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
Naked
Falco Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I taste it and then I waste it
Oh, yeah, ah
Naked, I just wanna take it
Naked, I just wanna shake it
Naked, I just wanna make it
Naked, I just wanna break it
Naked, I don't want to fake it
Naked, I just can't await it
Naked, naked, naked
Naked, I just wanna take it
Naked, I just wanna shake it
Naked, I just wanna make it
Naked, I just wanna break it
Naked, I am gonna make it
Naked, I don't want to fake it
Naked, I just can't await it
Naked, naked, naked
Ist sie erstmal nackt, ist alles fast vorbei
Denn nur was gut verpackt ist lässt sich bitten: „Mach dich frei!“
In Geschenkpapier mit Schleife find' ich sie so wonderbra
Nach dem G-String ich begreife: Alles da, wo's immer war
Mon amour, ich deponiere mein Metier, ist doch der Takt
Suche dir 'nen Spezialisten, der verpackt dich für den Akt
Mit Modemachern, ich gestehe, habe ich einen Deal und zwar
Sie ziehen dich an und ich dich aus and then we shake it
Alles klar, won't you
Naked, I just wanna take it
Naked, I just wanna shake it
Naked, I just wanna make it
Naked, I just wanna break it
Naked, I am gonna make it
Naked, gonna move and taste it
Naked, and then, and then, and then, and then, and then
I'll waste it
Naked, I just wanna take it
Naked, I just wanna shake it
Naked, I just wanna make it
Naked, I just wanna break it
Naked, I am gonna make it
Naked, I don't want to fake it
Naked, I just can't await it
Naked, naked, naked!
Alright, baby
Ist es wahr?
Oh yeah
Also nein, also doch, also bitte
Wenn du willst, dann, dann, also dann
Zieh dich aus
I just wanna take it
I just wanna shake it
Naked, I just wanna make it
Naked, I just wanna break it
Naked, I am gonna make it
Naked, I don't want to fake it
Naked, I just can't await it
Naked, naked, naked
Naked, alright, baby
Naked, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Naked, eh, yeah, yeah
Naked, alright, alright
The song "Naked" by Falco feat. T»MB is a sensual track that talks about the desire to see someone naked and enjoy all the pleasures that come with it. The song has a repetitive chorus that emphasizes the desire to be naked and free with someone. The first verse talks about the temptation that comes with seeing someone nude and how that feeling cannot be wasted. The second verse, sung in German by Falco, talks about the thrill of undressing and the importance of good packaging. The chorus repeats twice again, emphasizing the desire to see someone naked, shake it, make it, and break it.
The track is a blend of electronic, pop, and dance music, reflecting the typical sounds of the '90s. The beat is highly energetic, and the lyrics are provocative. The song was one of the last tracks recorded by Falco before his untimely death in 1998.
Line by Line Meaning
Naked, naked
The singer is in a state where they are exposed and vulnerable
I taste it and then I waste it
The singer indulges in something briefly and then gets rid of it
Naked, I just wanna take it
The singer desires to experience something in their current exposed state
Naked, I just wanna shake it
The artist wants to move freely and express themselves in their current state
Naked, I just wanna make it
The artist aims to succeed and accomplish something despite being exposed and vulnerable
Naked, I just wanna break it
The singer wants to push through any barriers or restrictions despite their vulnerability
Naked, I am gonna make it
The singer is determined to succeed despite their vulnerability
Naked, I don't want to fake it
The artist does not want to pretend or be dishonest about their true state
Naked, I just can't await it
The artist is very eager and excited to experience what they desire in their current state
Ist sie erstmal nackt, ist alles fast vorbei
Once someone is exposed, the chase is almost over
Denn nur was gut verpackt ist lässt sich bitten: „Mach dich frei!“
People are only dared to expose themselves if they are well-covered and well-hidden first
In Geschenkpapier mit Schleife find' ich sie so wonderbra
The artist finds something attractive when it is nicely wrapped and presented
Mit Modemachern, ich gestehe, habe ich einen Deal und zwar
The singer admits to having an arrangement with fashion designers
Alles klar, won't you
The singer is confirming if everything is understood by the other party
Naked, I'm gonna move and taste it
The singer plans to actively participate in what they desire despite their vulnerability
And then, and then, and then, and then, and then I'll waste it
The artist plans to indulge in what they desire momentarily and then discard it
Alright, baby
The artist is addressing someone affectionately
Ist es wahr?
The singer is questioning if something is true
Also nein, also doch, also bitte
The singer expresses indecision and confusion
Wenn du willst, dann, dann, also dann
If the other person agrees, then the artist will proceed with their desires
Zieh dich aus
The artist is requesting for the other person to undress
Naked, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
The artist is expressing enthusiasm and excitement about being exposed and vulnerable
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Voyce
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Der Brummi
One of the Most Underrated Songs from Falco.
I love the Song.
Eva Melicharova
Je náhodou skvělá ❤️❤️