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
Kommissar
Falco Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Eins, zwei drei
Na, es is nix dabei
Na, wenn ich Euch erzähl' die G'schicht'
Nichts desto trotz
Ich bin es schon gewohnt
I'm TV-Funk da läuft es nicht
Ja, sie war jung,
Und jede Nacht hat ihren Preis
Sie sagt: "Sugar Sweet
Ja' got me rapp'in to the heat!"
Ich verstehe, sie ist heiß,
Sie sagt:"Baby, look,
I miss my funky friends,"
Sie meint Jack und Joe und Jill
Mein Funkverständnis
Ja, das reicht zur Not
Ich überreiss', was sie jetzt will
Ich überleg' bei mir
Ihr' Nas'n spricht dafür
Währenddessen ich noch rauch'
Die Special Places sind ihr wohlbekannt
Ich mein', sie fährt ja you-Bahn auch
Dort singen's:
"Drah' Di net um, oh oh oh
Schau, schau, der Kommissar geht um! oh oh oh
Er wird dich anschau'n
Und du weißt warum
Die Lebenslust bringt dich um"
Alles klar, Herr Kommissar?
Hey man, want to buy some stuff, man?
Did you ever rap that thing Jack?
So rap it to the beat!
Wir treffen Jill and Joe
Und dessen Bruder Hip
Und auch den Rest der coolen Gang
Sie rappen hin, sie rappen her
Dazwischen kratzen's ab die Wänd'. -
Dieser Fall ist klar,
Lieber Herr Kommissar,
Auch wenn sie and'rer Meinung sind:
Den Schnee auf dem wir alle
Talwärts fahr'n
Kennt heute jedes Kind
Jetzt das Kinderlied:
"Drah Di net um, oh oh oh
Schau, schau, der Kommissar geht um! oh oh oh
Er hat die Kraft und wir sind klein und dumm
Und dieser Frust macht uns Stumm"
"Drah Di net um, oh oh oh
Schau, schau, der Kommissar geht um! oh oh oh
Wenn er dich anspricht
Und du weißt warum,
Sag eahm
Dein Leb'n bringt dich um
Alles klar Herr Kommissar
"Drah Di net um, oh oh oh
Schau, schau, der Kommissar geht um! oh oh oh
Er hat die Kraft und wir sind klein und dumm
Und dieser Frust macht uns Stumm"
"Drah Di net um, oh oh oh
Schau, schau, der Kommissar geht um! oh oh oh
Wenn er dich anspricht
Und do weißt warum,
Sag eahm
Dein Leb'n bringt dich um
"Drah Di net um, oh oh oh
Schau, schau, der Kommissar geht um! oh oh oh
"Drah Di net um, oh oh oh
Schau, schau, der Kommissar geht um! oh oh oh
The song "Kommissar" by the Austrian singer Falco tells a story of a young girl who is involved in drugs and prostitution. The singer of the song (who we can assume is a police officer) is trying to understand her motivations and actions while also trying to bring her to justice. The girl tells him about her "funky friends" Jack, Joe, and Jill and how they are all involved in the drug scene. She also mentions the "Special Places" which we can assume are locations where prostitution and drug use occur. The chorus features the refrain "Drah' Di net um" which means "don't turn around" in Austrian dialect, and mentions the Kommissar (Commissioner).
The lyrics of "Kommissar" are ahead of their time in addressing issues of drugs and prostitution. Many people at the time did not understand the societal issues that lead individuals to engage in such harmful behaviors. The song's lyrics show empathy for the girl's situation while also highlighting the dangers of such lifestyles. Falco was a pioneer in the music industry as one of the first artists to bring the rap genre to Europe, and this song is an early example of that influence.
Line by Line Meaning
Two, three, four
Counting off before starting a story
Eins, zwei, drei
Counting in German
Na, es is nix dabei
It's no big deal
Na, wenn ich Euch erzähl' die G'schicht'
Now, if I tell you the story
Nichts desto trotz
Nevertheless
Ich bin es schon gewohnt
I'm used to it
Im TV-Funk da läuft es nicht
On TV, they don't talk about it
Ja, sie war jung,
Yes, she was young
Das Herz so rein und weiß
Her heart was so pure and innocent
Und jede Nacht hat ihren Preis
But every night had its price
Sie sagt: "Sugar Sweet
She says: "Sugar Sweet"
Ja' got me rapp'in to the heat!"
Got me rapping to the beat
Ich verstehe, sie ist heiß,
I understand, she's hot
Sie sagt:"Baby, look,
She says: "Baby, look"
I miss my funky friends,
I miss my funky friends
Sie meint Jack und Joe und Jill
She means Jack and Joe and Jill
Mein Funkverständnis
My understanding of funk
Ja, das reicht zur Not
Yes, it's enough if necessary
Ich überreiss', was sie jetzt will
I understand what she wants now
Ich überleg' bei mir
I'm thinking to myself
Ihr' Nas'n spricht dafür
Her nose is the evidence
Währenddessen ich noch rauch'
Meanwhile, I'm still smoking
Die Special Places sind ihr wohlbekannt
The special places are well known to her
Ich mein', sie fährt ja you-Bahn auch
I mean, she also takes the underground train
Dort singen's:
They sing there:
"Drah' Di net um, oh oh oh
"Don't turn around, oh oh oh
Schau, schau, der Kommissar geht um! oh oh oh
Look, look, the commissioner is around! oh oh oh
Er wird dich anschau'n
He will look at you
Und du weißt warum
And you know why
Die Lebenslust bringt dich um"
The joie de vivre will kill you"
Alles klar, Herr Kommissar?
Is everything clear, Mr. Commissioner?
Hey man, want to buy some stuff, man?
Someone tries to sell drugs
Did you ever rap that thing Jack?
Did you ever talk to Jack about it?
So rap it to the beat!
So tell me about it, in time with the music!
Wir treffen Jill and Joe
We meet Jill and Joe
Und dessen Bruder Hip
And their brother Hip
Und auch den Rest der coolen Gang
And also the rest of the cool gang
Sie rappen hin, sie rappen her
They rap back and forth
Dazwischen kratzen's ab die Wänd'. -
In between they scratch the walls
Dieser Fall ist klar,
This case is clear
Lieber Herr Kommissar,
Dear Mr. Commissioner
Auch wenn sie and'rer Meinung sind:
Even if they have a different opinion:
Den Schnee auf dem wir alle
The snow on which we all
Talwärts fahr'n
Sled downhill
Kennt heute jedes Kind
Today, every child knows it
Jetzt das Kinderlied:
Now, the children's song:
"Drah' Di net um, oh oh oh
"Don't turn around, oh oh oh
Schau, schau, der Kommissar geht um! oh oh oh
Look, look, the commissioner is around! oh oh oh
Er hat die Kraft und wir sind klein und dumm
He has the power and we are small and dumb
Und dieser Frust macht uns stumm"
And this frustration makes us silent"
"Drah' Di net um, oh oh oh
"Don't turn around, oh oh oh
Schau, schau, der Kommissar geht um! oh oh oh
Look, look, the commissioner is around! oh oh oh
Wenn er dich anspricht
If he talks to you
Und du weißt warum,
And you know why,
Sag eahm
Tell him
Dein Leb'n bringt dich um
Your life will kill you
"Drah' Di net um, oh oh oh
"Don't turn around, oh oh oh
Schau, schau, der Kommissar geht um! oh oh oh
Look, look, the commissioner is around! oh oh oh
"Drah' Di net um, oh oh oh
"Don't turn around, oh oh oh
Schau, schau, der Kommissar geht um! oh oh oh
Look, look, the commissioner is around! oh oh oh
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ROBERT PONGER, - FALCO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@marioperkovic3289
He was rapping in German back when not a single German rapper was yet born. And he hit #1 in the US charts doing so. Fucking legend.
@lawnmowermanTX
AGREED! Jeanny was a favorite of mine... my exfiancee Jeanne is lost to the drug addiction world, only G-d knows her heart.. i grew up on Freddy Mercury... Queen. i listen to Ozzy Osbourne... living alone.... way my life is destined and meant for me to live, alone, forgotten and largely ignored as a slow retarded dummy... way i was raised... but that's show biz!
@HombreAproximativo
He wasn't even German xD.
@nataliejones8951
you mean Austrian?
@eriklarson9137
@@lawnmowermanTX imagine typing that.
@freshepaprika1056
He was Austrian!
Er wor Österreicha bidschen
@saraheart2804
I love how he switches languages so smoothly. RIP Falco.
@Perririri
Вечная Память
@WmPryor1
And he is that somewhat rare German who can pronounce "th" clearly. I love the language switching. I lived in Deutschland in the 1970's. I loved Germany too.
@jonas_security_kolinski
@@WmPryor1 He's austrian, but I get your point :)