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
Les Nouveaux Riches
Falco Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Voici les nouveaux riches
Wir haben alle überlistet
Haben es dieser Welt gezeigt
Kennen jedes für und alles wieder
Unser Appeal ist weltverzweigt
Brauchen keine Sprache kennen unsere Welt
Deine Gigolos, Meine Maitressen haben
Gemeinsam keine Interessen
Wenn du sagst ich bin Dein Stereotyp
Mit Haar und Haut und Car
Ist mir klar wir brauchen keine Worte, ne
Wir zahlen uns bar
Zwischen Weltbild und Success
Fahren wir einen Zug, den Zeitgeistexpress
Nach Acapulco, Monaco, oder Swiss, wir, die neuen Reichen
Les nouveaux riches
Oh oh oh
Are you one of the nouveaux riches? Oh oh oh
Oh oh oh
Making money is all you preach, oh oh oh
Oh oh oh
Take a look at the nouveaux riches
Oh oh oh, oh oh oh, oh-whoah (aah, ey!)
We are the nouveaux riches
We are the nouveaux riches
We are Nouveaux riches
Ich kenne meine Partner, deine nicht
Die Quintessenz der Sprache ist Gift
Es gibt bessere und es gibt mich
Du liebst das Leben, ich liebe dich
Ein Überflieger wär' ich gerne
Ein Reisender der Zeit
Und wann immer du gehen möchtest
Komm'
Ich bin bereit
Der Argonaut im Kosmokrator kennt Horizonte nicht
Er fliegt und fliegt, er fliegt in's weiße Licht
Nicht nach de Janeiro, und nicht nach Nice
Nicht als armer Reicher
Als nouveaux riche
Oh oh oh are you one of the nouveaux riches? Oh oh oh
Oh oh oh making money is all you preach, oh oh oh
Oh oh oh take a look at the nouveaux riches
Oh oh oh, oh oh oh, oh-whoah (aah, ey!)
Nous sommes les nouveaux riches
Voici les nouveaux riches
Nouveaux riches
Where do you go when the money's gone?
Where do you go when you're all alone?
Where do you go when there's no one there?
Sell your soul (sell your soul)
Where do you go when the money's gone? (Hey)
Where do you go when you're all alone?
Where do you go when there's no one there?
Sell your soul (sell your soul)
Where do you go when the money's gone?
Where do you go when you're all alone?
Where do you go when there's no one there?
Sell your soul (sell your soul)
Where do you go when the money's gone?
Where do you go when you're all alone?
Where do you go when there's no one there?
Sell your soul (sell your soul)
Oh oh oh are you one of the nouveaux riches? Oh oh oh
Oh oh oh making money is all you preach oh oh oh
Oh oh oh take a look at the nouveaux riches
Oh oh oh, oh oh oh, oh-whoah (aah, ey!)
Where do you go when the money's gone?
Where do you go when you're all alone?
Where do you go when there's no one there?
Sell your soul
Where do you go when the money's gone?
Where do you go when you're all alone?
Where do you go when there's no one there?
Sell your soul
Where do you go when the money's gone?
Where do you go when you're all alone?
Where do you go when there's no one there?
Sell your soul
Where do you go when the money's gone?
Where do you go when you're all alone?
Falco's Les Nouveaux Riches is a song that explores the lifestyle and mindset of the nouveau riche, who have achieved wealth and success by their own means. The lyrics hint that these people may have overcome difficulty, and perhaps climbed the social ladder, but they are now enjoying success and living the high-life.
The song opens with the repeated line, "Nous sommes les nouveaux riches" (We are the new rich), emphasizing the identity of the group. The lyrics also mention their ability to speak many languages, and how they have travelled the world. The song implies that they have lavish tastes and enjoy their wealth, with the lines, "Your gigolos, my mistresses, have no interests in common."
The lyrics also suggest that the nouveau riche may have made some sacrifices to get where they are, with the lines, "Where do you go when the money's gone? Sell your soul." The song ends with the repeated question, "Are you one of the nouveaux riches?" which implies that the lifestyle may be alluring to some but may also come with its price.
Overall, Falco's Les Nouveaux Riches portrays a glamorous yet somewhat cautionary tale about the lifestyles of the nouveau riche.
Line by Line Meaning
Nous sommes les nouveaux riches
We are the new rich
Voici les nouveaux riches
Here are the new rich
Wir haben alle überlistet
We have outsmarted them all
Haben es dieser Welt gezeigt
We have shown it to this world
Kennen jedes für und alles wieder
We know everything about all of it
Unser Appeal ist weltverzweigt
Our appeal is globally branched
Brauchen keine Sprache kennen unsere Welt
We don't need a language to know our world
Haben eines gemeinsam, wir haben Geld, und
We have one thing in common, we have money, and
Deine Gigolos, Meine Maitressen haben gemeinsam keine Interessen
Your gigolos, my mistresses have no interests in common
Wenn du sagst ich bin Dein Stereotyp
When you say I am your stereotype
Mit Haar und Haut und Car
With hair and skin and car
Ist mir klar wir brauchen keine Worte, ne
It's clear to me we don't need words, no
Wir zahlen uns bar
We pay with cash
Zwischen Weltbild und Success
Between world view and success
Fahren wir einen Zug, den Zeitgeistexpress
We drive a train, the Zeitgeist Express
Nach Acapulco, Monaco, oder Swiss, wir, die neuen Reichen
To Acapulco, Monaco or Switzerland, we, the new rich
Oh oh oh are you one of the nouveaux riches? Oh oh oh
Oh oh oh are you one of the new rich? Oh oh oh
Oh oh oh making money is all you preach, oh oh oh
Oh oh oh preaching about making money is all you do, oh oh oh
Oh oh oh take a look at the nouveaux riches
Oh oh oh take a look at the new rich
Ich kenne meine Partner, deine nicht
I know my partners, you don't
Die Quintessenz der Sprache ist Gift
The essence of language is poison
Es gibt bessere und es gibt mich
There are better ones and there is me
Du liebst das Leben, ich liebe dich
You love life, I love you
Ein Überflieger wär' ich gerne
I would like to be a high flyer
Ein Reisender der Zeit
A traveler of time
Und wann immer du gehen möchtest
And whenever you want to leave
Komm' Ich bin bereit
Come, I am ready
Der Argonaut im Kosmokrator kennt Horizonte nicht
The Argonaut in the Cosmocrat doesn't know horizons
Er fliegt und fliegt, er fliegt in's weiße Licht
He flies and flies, he flies into the white light
Nicht nach de Janeiro, und nicht nach Nice
Not to Rio de Janeiro and not to Nice
Nicht als armer Reicher
Not as a poor rich person
Als nouveaux riche
As new rich
Where do you go when the money's gone?
Where do you go when the money is gone?
Where do you go when you're all alone?
Where do you go when you're alone?
Where do you go when there's no one there?
Where do you go when there's no one there?
Sell your soul
Sell your soul
Lyrics © Budde Music Publishing GmbH, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Johann Hoelzel, Robert Bolland, Ferdinand Bolland
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Libor Synthesizer
on Out of the Dark
super muzika ,nádhera