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
Out of the Dark
Falco Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Du bist in jedem Atemzug
Alles dreht sich nur um dich
Warum ausgerechnet ich?
Zähl' die Stunden, die Sekunden
Doch die Zeit scheint still zu stehen
Hab' mich geschunden, gewunden
Lass' mich gehen
Was willst du noch?
Willst du meine Tage zählen?
Warum musst du mich
Mit meiner Sehnsucht quälen?
Deine Hölle brennt in mir
Du bist mein Überlebenselixier
Ich bin zerrissen
Wann kommst du meine Wunden küssen?
Out of the dark
Hörst du die Stimme, die dir sagt
"Into the light
I give up and close my eyes"?
Out of the dark
Hörst du die Stimme, die dir sagt
"Into the light
I give up and you waste your tears"?
To the night
Ich bin bereit, denn es ist Zeit
Für unseren Pakt über die Ewigkeit
Du bist schon da, ganz nah
Ich kann dich spüren
Lass mich verführen, lass mich entführen
Heute Nacht zum letzten Mal
Ergeben deiner Macht
Reich mir die Hand
Mein Leben, nenn' mir den Preis
Ich schenk' dir Gestern, Heut' und Morgen
Dann schließt sich der Kreis, kein Weg zurück
Das weiße Licht kommt näher, Stück für Stück
Will mich ergeben
Muss ich denn sterben
Um zu leben?
Out of the dark
Hörst du die Stimme, die dir sagt
"Into the light
I give up and close my eyes"?
Out of the dark
Hörst du die Stimme, die dir sagt
"Into the light
I give up and you waste your tears"?
To the night
Out of the dark
Hörst du die Stimme, die dir sagt
"Into the light
I give up and close my eyes"?
Out of the dark
Hörst du die Stimme, die dir sagt
"Into the light
I give up and you waste your tears"?
To the night
The lyrics of Falco's "Out of the Dark" depict the intense struggle of the singer battling with their inner demons. The song starts by expressing how the singer's life has been consumed by their obsession with someone they can never have. They feel a constant desperation to be with that person but know that it's not possible. They ask why they must be the ones to suffer and why they can't control their longing. The lines "Deine Hölle brennt in mir, Du bist mein Überlebenselixier" and "Ich bin zerrissen, Wann kommst du meine Wunden küssen?" demonstrate the pain and agony of the singer who is torn apart between wanting to extinguish their obsession and the desire to be with the person they adore.
As the song progresses, the singer becomes increasingly willing to make a deal with the devil to get what they crave. They express their readiness to surrender everything, including their life, to be with their object of affection. The desire to give in to their obsession is so strong that they are willing to take the ultimate step and embrace the unknown. The lines "Ich schenk' dir Gestern, Heut' und Morgen, Dann schließt sich der Kreis, kein Weg zurück, Das weiße Licht kommt näher, Stück für Stück, Will mich ergeben, Muss ich denn sterben, Um zu leben?" suggest that the singer is ready to give up everything to be with the person they love, even if it means crossing over to the other side.
Overall, "Out of the Dark" is a deeply personal song, drawing upon Falco's struggles with depression, which he battled with throughout his life. The song navigates themes of love, obsession and the struggle to overcome inner demons.
Line by Line Meaning
Ich krieg' von dir niemals genug
I can never get enough of you
Du bist in jedem Atemzug
You are in every breath I take
Alles dreht sich nur um dich
Everything revolves around you
Warum ausgerechnet ich?
Why me specifically?
Zähl' die Stunden, die Sekunden
Counting the hours, the seconds
Doch die Zeit scheint still zu stehen
But time seems to stand still
Hab' mich geschunden, gewunden
I have tortured myself, twisted
Lass' mich gehen
Let me go
Was willst du noch?
What else do you want?
Willst du meine Tage zählen?
Do you want to count my days?
Warum musst du mich
Why do you have to
Mit meiner Sehnsucht quälen?
Torture me with my longing?
Deine Hölle brennt in mir
Your hell burns in me
Du bist mein Überlebenselixier
You are my elixir of life
Ich bin zerrissen
I am torn
Wann kommst du meine Wunden küssen?
When will you come and kiss my wounds?
Ich bin bereit, denn es ist Zeit
I am ready, because it is time
Für unseren Pakt über die Ewigkeit
For our pact over eternity
Du bist schon da, ganz nah
You are already here, very close
Ich kann dich spüren
I can feel you
Lass mich verführen, lass mich entführen
Let me seduce you, let me kidnap you
Heute Nacht zum letzten Mal
Tonight for the last time
Ergeben deiner Macht
Submitting to your power
Reich mir die Hand
Reach out your hand to me
Mein Leben, nenn' mir den Preis
My life, name the price
Ich schenk' dir Gestern, Heut' und Morgen
I give you yesterday, today and tomorrow
Dann schließt sich der Kreis, kein Weg zurück
Then the circle closes, no turning back
Das weiße Licht kommt näher, Stück für Stück
The white light comes closer, bit by bit
Will mich ergeben
I want to submit
Muss ich denn sterben
Do I have to die?
Um zu leben?
To live?
Out of the dark
Out of the dark
Hörst du die Stimme, die dir sagt
Do you hear the voice that tells you
"Into the light
"Into the light
I give up and close my eyes"?
I give up and close my eyes"?
Hörst du die Stimme, die dir sagt
Do you hear the voice that tells you
"Into the light
"Into the light
I give up and you waste your tears"?
I give up and you waste your tears"?
To the night
To the night
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Johann Hoelzel, Torsten Boerger
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Libor Synthesizer
super muzika ,nádhera