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
Mutter der Mann mit dem Koks ist da /
Falco Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh, Mutter!
Mutter?
Oh Mutter!
Mutter?
Oh Mutter!
Der Mann mit dem Koks! (Kohle)
Der Mann mit dem Koks! (Kohle)
Es wurde einst das schwarze Gold der Ruhe genannt
Es spendete Wärme, Behaglichkeit und Energie
In einem besonderen chemischen Verfahren
Verflüchtigten sich aus dem Urstoff die Gase
Aus Kohle wurde Koks
Die Menschen sehnten sich nach der Energie, die ihnen das Koks lieferte
Doch für das Volk war der Stoff zu teuer
Mutter?
Oh, Mutter!
Der Mann mit dem Koks ist da!
Mutter, der Mann mit dem Koks ist da!
Ja, mein Junge, das weiß ich ja!
Mutter, der Mann mit dem Koks ist da!
Ja, mein Junge, das weiß ich ja!
Ich hab kein Geld und du hast kein Geld
Wer hat den Mann mit dem Koks bestellt?
Ich hab kein Geld und du hast kein Geld
Wer hat den Mann mit dem Koks bestellt?
Mutter, der Mann mit dem Koks ist da!
Das schwarze Gold ist weiß geworden
Man nehme eine einfache Rezeptur
Und aus Koks wird wieder Kohle (Kohle)
Wärme, Behaglichkeit, Energie (Energie, Energie)
Wärme, Behaglichkeit, Energie
Mutter?
Oh, Mutter!
Der Mann mit dem Koks ist da!
Mutter, der Mann mit dem Koks ist da!
Ja, mein Junge, das weiß ich ja!
Mutter, der Mann mit dem Koks ist da!
Ja, mein Junge, das weiß ich ja!
Ich hab kein Geld und du hast kein Geld
Wer hat den Mann mit dem Koks bestellt?
Mutter, der Mann mit dem Koks ist da!
Ja, mein Junge, das weiß ich ja!
Ich hab kein Geld und du hast kein Geld
Wer hat den Mann mit dem Koks bestellt?
Ich hab kein Geld und du hast kein Geld
Wer hat den Mann mit dem Koks bestellt?
Mutter, der Mann mit dem Koks ist da!
Ja, mein Junge, das weiß ich ja!
Mutter, der Mann mit dem Koks ist da!
The song "Mutter, der Mann mit dem Koks" by Falco seems to be a conversation or monologue between a son and his mother about the arrival of a man with "Koks" or coal, also known as "Schwarze Gold" or black gold, which was in high demand for heating and energy. The song begins with the son repeatedly asking if the man with the Koks is there, and the mother confirming that he is. The lyrics then describe the process of turning coal into Koks through a "special chemical process" that releases gases, and how people desired the energy it provided but couldn't afford it. The son and mother bemoan their own lack of money and wonder who ordered the Koks.
The song then takes an unexpected turn as the lyrics describe how the "Schwarze Gold" has turned white, and a simple recipe can turn it back into coal. The lyrics again repeat the phrase "Wärme, Behaglichkeit, Energie" (Warmth, Comfort, Energy) which was associated with the availability of Koks. The song ends with the mother and son continuing to discuss their lack of money and who ordered the Koks, with the man with the Koks still present in the background.
Overall, the song appears to be a critique of the coal industry and the financial struggles of people who cannot afford it, along with a commentary on the fickleness of commodities and the arbitrary nature of value.
Line by Line Meaning
Mutter?
The singer is addressing their mother.
Oh, Mutter!
The singer is expressing a sense of urgency to their mother.
Mutter?
The singer is repeating their address to their mother.
Oh Mutter!
The artist is once again expressing a sense of urgency to their mother.
Mutter?
The artist is once again repeating their address to their mother.
Oh Mutter!
The singer is again expressing a sense of urgency to their mother.
Der Mann mit dem Koks! (Kohle)
The singer is referring to a man who possesses cocaine.
Der Mann mit dem Koks! (Kohle)
The artist repeats their reference to the man who possesses cocaine.
Mutter, der Mann mit dem Koks ist da!
The artist is informing their mother that the man with cocaine has arrived.
Es wurde einst das schwarze Gold der Ruhe genannt
Coal was once known as the 'black gold of rest.'
Es spendete Wärme, Behaglichkeit und Energie
Coal provided warmth, comfort, and energy.
In einem besonderen chemischen Verfahren
Through a special chemical process,
Verflüchtigten sich aus dem Urstoff die Gase
gases were released from the raw material.
Aus Kohle wurde Koks
Coal was turned into a form of cocaine called 'koks'.
Die Menschen sehnten sich nach der Energie, die ihnen das Koks lieferte
People desired the energy that 'koks' provided.
Doch für das Volk war der Stoff zu teuer
However, the substance was too expensive for the general population.
Das schwarze Gold ist weiß geworden
Coal has been turned into white powder (cocaine).
Man nehme eine einfache Rezeptur
One just needs a simple formula.
Und aus Koks wird wieder Kohle (Kohle)
'Koks' can be turned back into coal.
Wärme, Behaglichkeit, Energie (Energie, Energie)
Warmth, comfort, and energy are all desired.
Wärme, Behaglichkeit, Energie
Warmth, comfort, and energy are desirable.
Ja, mein Junge, das weiß ich ja!
The mother is acknowledging and agreeing with her son's statement.
Ich hab kein Geld und du hast kein Geld
The singer is indicating that neither they nor their mother has any money.
Wer hat den Mann mit dem Koks bestellt?
The artist is questioning who ordered the cocaine from the man who brought it.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Eddy Hoefler, Peter Hoffmann, Franz Plasa, Johann Hoelzel
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Herbertus, der Gmiatliche.
Bei der Obduktion von Falco war man erstaunt, als man Spuren von Blut in seinem Kokssystem gefunden hat.
Hoew June
@Wutzi Prack Faktisch korrekt, was du geschrieben hast......aber ich denke, darum geht hier nicht......daumen hoch, daumen runter....coole sprüche..usw
Wutzi Prack
LÜGE!
Hoew June
Leichenschänder.....aber irgendwie witzig.....zumindest bemüht. Viele Menschen geben sich ja keine Mühe mehr.
René Lacoste
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
RoterPanda
@Big Booty Banger und dann auch noch Wiener Blut!
Elvis Balboa
Falco wurde damals darauf angesprochen, dass man den Text leicht zweideutig verstehen könne, schließlich könnte es um Kohle oder um Kokain gehen. Falcos Antwort auf die Frage: "Ich habe das überhaupt nicht zweideutig gemeint - um den Bergbau geht es nicht!" :D Der Mann war genial
Ilan Rashid
G@Der Boss ebxbebcrcbmbmcgmcgcvmfnfc6rvrnn
TheMaybeOdd
@Belugamori weil es only um Energie geht
Wutzi Prack
Stimmt! Kennen wir uns?