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
Rock Me Amadaeus
Falco Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Rock me, Amadeus
Do it, do it
Rock me all the time to the top
Er war ein Punker
Und er lebte in der großen Stadt
Wo er alles tat
Er hatte Schulden, denn er trank
Doch ihn liebten alle Frauen
Und jede rief
„Come and rock me Amadeus“
Er war Superstar
Er war populär
Er war so exaltiert
Because er hatte Flair
Er war ein Virtuose
War 'n Rockidol
Und alles rief
„Come and rock me Amadeus“
Amadeus, Amadeus, Amadeus
Amadeus, Amadeus, Amadeus
Amadeus, Amadeus, oh, oh, oh Amadeus
Come and rock me, Amadeus
Amadeus, Amadeus, Amadeus
Amadeus, Amadeus, Amadeus
Amadeus, Amadeus, oh, oh, oh Amadeus
Ey
Es war um 1780
Und es war in Wien
No plastic money anymore
Die Banken gegen ihn
Woher die Schulden kamen
War wohl jedermann bekannt
Er war ein Mann der Frauen
Frauen liebten seinen Punk
Er war Superstar
Er war so populär
Er war zu exaltiert
Genau das war sein Flair
Er war ein Virtuose
War 'n Rockidol
Und alles ruft noch heute
„Come and rock me Amadeus“
Amadeus, Amadeus, Amadeus
Amadeus, Amadeus, Amadeus
Amadeus, Amadeus, oh, oh, oh Amadeus
Come and rock me, Amadeus
Amadeus, Amadeus, Amadeus
Amadeus, Amadeus, Amadeus
Amadeus, Amadeus, oh, oh, oh Amadeus
Come and rock me, Amadeus
Now, come and rock me, Amadeus
Amadeus, Amadeus, Amadeus
Amadeus, Amadeus, Amadeus
Amadeus, Amadeus, oh, oh, oh Amadeus
Amadeus, Amadeus, Amadeus
Amadeus, Amadeus, Amadeus
Amadeus, Amadeus, oh, oh, oh Amadeus
Amadeus, Amadeus
Amadeus, Amadeus
Come on, rock me
Come and rock me to the top
Amadeus
Ama-, Ama-, Amadeus
Now come and, now come and rock me, Amadeus
Amadeus
The lyrics of "Rock Me Amadeus" by Falco tell the story of a punk rocker who lived in Vienna in the late 18th century. This character had debts because he drank too much, but despite that, he was loved by all the women who called out his name, asking him to rock them, while referring to him as Amadeus. This man was a superstar and a virtuoso musician, which made him very popular and exalted among the people. Although he had a unique flair, he was in trouble with the banks, which led to his debts.
The song is a playful mix of classicism and rock music, where Falco blended Mozart's name into the lyrics by calling his character "Amadeus." Falco was an Austrian musician who was famous for his innovative style and his ability to combine different musical genres. In this song, he inserted humorous elements, combining the life of a punk rocker with the story of Mozart, creating a very entertaining piece that captured the attention of the listeners worldwide.
Line by Line Meaning
Rock me, rock me, rock me, rock me
Please continue to rock me repeatedly.
Rock me, Amadeus
Rock me, Amadeus.
Do it, do it
Please do it.
Rock me all the time to the top
Please continue to rock me to the top.
Er war ein Punker
He was a punk.
Und er lebte in der großen Stadt
And he lived in the big city.
Es war in Wien, war Vienna
It was in Vienna.
Wo er alles tat
Where he did everything.
Er hatte Schulden, denn er trank
He had debts because he drank.
Doch ihn liebten alle Frauen
But all women loved him.
Und jede rief
And everyone called
„Come and rock me Amadeus“
"Come and rock me, Amadeus."
Er war Superstar
He was a superstar.
Er war populär
He was popular.
Er war so exaltiert
He was so exalted.
Because er hatte Flair
Because he had flair.
Er war ein Virtuose
He was a virtuoso.
War 'n Rockidol
Was a rock idol.
Und alles rief
And everyone called
„Come and rock me Amadeus“
"Come and rock me, Amadeus."
Amadeus, Amadeus, Amadeus
Amadeus, Amadeus, Amadeus
Oh, oh, oh Amadeus
Oh, oh, oh Amadeus
Come and rock me, Amadeus
Come and rock me, Amadeus.
Es war um 1780
It was around 1780.
Und es war in Wien
And it was in Vienna.
No plastic money anymore
There was no plastic money anymore.
Die Banken gegen ihn
The banks were against him.
Woher die Schulden kamen
Where the debts came from.
War wohl jedermann bekannt
Was probably known by everyone.
Er war ein Mann der Frauen
He was a man of women.
Frauen liebten seinen Punk
Women loved his punk.
Er war Superstar
He was a superstar.
Er war so populär
He was so popular.
Er war zu exaltiert
He was too exalted.
Genau das war sein Flair
That was exactly his flair.
Er war ein Virtuose
He was a virtuoso.
War 'n Rockidol
Was a rock idol.
Und alles ruft noch heute
And everyone still calls
„Come and rock me Amadeus“
"Come and rock me, Amadeus."
Now, come and rock me, Amadeus
Now, come and rock me, Amadeus.
Come on, rock me
Come on and rock me.
Ama-, Ama-, Amadeus
Ama-, Ama-, Amadeus
Now come and, now come and rock me, Amadeus
Now come and rock me, Amadeus.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ferdinand D. Bolland, Robert J. Bolland, Johann Hoelzel
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@shawnbennet432
Dude rapping in German in the 80's...epic.
@sunplaying2273
Dude la enn malad🤘
@lessgo5214
Yeah. German Rap nowadays is trash.
@t.vampiro4800
He's singing about hot sauce
@lessgo5214
@@t.vampiro4800 Austrias musician
@t.vampiro4800
@@lessgo5214 I'm gonna pretend that's not true. I say tapatio. 🤣
@horsepower523
Eminem: I'm the best rapper ever
Falco: Hold my Apfelstrudel
@moonstruckmisfit3525
LMFAO
@theycallmejens4980
Kaiserschmarn*
@Wiena-ce2nm
@@theycallmejens4980 Wiener schmakal