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
Monarchy Now
Falco Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Monarchy now, alive
Monarchy now, alive
Monarchy now, alive
Gestern begrub ich meinen Kater
Ein Geschenk von meinem Vater
Er sagt vor Gott san alle gleich
Selbst als Leich
Er sagt, ob Kaiser oder Führer
Na, alles Kriegsvelierer
Betracht ich still mir seine Orden
Dann, dann wird mir manches clearer
Kaiser, Fürsten, Könige
All beliebte Monarchen
Erfreut erneut, wohin heut
Der Zug der Zeit, sie fährt
Gebt dem Lande tollkühnste
Parade-Patriarchen
Gibt dem Volk die Heiligen
Die es so begehrt
Monarchy now, alive
Durfte im schlimmsten Fall ich wählen
Zwischen monströsen oder dekadenten Seelen
Zwischen Reichsstandarte und
Schönbrunner Flieder
Dar wär der Kronprinz mir noch lieber
Der hat zwar nie sein Reich besessen
Dafür a Unzahl von Mätressen
Das blieb auch so in jedem Fall
Na, in dem Punkt
Da wär er liberal
Kaiser, Fürsten, Könige
All beliebte Monarchen
Erfreut erneut, wohin heut
Der Zug der Zeit, sie fährt
Gebt dem Lande tollkühnste
Parade-Patriarchen
Gebt dem Volk die Heiligen
Die es so begehrt
Monarchy now, alive
Monarchy now, alive
Monarchy now, alive
Well, there goes our salvage, guys
Well, there goes our salvage, guys
Well, there goes our salvage, guys
Mit Fahnen, Pauken und Granaten
Für die Monarchen
Orientexpress Konstantinopel-Wien
Gebt dem Lande todschickeste
Salon-Party-Plonarchen
Lasst die Andersdenker
Nur gen Amerika ziehen
Kaiser, Fürsten, Könige
All beliebte Monarchen
Erfreut erneut, wohin heut
Der Zug der Zeit, sie fährt
Gebt dem Lande tollkühnste
Parade-Patriarchen
Gebt dem Volk die Heiligen
Die es so begehrt
Kaiser, Fürsten, Könige
All beliebte Monarchen
Erfreut erneut, wohin heut
Der Zug der Zeit, sie fährt
Gebt dem Lande tollkühnste
Parade-Patriarchen
Gebt dem Volk die Heiligen
Die es so begehrt
The lyrics to Falco's song "Monarchy Now" seem to be a satirical comment on the idea of bringing back the monarchy. In the first verse, Falco sings about burying his cat and receiving a gift from his father. His father tells Falco that everyone is equal except for the Kaiser (the emperor), who was even more equal than others, even in death. He goes on to say that all monarchs, whether they were Kaiser, Fürsten (princes), or Könige (kings), were just warmongers. Looking at the Kaiser's medals and decorations, Falco sees the folly in the idea of monarchs being superior.
In the second verse, Falco sings about having to choose between monstrous or decadent leaders, between a symbol of the empire or a flimsy flower. He jokes that he would prefer the Crown Prince, who never owned his own land but had numerous mistresses. Falco suggests that the Crown Prince would have been liberal as far as mistresses were concerned. In the chorus, Falco repeats the phrase "Monarchy Now" as if to emphasize the absurdity of the idea that we should go back to having kings and queens.
Line by Line Meaning
Monarchy now, alive
Repeating the phrase to emphasize the desire for a return to a monarchic system of government
Yesterday I buried my cat
A personal anecdote that leads into discussing his father's belief in the superiority of a monarch over everyone else
A gift from my father
The dead cat mentioned earlier was given to him by his father
He says in God's eyes we're all equal
Contrasting his father's belief in God with his admiration for a monarch, who he sees as superior to others
Except our Emperor, who was even more equal
The Emperor is an exception to the equality rule, as he is seen as more important than others
Even as a corpse
Even in death, the Emperor is seen as superior
He says, whether Kaiser or Führer
Comparing a monarch to a fascist ruler, both of whom he sees as warlike
All are war profiteers
He believes that all monarchs or leaders of that type are interested in wars and their financial gains
As I quietly look at his medals
Reflecting on the Emperor's symbols of power and authority
Then, then some things become clearer
Through this reflection, he has a better understanding of the appeal of monarchies
Monarchy now, alive
Reiterating the desire for a return to a monarchic system of government
Give the country the most daring
He wants the country to have leaders who are audacious and bold
Parade patriarchs
He wants leaders who enforce strict, patriarchal values
Give the people the saints
He wants the people to have religious figures who they can look up to and admire
That they so desire
The people should be given what they want in terms of religious figures
In the worst case, I was allowed to choose
Reflecting on the idea of choice, or lack thereof, in a monarchic system
Between monstrous or decadent souls
Choosing between two options, neither of which is desirable
Between the Imperial Standard and Schönbrunn Lilac
Choosing between two symbols of Austria's past, neither of which is satisfactory
There the Crown Prince would be even dearer to me
He sees the Crown Prince as a preferable option, despite his flaws
Though he never possessed his kingdom
The Crown Prince never became a true ruler
He had countless mistresses
Despite not being a ruler, the Crown Prince had many lovers
That remained unchanged in any case
This aspect of the Crown Prince's life is constant and unchanging
In that regard, he would be liberal
Despite his other flaws, the Crown Prince was open-minded when it came to relationships
With flags, drums, and grenades
Describing the spectacle of a monarchic procession
For the monarchs
The spectacle is for the benefit of the monarchs
Orient Express Istanbul-Vienna
Describing a specific route of a monarchic procession
Give the country the most stylish
He wants the country to have stylish and fashionable leaders
Salon party plutocrats
Leaders who are wealthy and decadent
Let the nonconformists go to America
Those who don't fit into the monarchic system should leave the country
Monarchy now, alive
Reiterating the desire for a return to a monarchic system of government
Give the country the most daring
He wants the country to have leaders who are audacious and bold
Parade patriarchs
He wants leaders who enforce strict, patriarchal values
Give the people the saints
He wants the people to have religious figures who they can look up to and admire
That they so desire
The people should be given what they want in terms of religious figures
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Harald Kloser, Thomas Schobel, Johann Hoelzel
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Libor Synthesizer
on Out of the Dark
super muzika ,nádhera