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
Sound of Music
Falco Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Es beginnt in einem Wald alle Rechte sind bezahlt
Und es endet doch daheim
Meine Hände sind so kalt
Denn die Zeit, die ging ins Land
Meine Seele ist so rein
Der Bube fragt den König
Sie machen history
Denn sie sind scharf wie nie
The first pre-elected Rock'n'Roll band
The sound of Musik
Bang-bang-boogie, say up jump the boogie
To the rhythm on the boogie the beat (the sound of Musik)
I do the bang-bang-boogie, say up jump the boogie (the sound of Musik)
To the rhythm on the boogie the beat (the sound of Musik)
Do the hip do the hop do the oh-oh-bebop do the freestyle
Rock'n and we never gonna stop (the sound of Musik)
Herr President, wir kennen eine Sprache
Diese Sprache die heißt Musik (the sound of Musik)
Can you hear the bands playing?
Can you feel the bodies swaying? (The sound of Musik)
And if you feel the groove
You better start to move (the sound of Musik)
Step in time to the rhythm
And move your feet to the beat (the sound of Musik)
Hey everybody give Musik a chance and do the universal dance
(The sound of Musik)
I hear the James Brown song
Hear the church choir sing (the sound of Musik)
And it's the people's voice
They're gonna bring up that bell and ring (the sound of Musik)
The Vienna Lipizzaner
They're doing the rhythm and blues (the sound of Musik)
And it's the "Jailhouse Rock"
It's steppin' on my "Blue Suede Shoes" (the sound of Musik)
It's Pavarotti
He's the biggest Bobby Dylan fan (the sound of Musik)
Sie machen alle Musik
For boys, girls and big tall men (the sound of Musik)
It's Otis Redding
He's sitting on the dock of the bay (the sound of Musik)
Just listen to the band, listen to the big band
To the bang-bang listen to the bang-bang, blow horn!
Hey, listen to the band
Listen to the band
Hey, listen to the band
Listen to the band
Hey, listen to the band
Hey, listen to the band now
I listen to the band, the band band, the band
Hey, listen to the band
I listen to the band
Hey, listen to the band
I want you listen to the band
Hey, listen to the band
I listen to the band to the band band, the band band, to the band band
The sound of Musik
The sound of Musik
The sound of Musik
The sound of Musik (ruft)
The sound of Musik
The sound of Musik (ruft, ruft)
The sound of Musik
The sound of Musik
The sound of Musik
It's Lennon-McCartney, Cole Porter, too (the sound of Musik)
They're dancin' with my babe
Babe ba ba ba babe blue (the sound of Musik)
Hey daddy, don't you bother me
It's gonna be my rock and roll day (the sound of Mu-Musik)
I give the children what they want
Hear the universal choir pray (the sound of Musik)
I hear the James Brown song
Hear the church choir sing (the sound of Musik)
It's the people's voice
They're gonna bring up that bell and ring (the sound of Musik)
It's Otis Redding, he's sitting on the dock of the bay (the sound of Musik)
Give the children what they want
Hear the children do the boogie
Do the bang-bang, do the boogie-bang, aw!
Hu-la-la-hu-la-la-e (hey oh)
Hu-la-la-hu-la-la-e (hey oh)
Hu-la-la-hu-la-la-e (hey oh)
Hu-la-la-hu-la-la-e (hey oh)
Hu-la-la-hu-la-la-e (hey oh)
Hu-la-la-hu-la-la-e
I do the bang-bang-boogie, say up jump the boogie
To the rhythm on the boogie the beat (the sound of Musik)
Hu-la-la-hu-la-la-e (hey oh)
Hu-la-la-hu-la-la-e (hey oh) (the sound of Musik)
Hu-la-la-hu-la-la-e (hey oh)
Hu-la-la-hu-la-la-e (hey oh) (the sound of Musik)
Falco's song "Sound of Music" is a playful celebration of the joy and power of music that transcends borders and boundaries. The song is about the universal and unifying nature of music that brings people together and makes them dance. Falco begins by describing a journey that begins in a forest and ends at home. He sings about how his hands are cold, but his soul is pure, and how a boy asks the king if he wants to dance. Falco then introduces the "first pre-elected rock 'n' roll band" that make history and are "scharf wie nie" (as sharp as ever).
The chorus of the song is a catchy and upbeat rhythm that encourages listeners to dance and feel the groove of the music. Falco sings about hip hop, bebop, and freestyle, as well as the Vienna Lipizzaner doing rhythm and blues, Pavarotti being a Bob Dylan fan, and Otis Redding sitting on the dock of the bay. He also mentions John Lennon and Paul McCartney, Cole Porter, and James Brown. The song ends with Falco exclaiming "Hey, listen to the band" and a repetition of the chorus.
Overall, "Sound of Music" is a fun and energetic song that celebrates the universal language of music that is able to bring people together and make them dance.
Line by Line Meaning
Es beginnt in einem Wald alle Rechte sind bezahlt
The journey starts in a forest where everything is paid for
Und es endet doch daheim
And it ultimately ends at home
Meine Hände sind so kalt
My hands are so cold
Denn die Zeit, die ging ins Land
Because time has passed
Meine Seele ist so rein
But my soul is pure
Der Bube fragt den König Hey baby do you wanna dance?
The young man asks the king, 'Hey baby do you wanna dance?'
Sie machen history Denn sie sind scharf wie nie
They make history, as they are as sharp as ever
The first pre-elected Rock'n'Roll band
The first rock and roll band that was actually elected
The sound of Musik Bang-bang-boogie, say up jump the boogie To the rhythm on the boogie the beat (the sound of Musik)
The sound of music makes you want to dance and jump to the beat
I do the bang-bang-boogie, say up jump the boogie (the sound of Musik) To the rhythm on the boogie the beat (the sound of Musik)
I'm doing the bang-bang-boogie to the beat of the music
Do the hip do the hop do the oh-oh-bebop do the freestyle Rock'n and we never gonna stop (the sound of Musik)
Do the hip hop, bebop or whatever you like, because we're never going to stop with this music
Herr President, wir kennen eine Sprache Diese Sprache die heißt Musik (the sound of Musik)
Mr. President, we know a language that is called music
Can you hear the bands playing? Can you feel the bodies swaying? (The sound of Musik)
Can you hear the music playing and feel the people moving to the beat
And if you feel the groove You better start to move (the sound of Musik)
If you feel the rhythm, you better start dancing
Step in time to the rhythm And move your feet to the beat (the sound of Musik)
Step in time and move your feet to the beat of the music
Hey everybody give Musik a chance and do the universal dance
Hey everyone, let's give music a chance and dance together
It's Lennon-McCartney, Cole Porter, too (the sound of Musik)
It's not just about one genre, everyone from Lennon-McCartney to Cole Porter can inspire music
They're dancin' with my babe Babe ba ba ba babe blue (the sound of Musik)
Music is not just about dancing, it's about expressing your emotions
Hey daddy, don't you bother me It's gonna be my rock and roll day (the sound of Mu-Musik)
Leave me alone, I'm going to have my rock and roll day
I give the children what they want Hear the universal choir pray (the sound of Musik)
I give the people what they want, and they express their gratitude
Give the children what they want Hear the children do the boogie Do the bang-bang, do the boogie-bang, aw!
Give the children what they want, let them dance and enjoy the music
Hu-la-la-hu-la-la-e (hey oh) Hu-la-la-hu-la-la-e (hey oh) (the sound of Musik) Hu-la-la-hu-la-la-e (hey oh) Hu-la-la-hu-la-la-e (hey oh) (the sound of Musik)
The music continues and everyone dances to the rhythm
The sound of Musik The sound of Musik The sound of Musik The sound of Musik (ruft) The sound of Musik The sound of Musik (ruft, ruft) The sound of Musik The sound of Musik The sound of Musik
The music is loud and clear, and everyone can hear it and dance to it
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc., Downtown Music Publishing, Budde Music Publishing GmbH
Written by: Johann Hoelzel, Robert Bolland, Ferdinand Bolland
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@oliverhartmann1035
Falco. Schade das du nicht mehr da bist. Deine Musik ist heute immer noch einsame spitze.
@danielhofstadler4419
Wie recht du hast !!! ☝️🙏🙏🙏
@trasherms
...erst sein früher und plötzlicher Tod machte ihn und seine Musik unsterblich
@hkkhgffh3613
Naja. Heute gibt es deutsch Rapper wie Sand am Meer!
@christophkaese5060
„In Wien musst erst sterben, dass sie dich hochleben lassen. Aber dann lebst lang“
@butterfly20161
@@trasherms Falco ist EINMALIG. GENIAL. Dadurch ist er mit seiner Musik UNSTERBLICH.
@sophiaw7762
I love how under EVERY Falco video there is simply love and admiration for him. We all appreciated him so much. In Germany and Austria he is really a legend. This artist has entire musicals designed for him. I am actually attending one in April. FALCO FOREVER !
@henryberger2793
Ein großer Verlust das unser Falco nicht mehr unter uns ist. Schade. ❤
@--Nirvana--
Du durchgeknalltes Gottverdammtes Arrogantes Genie... Ich liebe dich... !
@meikotto9101
Falco war einfach himself mit allen ups and downs