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
Urban Tropical
Falco Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I know, and I know ? From Manhattan to everywhere
Everybody's talkin' about it, and we tell you what it is
It's the hip and the hipitty-hop, hop-hip to the freestyle rockin'
And we never gonna stop, ah
(Never gonna stop) - and we talkin' about, that
Und jetzt
Cha!
Red (yeah) do you hear me? --- (I hear ya babe)
Do ya hear me? --- (I hear ya)
Red (yeah) what's going up your nose?
When they goes up close nobody knows what goes
Up your nose when they goes up close
Hey man, how you doing man? Hey great to see you too! Hi!
Hey, hey, what about your sister? (She's still black)
She's still black, she's still black (she's still black)
I've tried so hard to get black!
I can't believe it yeah, alright! - Say hipitty-hop, hop, ah
(She's still black, she's still black, she's still black)
Freestyle rockin' we ain't never gonna stop
(She's still black, still black, she's still black) - alright!
Say what?
Hey-ya, Ganja, hey-ya, come on Ganja - eh, eh (Ganja eh)
Wenn wir in der Lobby sitzen, doch wir rauchten es genau
He's cool, no he's not the fool, no
Say what, Negrita lady with the bloodshot eye
Just a, just a few bucks more - come on here we go
(She's still black, still black, lady with the bloodshot eyes is still black)
Wenn wir in der Lobby sitzen, doch wie immer noch wass raucht
He's cool though, oh no, he's no fool no - hipitty-hop-hop
Say, hey Negrita lady with the bloodshot eye (so black)
Just a, just a few bucks more, reggae, a come on here we go
Here we go, a come on here we go
Talkin' bout
And what we're talkin' about is
Und jetzt
What we're talkin' bout is, what we're talkin' bout is ganja
And that's in - Urban Tropical
Say
Cha! Cha! Cha!
Urban Tropical
Hey-ya Ganja hey-ya, say what - Ganja aye, aye!
Hey-ya Ganja hey-ya, come on - Ganja aye, aye!
Hey, dude, come on dude, get out of this show, come on! Give me a smoke, come on
Got some speed man, got some speed?
I don't mean that German band, I don't mean that - German band!
I mean 'Ganja', you know 'Ganja'?
You get it everywhere, you get it everywhere!
You don't get it in this studio, because the owner of the studio's here, now
Gimme some, gimme some, gimme some coke, gimme some coke, coke, coke, coke, coke, coke, coke, coke
If we don't get ganja give me some coke, give me some coke, give me some coke...
(She's is black, she is, she's, she, she, she)
Falco's song Urban Tropical is a commentary on drug culture in inter-city areas. The lyrics reveal that everyone is talking about the latest trend in the music scene: hip-hop and freestyle rockin'. The singer alludes to drug use as an essential component of this culture. He mentions people going up someone's nose, and nobody knowing what goes up there when the person is in close quarters. The song's characters are eagerly seeking drugs, and it's clear that this is a part of their lifestyle. Even the singer is searching desperately for "Ganja," and if not, he would settle for "some coke."
While the singer details the drug culture prevalent in society, he references race with the line, "She's still black." The line is repeated several times, and it's not clear if it's a statement towards racism or a general comment on society's view on race.
The last section of the song repeats the phrase, "If we don't get Ganja, give me some coke." This line suggests the desperation of those in the sub-culture who need drugs to feel alive or connected to others.
Overall, Urban Tropical by Falco is a social commentary on the drug culture in urban areas. The lyrics describe the prevalence of drug use in these areas and the desperation felt by some to find illegal substances.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey man, every-every-everybody's talkin' about it, everybody's talkin' bout...
Everyone is talking about the same thing everywhere, and we're going to tell you what it is.
It's the hip and the hipitty-hop, hop-hip to the freestyle rockin',
We're talking about hip hop and freestyle rock, the coolest things out there.
And we never gonna stop, ah (Never gonna stop) - and we talkin' about, that
We're going to keep going with it, and that's what we're talking about.
Red (yeah) do you hear me? --- (I hear ya babe)
Hey, Red, are you listening? (I'm listening)
Do ya hear me? --- (I hear ya)
(Yes, I hear you)
Red (yeah) what's going up your nose?
Hey, Red, what are you putting up your nose?
When they goes up close nobody knows what goes
When they get up close, no one knows what's going on with you.
Up your nose when they goes up close
(What's going on up there?)
Hey man, how you doing man? Hey great to see you too! Hi!
Oh, hey man, great to see you! Hi!
Hey, hey, what about your sister? (She's still black)
What's up with your sister? (Oh, she's still cool)
She's still black, she's still black (she's still black)
She's still cool, still cool (still cool)
I've tried so hard to get black!
I've tried so hard to be as cool as she is!
I can't believe it yeah, alright! - Say hipitty-hop, hop, ah
I can't believe it, yeah, OK! Let's talk about hip hop and freestyle rock.
(She's still black, she's still black, she's still black)
(She's still cool, still cool, still cool)
Freestyle rockin' we ain't never gonna stop
We're going to keep on freestyle rocking.
(She's still black, still black, she's still black) - alright!
(Still cool, still cool, still cool) - OK!
Say what?
(What did you say?)
Hey-ya, Ganja, hey-ya, come on Ganja - eh, eh (Ganja eh)
Hey, let's talk about Ganja, come on - oh yeah (Ganja)
Wenn wir in der Lobby sitzen, doch wir rauchten es genau
When we're in the lobby, we smoke it right
He's cool, no he's not the fool, no
He's cool, he's not a fool.
Say what, Negrita lady with the bloodshot eye
Hey, what's up Negrita lady with the bloodshot eye?
Just a, just a few bucks more - come on here we go
Just a little bit more money - let's go!
(She's still black, still black, lady with the bloodshot eyes is still black)
(Still cool, still cool, lady with the bloodshot eyes is still cool)
Wenn wir in der Lobby sitzen, doch wie immer noch wass raucht
When we're in the lobby, we still smoke whatever we want.
He's cool though, oh no, he's no fool no - hipitty-hop-hop
He's cool though, oh no, he's not a fool - let's talk about hip hop.
Say, hey Negrita lady with the bloodshot eye (so black)
Hey, Negrita lady with the bloodshot eye (so cool)
Just a, just a few bucks more, reggae, a come on here we go
Just a little bit more money, reggae style, let's go!
Here we go, a come on here we go
Here we go, let's get going.
And what we're talkin' about is
What we're talking about is...
What we're talkin' bout is ganja
What we're talking about is Ganja.
Cha! Cha! Cha!
(Let's go!)
Hey-ya Ganja hey-ya, say what - Ganja aye, aye!
Hey, let's talk about Ganja, all right. Yeah? (Ganja, yeah!)
Hey-ya Ganja hey-ya, come on - Ganja aye, aye!
Hey, let's talk about Ganja, come on! (Ganja, yeah!)
Hey, dude, come on dude, get out of this show, come on! Give me a smoke, come on
Hey man, get out of here already! Come on, give me a smoke already!
Got some speed man, got some speed?
Hey, you got any speed?
I don't mean that German band, I don't mean that - German band!
I don't mean that German band - forget them!
I mean 'Ganja', you know 'Ganja'?
I mean Ganja, you know Ganja?
You get it everywhere, you get it everywhere!
You can get it anywhere, you know!
You don't get it in this studio, because the owner of the studio's here, now
But you're not gonna get it in this studio, since the owner's here now.
Gimme some, gimme some, gimme some coke, gimme some coke, coke, coke, coke, coke, coke, coke, coke
Give me some, give me some coke already!
If we don't get ganja give me some coke, give me some coke, give me some coke...
If we can't get Ganja, then give me some coke, give me some coke, give me some coke...
(She's is black, she is, she's, she, she, she)
(She's cool, she is, she's, she, she, she)
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: FALCO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Libor Synthesizer
on Out of the Dark
super muzika ,nádhera