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
Nie mehr Schule
Falco Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Und was wahres hat es schon
Ja der Dumme lebt sich tot
Nur mit Hirn kommst Du davon JA JA
Willst Du Vaters Lob sein Auto dazu Sprit
Dann mach in der Schule mit!
War im Aufriss immer kühn
Und Herr Oberstudienrat
Hatte schnell den Rat parat
Und sagte: „Willst du tüchtig sein
Und Noten ohne Shit?
Nur diese Übung hält dich fit
Und seinen Rechenschieber hat er mit
Nein Danke!
Nie mehr Schule
Keine Schule mehr
Denn ihr Bart Herr Studienrat
Ist mir doch zuwenig smart ja ja!
Nie mehr Schule
Keine Schule mehr
Denn der Umstand ist bekannt
Zuviel Schule macht dich krank
Ja ja!
Montag früh
Jonas Meier hat die Müh
Zu erkennen dass die Pflicht
In sein Leben tritt und spricht:
Du hast die Wahl
Willst du Segen oder Qual
Verärgere deine Lehrer nicht!
Doch dann
In der letzten Stunde
Macht die Kunde Runde
Es sei wieder mal soweit
Jonas ist zur Tat bereit
Sein Dolby 2-weg Super Stereo hängt am Netz
Und was hört die ganze Klasse jetzt
Dass es nur so durch Gänge fetzt?
Man hört
Nie mehr Schule
Keine Schule mehr
Denn unser Leben in der Tat
Ist auch mit eurem Zeugnis hart
Ja ja!
Nie mehr Schule
Keine Schule mehr
Und privat Frau Studienrat
Sind sie doppelt so apart
Ja ja!
Nie mehr Schule
Keine Schule mehr
Denn der Umstand ist bekannt
Zuviel Schule macht dich krank!
Nie mehr Schule
Keine Schule mehr
Denn unser Leben in der Tat
Ist auch mit eurem Zeugnis hart
Ja ja!
Nie mehr Schule
Keine Schule mehr
The lyrics of Falco's song "Nie mehr Schule" express a disdain for formal education and a celebration of life outside of it. The first verse talks about how foolish people live their lives until they die, implying that one must use their intellect to achieve something substantial. The next verse encourages students to perform well in school and attain good grades for the sake of their parents' approval, even offering the reward of using their father's car with fuel.
The chorus, "Nie mehr Schule, keine Schule mehr" (Never again school, no more school), repeats that sentiment and how school is seen as an impediment to enjoying life to the fullest. Two examples are given of students who question if they want to invest their time in studying and doing homework. Gretchen Grün is told that only practice will help her achieve good grades, but she refuses the offer of using her computation tool (Rechenschieber). Jonas Meier is warned that he must not upset his teachers if he wants success, but he spends his time installing a powerful stereo system in the classroom instead of paying attention. The song ends with a self-assured chorus that emphasizes how education can make one ill and living a carefree life without school is much more appealing.
Overall, the song seems to lampoon formal education, portraying it as bleak and uninspiring, with its students just going through the motions to obtain a certificate, rather than seeking knowledge or fulfilling their desires. The song may resonate with those who believe that the rigors and stress of school life are not worth the payoff of obtaining an education.
Line by Line Meaning
Es steht geschrieben
It is written
Und was wahres hat es schon
And there is some truth to it
Ja der Dumme lebt sich tot
Yes, the fool resigns themselves to life
Nur mit Hirn kommst Du davon JA JA
Only with intelligence can you escape, YES YES
Willst Du Vaters Lob sein Auto dazu Sprit
Do you want Father's praise and his car with it
Dann mach in der Schule mit!
Then participate in school
Gretchen Grün
Gretchen Green
War im Aufriss immer kühn
Was always bold in social settings
Und Herr Oberstudienrat
And Mr. Senior Teacher
Hatte schnell den Rat parat
Had advice ready quickly
Und sagte: „Willst du tüchtig sein
And said: 'Do you want to be successful'
Und Noten ohne Shit?
And good grades without any nonsense?
Nur diese Übung hält dich fit
Only this practice keeps you fit
Und seinen Rechenschieber hat er mit
And he has his slide ruler with him
Nein Danke!
No thank you!
Nie mehr Schule
No more school
Keine Schule mehr
No school anymore
Denn ihr Bart Herr Studienrat
Because your beard, Mr. Teacher,
Ist mir doch zuwenig smart ja ja!
Is not smart enough for me, YES YES!
Montag früh
Monday morning
Jonas Meier hat die Müh
Jonas Meier has the trouble
Zu erkennen dass die Pflicht
To recognize that the duty
In sein Leben tritt und spricht:
Enters into his life and speaks:
Du hast die Wahl
You have the choice
Willst du Segen oder Qual
Do you want blessings or misery
Verärgere deine Lehrer nicht!
Don't anger your teachers!
Doch dann
But then
In der letzten Stunde
In the last hour
Macht die Kunde Runde
News spreads around
Es sei wieder mal soweit
It's that time again
Jonas ist zur Tat bereit
Jonas is ready for action
Sein Dolby 2-weg Super Stereo hängt am Netz
His Dolby 2-way Super Stereo is connected
Und was hört die ganze Klasse jetzt
And what does the whole class hear now
Dass es nur so durch Gänge fetzt?
That it echoes through the hallways?
Man hört
You hear
Nie mehr Schule
No more school
Keine Schule mehr
No school anymore
Denn unser Leben in der Tat
Because our life, in fact
Ist auch mit eurem Zeugnis hart
Is also hard with your report card
Und privat Frau Studienrat,
And privately, Mrs. Teacher,
Sind sie doppelt so apart
You are twice as attractive
Zuviel Schule macht dich krank!
Too much school makes you sick!
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: - FALCO, ROBERT PONGER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
BRUNO BOLLERBIER
Bin als "alter" Falco Fan (45) gerührt, zu lesen, dass es noch viele Falco Fans aus der jungen Generation gibt
l.fuerli
@Sub Twentynine b
Zvezda Music
Ja, mein Vater hat mir halt guten Musikgeschmack beigebracht 😄 Bin übrigens 19 🤷♂️
Sub Twentynine
Stimmt, wenn ich 51 das von einem 45 jährigen Sprössling lese, bin ich auch gerührt ggg
Chrisi
Ich hab gehört, dass Falco sogar in der USA bekannt ist :D
Eliana Spankova
Bin grad im Maturajahr.. und immer wenn ich lerne.. lass ich das laufen.. motiviert halt auf seine eigene art und weise :D
MrMuina
@Julia Schuchter hab auch, wenn alles gut geht, nächstes Jahr Matura :D
Nightmxre
@Julia Schuchter 😂danke
Julia Schuchter
Nicolas Zenk das schaffst du!
Nightmxre
@Julia Schuchter Glückwunsch ich komm erst ins Gymnasium