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
The Sound of Music .wmv
Falco Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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: hey baby
Sie machen history
Denn sie sind scharf wie nie -
The first pre-elected Rock'n'Roll band.
The sound of Musik - bang-boogie
Say up jump the boogie
Do the rhythm on the boogie the beat.
Do the bang-bang-boogie
Say up jump the boogie
Do the rhythm on the boogie the beat.
Do the hip
Do the hop
Do the oh-oh-bebop
Do the freestyle Rock'n and we never gonna stop.
Herr Präsident
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?
And if you feel the groove you better start to move
Step in time to the rhythm and move your feet to the beat
Hey everybody
Give Musik a chance and do the universal dance.
The sound of Musik -
Hear the James Brown song
Hear the church choir sing
It's the people's voice
They're gonna bring up that beU. and ring.
The Vienna Lipizzaner
They're doing the rhythm and blues
It's a Jailhouse-Rock
It's stepping on my blues suede shoes.
The sound of Musik -
It's Pavarotti
He is the biggest Bob Dylan fan
Sie machen alle Musik for boys
Girls and big taU man.
It's Otis Redding
He's sitting on the dock of the bay
Listen to the band
Listen to the big-band
To the bang-bang
To the bang-bang
Blow horn !
Hey - listen to the band
Listen to the band ! (6x)
The s-s-sound of Musik
The s-s-sound of Musik (4x)
The sound of Musik -
It's Lennon-McCartney
Cole Porter
Too
They're dancing with my babe
Babe-ba-ba-ba-babe-blue.
Hey Daddy
Don't you bother me
It's gonna be my Rock'n'Roll day
Give the children what they want
Hear the universal choir pray.
Hear the James Brown song
Hear the church choir sing
It's the people's voice
They're
Conna bring up that bell and ring.
It's Otis Redding
He's sitting on the dock of the bay
Give the children what they want
Hear the children do the boogie
Do the bang-bang
Do the boogie-bang.
The lyrics of Falco's song The Sound of Music are an ode to music, its universality and its power to unite people across all boundaries. It starts in a forest where all rights are paid and ends at home. The lyrics signify the journey of the artist, filled with experiences and the passage of time, leading to the purity of their soul. The song talks about the first pre-elected rock and roll band, consisting of a boy and a king, who make history because they are sharp and unique. The lyrics then proceed to highlight the beauty of music, how it makes people move and sway to the rhythm and dance to the beat. It is not limited to a particular language or genre but is a universal language understood and appreciated by people all over the world.
The song is an amalgamation of different types of music, from hip hop to rock and roll, blues to classical, jazz to church choir. Various musicians such as James Brown, Otis Redding, Pavarotti, and Bob Dylan are mentioned in the lyrics, thus showcasing how music transcends boundaries and is enjoyed by people of all ages, genders, and nationalities. The song encourages people to give music a chance and do the universal dance, emphasizing the importance of inclusivity and unity through the medium of music.
Line by Line Meaning
Es beginnt in einem Wald
The song starts off in a forest
Alle Rechte sind bezahlt
All the rights are paid for
Und es endet doch daheim.
And it ends at home
Meine Hände sind so kalt
My hands are cold
Denn die Zeit
Because time
Die ging ins Land
Has passed by
Meine Seele ist so rein.
My soul is pure.
Der Bube fragt den König: hey baby
The boy asks the king: hey baby
Do you wanna dance?
Do you want to dance?
Sie machen history
They are making history
Denn sie sind scharf wie nie -
Because they are as sharp as ever
The first pre-elected Rock'n'Roll band.
The first pre-elected rock and roll band.
The sound of Musik - bang-boogie
The sound of music - bang boogie
Say up jump the boogie
Say up jump the boogie
Do the rhythm on the boogie the beat.
Do the rhythm on the boogie the beat
Do the bang-bang-boogie
Do the bang bang boogie
Say up jump the boogie
Say up jump the boogie
Do the rhythm on the boogie the beat.
Do the rhythm on the boogie the beat
Do the hip
Do the hip
Do the hop
Do the hop
Do the oh-oh-bebop
Do the oh oh bebop
Do the freestyle Rock'n and we never gonna stop.
Do the freestyle rock and we're never going to stop
Herr Präsident
Mr. President
Wir kennen eine Sprache
We know a language
Diese Sprache
This language
Die heißt Musik.
Is called music
Can you hear the bands playing
Can you hear the bands playing
Can you feel the bodies swaying?
Can you feel the bodies swaying?
And if you feel the groove you better start to move
And if you feel the groove, you better start to move
Step in time to the rhythm and move your feet to the beat
Step in time to the rhythm and move your feet to the beat
Hey everybody
Hey, everybody
Give Musik a chance and do the universal dance.
Give music a chance and do the universal dance
Hear the James Brown song
Hear the James Brown song
Hear the church choir sing
Hear the church choir sing
It's the people's voice
It's the people's voice
They're gonna bring up that beU. and ring.
They're going to bring up that bell and ring
The Vienna Lipizzaner
The Vienna Lipizzaner
They're doing the rhythm and blues
They're doing the rhythm and blues
It's a Jailhouse-Rock
It's a Jailhouse-Rock
It's stepping on my blues suede shoes.
It's stepping on my blues suede shoes
It's Pavarotti
It's Pavarotti
He is the biggest Bob Dylan fan
He is the biggest Bob Dylan fan
Sie machen alle Musik for boys
They make all music for boys
Girls and big taU man.
Girls and big tall men
It's Otis Redding
It's Otis Redding
He's sitting on the dock of the bay
He's sitting on the dock of the bay
Listen to the band
Listen to the band
Listen to the big-band
Listen to the big band
To the bang-bang
To the bang-bang
To the bang-bang
To the bang-bang
Blow horn !
Blow the horn!
Hey - listen to the band
Hey, listen to the band
Listen to the band ! (6x)
Listen to the band! (6x)
The s-s-sound of Musik
The sound of music
The s-s-sound of Musik (4x)
The sound of music (4x)
It's Lennon-McCartney
It's Lennon-McCartney
Cole Porter
Cole Porter
Too
too
They're dancing with my babe
They're dancing with my babe
Babe-ba-ba-ba-babe-blue.
Babe ba ba ba babe blue
Hey Daddy
Hey, Daddy
Don't you bother me
Don't you bother me
It's gonna be my Rock'n'Roll day
It's going to be my rock and roll day
Give the children what they want
Give the children what they want
Hear the universal choir pray.
Hear the universal choir pray
Give the children what they want
Give the children what they want
Hear the children do the boogie
Hear the children do the boogie
Do the bang-bang
Do the bang-bang
Do the boogie-bang.
Do the boogie-bang
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dennis Rosenberg
The best version of the song