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
Krise
Falco Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Krise wie, Krise was? Krise
Krise wie, Krise was? Krise
Immer tiefer, imer tiefer,
Immer tiefer in die Krise
- Krise wie, Krise was -
Immer tiefer, imer tiefer,
Immer tiefer, bis zur Unterlippe
Crisis is a killer,
You know Krise is a Killer
I'm not sure, is there a cure,
I'm not sure, is there a crisis
Crisis? What crisis?
If you look back on a crisis
(Krise wie)
From the ending to the start
(Krise was)
You'll always find the reason
Is a crisis of the heart (Krise)
If you look back on a crisis
(Krise wie)
From the ending to the start
(Krise was)
You'll always find the reason
Is a crisis of the heart (Krise)
Meckie Messer hat ein Messer
Und das trägt er im Gesicht.
Er sagt:
"Her legs have been so spreadable,
It simply was incredible
The stuff was quite alright, but
The action was forgettable."
Ist es die Brise, diese miese
Die die Stadt treibt in die Krise
Oder ist es bloß das Fehlen einer
Weiteren verwaltungsamtlichen
Expertise (Expertise wie,
Expertise was, Expertise wie)
If you look back on a crisis
(Krise wie)
From the ending to the start
(Krise was)
You'll always find the reason
Is a crisis of the heart (Krise)
If you look back on a crisis
(Krise wie)
From the ending to the start
(Krise was)
You'll always find the reason
Is a crisis of the heart (Krise)
What crisis? Crisis, what crisis?
What crisis?
- Crisis of the heart
Die Stadt tankt diese Krise
Immer tiefer in den Tank
(Krise wie, Krise was)
Und vom Gestank in diesem Tank wird
Noch die Sicherheitsbehörde krank
Krank?
If you look back...
If you look back...
Crisis of the heart...
Crisis of the heart...
If you look back...
The song "Krise" by Falco is a commentary on the state of crisis that seems to have enveloped society in all its aspects. The song begins by repeatedly asking "Krise wie, Krise was?" ("Crisis how, crisis what?") before delving deeper into the issue with lyrics such as "always deeper in the crisis" and "crisis is a killer". The song then shifts to analyzing the roots of these crises and suggests that they stem from a crisis of the heart, a lack of emotional connection and empathy that leads to societal breakdown.
The song also mentions "Meckie Messer hat ein Messer" ("Mackie Knife has a knife"), referencing the character Mackie Messer from The Threepenny Opera by Bertolt Brecht. This character is a criminal who uses his knife to intimidate and manipulate others, which could be seen as a nod to the corrupt and manipulative forces that exacerbate crises in society.
The song also includes references to government bureaucracy and the lack of expertise in managing crises, suggesting that the root cause of crises may be a lack of effective leadership and decision-making.
Overall, "Krise" is a thought-provoking commentary on the state of society and the need for a deeper understanding of the emotional and societal forces that drive us.
Line by Line Meaning
Paß auf:
Pay attention:
Krise wie, Krise was? Krise
What kind of crisis? What is a crisis? It's a crisis.
Immer tiefer, imer tiefer,
Deeper and deeper,
Immer tiefer in die Krise
Deeper into the crisis
- Krise wie, Krise was -
- What kind of crisis? What is a crisis? -
Immer tiefer, imer tiefer,
Deeper and deeper,
Immer tiefer in die Krise
Deeper into the crisis
Immer tiefer, bis zur Unterlippe
Deeper, until the lip
Crisis is a killer,
Crisis is a killer
You know Krise is a Killer
You know crisis is a killer
I'm not sure, is there a cure,
I'm not sure, is there a cure?
I'm not sure, is there a crisis
I'm not sure, is there a crisis?
Crisis? What crisis?
Crisis? What crisis?
If you look back on a crisis
If you look back on a crisis
(Krise wie)
(What kind of crisis)
From the ending to the start
From the end to the beginning
(Krise was)
(What is a crisis)
You'll always find the reason
You'll always find the reason
Is a crisis of the heart (Krise)
Is a crisis of the heart (Crisis)
Meckie Messer hat ein Messer
Meckie Messer has a knife
Und das trägt er im Gesicht.
And he wears it on his face.
Er sagt:
He says:
"Her legs have been so spreadable,
"Her legs have been so spreadable,
It simply was incredible
It was simply incredible
The stuff was quite alright, but
The stuff was quite alright, but
The action was forgettable."
The action was forgettable."
Ist es die Brise, diese miese
Is it the breeze, this rotten one
Die die Stadt treibt in die Krise
That drives the city into crisis
Oder ist es bloß das Fehlen einer
Or is it just the lack of
Weiteren verwaltungsamtlichen Expertise
Further administrative expertise
(Expertise wie, Expertise was, Expertise wie)
(What kind of expertise, what is expertise, what kind of expertise)
Die Stadt tankt diese Krise
The city fuels this crisis
Immer tiefer in den Tank
Deeper and deeper into the tank
(Krise wie, Krise was)
(What kind of crisis, what is a crisis)
Und vom Gestank in diesem Tank wird
And from the stench in this tank
Noch die Sicherheitsbehörde krank
Even the security agencies are sick
Krank?
Sick?
What crisis? Crisis, what crisis?
What crisis? Crisis, what crisis?
If you look back...
If you look back...
Crisis of the heart...
Crisis of the heart...
If you look back...
If you look back...
If you look back on a crisis
If you look back on a crisis
(Krise wie)
(What kind of crisis)
From the ending to the start
From the end to the beginning
(Krise was)
(What is a crisis)
You'll always find the reason
You'll always find the reason
Is a crisis of the heart (Krise)
Is a crisis of the heart (Crisis)
Contributed by Isabella B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Libor Synthesizer
on Out of the Dark
super muzika ,nádhera