Falco (musician)

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Falco
Falco (Johann Hölzel), Austrian pop-star whose albums became #1 multiple times on the charts in both Europe and North America during the 1980s
Falco (Johann Hölzel), Austrian pop-star whose albums became #1 multiple times on the charts in both Europe and North America during the 1980s
Background information
Birth name Johann (Hans) Hölzel
Born February 19, 1957
Vienna, Austria
Died February 6, 1998
Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic
Genre(s) classical music prodigy turned Austrian hip hop-pop and rock star.
Occupation(s) singer-songwriter
Instrument(s) Vocals
Piano
Bass Guitar
Years active 1974 - 1998
Website Falco the official site

Johann (Hans) Hölzel (February 19, 1957 – February 6, 1998), better known by his stage name Falco, was a classical music prodigy turned Austrian hip hop-pop and rock star.

Contents

[edit] Musical career

Born in Vienna, he studied at the Vienna Music Conservatory with Adam Sudman. Before becoming an international rock star, he was bass player in the Austrian hard rock band Drahdiwaberl. As a solo artist, Falco had taken an interest in the sounds and rhythms of rap music, and was one of the first Europeans to incorporate rap stylings into pop and rock music. He is best known internationally for the rap-styled "Rock Me Amadeus" (inspired in part by the Oscar-winning film Amadeus) from his album Falco 3, which became a worldwide hit in 1986 and reached #1 on the US charts (arguably the first "rap" song to achieve this feat, notwithstanding Blondie's success with their 1981 hit "Rapture" and the fact that Vanilla Ice's 1990 "Ice Ice Baby" was cited as the first "true" rap record to top the Billboard Hot 100).

Falco's first hit was "Der Kommissar" (a partial rap song about drug consumption) from the 1982 album Einzelhaft. An English cover version of "Der Kommissar" by After the Fire became a Top 5 hit in the United States in 1983. Incidentally, the video for the song would later be dubbed by MTV as "The Worst Video of All Time". That same year, Laura Branigan recorded a version of the song with new English lyrics, under the title "Deep In The Dark," on her album Branigan 2. 16 years later, a new version "Der Kommissar 2000" and two new remixes of the original put the song back on the charts.

Other well-known international hits were "Vienna Calling" and "Jeanny" from the album Falco 3. "Jeanny" was somewhat controversial when it was released in Germany and the Netherlands, because it was told from the point of view of a rapist and possible murderer. Several DJs and radio stations refused to play the song, 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. On the Album were "Jeanny Part 2- Coming Home", "The Sound of Music" and a song about Kathleen Turner and Robert Capa.

In 1987, he sang a duet with Brigitte Nielsen "Body next to Body". Falco later said: "I never wanted to top the charts with her, I only wanted to go to bed with her, it was a deal." The Album Wiener Blut was released in 1988 but it did not get much publicity outside Germany and Austria.

In 1990, he made a song for Cindy Crawford and Tatjana Patitz. The song was titled "Tanja P. not Cindy C.", and appeared on the Album Data de Groove.

After "Jeanny", there were a number of European hits, but Falco was rarely heard in the US and the UK. His 1992 US comeback attempt, with the song "Titanic," won a number of awards, but failed to chart in America.

[edit] Death

Falcos Grave at Vienna Zentralfriedhof
Enlarge
Falcos Grave at Vienna Zentralfriedhof

Falco died of severe injuries received following his collision with a bus in his Mitsubishi Pajero near the resort of Puerto Plata, in the Dominican Republic on February 6, 1998 at age 40. At the time of his death, he was working on a comeback into the music world. He is buried in the Zentralfriedhof (Central Cemetery) in Vienna, Austria.

[edit] Tributes to Falco

In 1998, Rob and Ferdi Bolland (Dutch producers and co-writers of about half of Falco's albums) released the EP Tribute to Falco under the name "The Bolland Project feat. Alida." The title track featured samples of Falco's music; the other tracks were "We Say Goodbye" and "So Lonely."

In 2004, Mexican metal band Molotov released a tribute song for Falco called "Amateur (Rock Me Amadeus)" (in the Molotov comic style).

Austrian metal band Stahlhammer has covered several of Falco's songs, including "Der Mann mit dem Koks" and "Jeanny."

German rapper Fler quoted/copied the chorus melody of "Rock Me Amadeus" in his 2005 hit single "Neue Deutsche Welle 2005" (New German Wave 2005).

A rap group named Tech N9ne did a rendition of the song called "I'm a playa"...the chorus line is the same as "Rock me Amadeus" but replaced with "I'm a Playa, I'm a playa"

There have also been numerous covers and parodies of "Rock Me Amadeus", including a cover by NDH band Megaherz. Artists from V/Vm Test Records have released a number of debauched "remixes" of various Falco songs.

The rap-rock formation of the Blood Hound Gang have a song called ´Mope´ which is a tribute to Falco. The song contains the chorus from ´Rock me Amadeus´.

In The Simpsons episode "A Fish Called Selma" Falco's tune "Rock Me Amadeus" receives a slightly offbeat tribute in the musical presentation of Planet of the Apes (starring Troy McClure). The repeated tag of "Amadeus Amadeus" is transferred into "Dr. Zaius, Dr. Zaius". A later episode, "Behind the Laughter," features Willie Nelson saying, "Thank you, Taco, for that loving tribute to Falco," as well as the very end of that fictional tribute.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

  • Einzelhaft (1982) [engl: Solitary Confinement or Incarcerated]
  • Junge Roemer (1984) [engl: Young Romans]
  • Falco 3 (1985)
  • Emotional (1986)
  • Wiener Blut (1988) [engl: Viennese Blood]
  • Data de Groove (1990)
  • The Remix Hit Collection (1991)
  • Nachtflug (1992) [engl: Nightflight]
  • Out of the Dark (1998)
  • Verdammt wir leben noch (1999) [engl: Damn it, we're still alive]

[edit] Singles

  • That Scene (1981) (english version of "Ganz Wien") (austrian single only)
  • Der Kommissar (1981) ( The Inspector )
  • Maschine Brennt (1982) (Machine is burning )
  • Auf der Flucht (1982) (On the Run) (US single only)
  • Zuviel Hitze (1982) ( Too much heat ) (german promo only)
  • Junge Roemer (1984) ( Young Romans )
  • Nur mit dir (1984) ( Only with you )
  • Kann es Liebe sein ? (1984) ( It is Love ? ) (with Desiree Nosbusch)
  • Rock Me Amadeus'(1985)
  • Vienna Calling (1985)
  • Jeanny (1985)
  • The Sound of Musik (1986)
  • Coming Home (1986)
  • Emotional (1987)
  • Body next to Body (1987) with Brigitte Nielsen
  • Wiener Blut (1988) ( Viennese Blood )
  • Satellit to Satellit (1988)
  • Garbo (1988) (french promo only)
  • Do it again (1988) (US single only)
  • Data de Groove (1990)
  • Charisma Kommando (1990)
  • Rock Me Amadeus Remix (1991)
  • Der Kommissar Remix (1991)
  • Titanic (1992)
  • Dance Mepihsto (1992 )
  • Nachtflug (1992) (Nightflight)
  • Monarchy Now (1993) (austrian 12" promo only)
  • Mutter der Mann mit dem Koks ist da (1995) ( Mother, the man with the cocain is here )
  • Naked (1996 )
  • Out of the Dark (1998)
  • Egoist (1998)
  • Push Push (1999)
  • Verdammt wir leben noch (1999) (Damned we are still alive)
  • Europa (1999) (Europe)

[edit] External links

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