,
Say what. say yeah.
Expressing excitement, say what, say yeah,
Und auf der neuen Single to the Rasputin,
And on the new single to Rasputin,
Sogar der Kommisar ist da, aber er sieht nicht hin.
Even the commissioner is here, but he doesn't look around,
Paris und London müssen her,
Paris and London must come,
Man freut sich sehr, demnächst-noch mehr.
They are very excited, and there's more to come.
In der Designerwelt ist es schon lang' bekannt:
In the designer world, it has been long known:
Trash und Trend zieht es in das rote Land.
Trash and trend are attracted to the red land.
Beluga,Borschtsch und Vodka - Kaviar wunderbar, say Ka-viar.
Beluga caviar, borscht and vodka - wonderful caviar, say caviar.
We can look up here, by the look up there,
We can look up here, by looking up there,
If it's moving at the satisfaction, we will care,
If it satisfies us, we will care about it.
And the Ruska is the new ander better way and see,
And the Ruska is the new and better way, you'll see,
Its' fine,with me.
It's fine with me.
I just want to know,say,whats the price for
I just want to know, say, what's the price for
Kissing in the Kremlin (ayaya,ayaya)
Kissing in the Kremlin (ayaya,ayaya)
Rock n' Roll meets the russian soul, Schiwago ist der Weiße
Rock n' roll meets the Russian soul, Schiwago is the white one,
Kissing in the Kremlin (ayaya,ayaya)
Kissing in the Kremlin (ayaya,ayaya)
Rock n' Roll meets the russian soul,Sibirien wird heißer.
Rock n' roll meets the Russian soul, Siberia gets hotter.
(yeah,yeah...)
(yeah, yeah...)
Contributed by Blake J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Libor Synthesizer
on Out of the Dark
super muzika ,nádhera