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
Metamorphic Rocks
Falco Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Constantly life's re-arranging
Me and you and everything we do
That's my conclusion and I know it's true
From the North to the South
From the East to the West
I've checked it out and I've put to the test
Finding new horizons and unknown shores
I see rock, rock, miles of rock
Nothing is what it seems
Change, change, it's gonna change
I'll see you in my dreams
I can feel it - I can see it - I can touch it
Oh, oh, oh, oh - metamorphic rocks
Oh, oh, oh, oh - metamorphic rocks
There's so little really known to man
About the movments of the sea and the movements of land
I sailed out on the goodship The Beagle
Under the volcano and high as an eagle
Illusion, confusion, science is a fusion of genius, hypothesis
A metamorphosis of rock - rock - rock
I see rock, rock, miles of rock
Nothing is what it seems
Change, change, it's gonna change
I'll see you in my dreams
I can feel it - I can see it - I can touch it
Oh, oh, oh, oh - metamorphic rocks
Oh, oh, oh, oh - metamorphic rocks
The lyrics to Falco's "Metamorphic Rocks" explore a theme of change and transformation. The song begins by stating that everything is constantly changing and life is always rearranging. The singer then goes on to explain that he has checked out the changes from different perspectives, from the North to the South, and from the East to the West, and he has concluded that change is inevitable. He sees himself as a rebel with a cause, always seeking out new horizons and unknown shores.
The chorus repeats the phrase "rock, rock, miles of rock," which is a metaphor for the solidity and permanence of the earth's crust. However, the singer acknowledges that this solidity is illusory, as everything is constantly changing and in flux. He sees the metamorphic rocks as a symbol of this transformation, as they are rocks that have undergone a process of change due to heat, pressure, and other natural forces.
The second verse makes a reference to the scientific expedition of the HMS Beagle, a ship that Charles Darwin sailed on during his famous voyage that led to the development of his theory of evolution. The singer mentions being under a volcano and high as an eagle, which could be interpreted as a metaphor for exploring the extremes of the earth.
Overall, the lyrics of "Metamorphic Rocks" convey a sense of awe and wonder at the natural world, and an appreciation for the ways in which everything is constantly changing and evolving.
Line by Line Meaning
Changing, changing, everything is changing
The world is continuously changing and evolving.
Constantly life's re-arranging
Life is in a constant state of flux and transformation.
Me and you and everything we do
Everything is interconnected and affects each other.
That's my conclusion and I know it's true
The truth of interconnectedness is self-evident.
From the North to the South
The changes are pervasive and affecting the entire world.
From the East to the West
The transformations are happening everywhere.
I've checked it out and I've put to the test
The singer has personally verified the pervasiveness of change.
I'm like a rebel, a rebel, a rebel with a cause
The singer is like a rebel because he is challenging the prevailing understanding of the world and its changes.
Finding new horizons and unknown shores
The singer is exploring new frontiers in understanding and knowledge.
I see rock, rock, miles of rock
The singer sees the immensity of the solid earth and its transformations.
Nothing is what it seems
The transformations are not always apparent to the naked eye.
Change, change, it's gonna change
The transformations are continuous and will always be happening.
I'll see you in my dreams
The singer has an awareness of the reality of change and its effects even in his dreams.
I can feel it - I can see it - I can touch it
The singer has a visceral awareness of the reality of change and its effects.
Oh, oh, oh, oh - metamorphic rocks
The singer is fascinated by the transformative effects of geologic processes in forming metamorphic rocks.
There's so little really known to man
There is much that remains unknown about the processes that shape the earth.
About the movements of the sea and the movements of land
The processes that shape the earth include both tectonic and oceanic movements.
I sailed out on the goodship The Beagle
The singer is paying homage to Charles Darwin, who famously sailed on the HMS Beagle to study the effects of geological and biological change.
Under the volcano and high as an eagle
The singer is referencing the seismic and volcanic activity that can have transformative effects on the earth's landscapes.
Illusion, confusion, science is a fusion of genius, hypothesis
Science is a complex and multifaceted discipline that involves both creativity and rigor.
A metamorphosis of rock - rock - rock
The transformative effects of geologic processes are like a metamorphosis of solid earth.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: CHRIS FRANKE, EDGAR FROESE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
France Mary
einzigartige Interpretation von Falco! welche Phrasierung..;ich liebe auch "Fascinating man" im selben Album.
Falcos Stimme ist faszinierend ...Mary. From France
Jurka
Ja, da sieht man dass z.B. Just an Illusion, From the North to the South und andere Songs von Falco daraus gemacht wurde , aber wieso hört man da Falcos Stimme ??
Benjamin Estrack
Pusher DdG Das ist ein Bolland Song featuring Falco.