Falco (musician)

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Falco
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, Crossover, prodigy turned Austrian hip hop-pop and pop-rock.
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 an Austrian classical music prodigy turned into hip hop, pop and rock star. His albums and singles sold about 60 million copies worldwide.

Contents

[edit] Musical career

Born in Vienna, as the only survivor of a triplets birth, he studied at the Vienna Music Conservatory. In 1977 he lived for a short time in Berlin (Germany). When he returned to Vienna he was playing in the Austrian bands Spinning Wheel and Hallucination Company. Before becoming an international rock star, he was bass player in the Austrian hard rock band Drahdiwaberl (from 1978 until 1983). With Drahdiwaberl he performed the song Ganz Wien, which was later a track on his first own solo album Einzelhaft.

As a solo artist (from 1980 on), Falco recorded "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.

Falco's first hit was "Der Kommissar" (a 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 (Bolland & Bolland). On the Album were "Coming Home (Jeanny Part 2)", "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". 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

Falco's grave at Vienna Zentralfriedhof
Falco's 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 was 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). Rapper 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". The rap-rock formation of the Bloodhound Gang have a song called Mope which is a tribute to Falco.

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.

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

Year Albums A CH UK GER USA
1982 Einzelhaft 1 - - 1 -
1984 Junge Roemer 1 - - 1 -
1985 Falco 3 1 1 32 2 3
1986 Emotional 1 5 - 1 -
1988 Wiener Blut 2 12 - 8 -
1990 Data de Groove 11 - - 15 -
1992 Nachtflug 1 - - 3 -
1996 Greatest Hits 2 - - 1 -
1997 Greatest Hits Vol. II 8 - - 10 -
1998 Best Of 7 - - 15 -
1998 The Remix Hit Collection - - - 51 -
1998 Out of the Dark (Into the Light) 1 4 - 2 -
1998 The Hit-Singles - - - 7 -
1999 The Final Curtain - The Ultimate Best Of 1 6 - 2 -
1999 Live Forever 34 - - - -
1999 Verdammt wir leben noch 3 - - 35 -
2007 Hoch wie nie 1 5 - 2 -

[edit] Releases

[edit] Singles

Year Singles A CDN CH GER ES F UK I J N NL RUS S USA
1981 That Scene 11 - - - - - - - - - - - - -
1982 Der Kommissar 1 1 2 1 1 1 3 7 1 3 18 1 4 72
1982 After the fire - - - - - - 47 - - - - - 3
1982 Maschine Brennt 4 - 3 10 34 - - - - 4 49 - - -
1984 Junge Römer 8 - 24 4 12 - 78 - - - - - - 89
1985 Rock Me Amadeus 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 6 3 1 1 1
1985 Vienna Calling 3 - 7 4 6 - 10 - - - 40 - 11 18
1985 Jeanny 1 - 1 1 15 25 68 14 5 1 1 - 7 20
1986 The Sound Of Musik 4 - 11 4 - - 61 42 13 - - - - 22
1986 Coming Home - Jeanny Part II 4 - 3 1 - - - - - 4 - - 11 -
1987 Emotional 18 - - 50 - - 20 - - - - - - 32
1987 Body Next To Body (mit Brigitte Nielsen) 6 16 - 22 37 - 42 35 - - - - - -
1988 Wiener Blut 4 - 24 9 19 - - - 15 - 20 - - 54
1990 Data De Groove 2 - - - - - - - - - - - - -
1992 Dance Mephisto 17 - - - - - - - - - - - - -
1992 Titanic 3 - - 47 10 - - - - - - - - -
1996 Mutter, Der Mann Mit Dem Koks Ist Da (under T-MA) 3 - 30 3 - - - - - - - - - -
1996 Naked (under Falco feat. T-MB) 4 - - 50 - - - - - - - - - -
1998 Out Of The Dark 1 - 3 2 - - - - - - - - - -
1998 Egoist 2 - 19 6 - - - - - - - - - -
1999 Der Kommissar (Jason Nevins And Club 69 Remixes) 39 - - - - - - - - - - - - -
1999 Push! Push! 9 - - 50 - - - - - - - - - -
1999 Verdammt Wir Leben Noch 26 - - - - - - - - - - - - -
2007 Männer des Westens (T. Börger 2007 Version) 14 - - 55 - - - - - - - - - -

[edit] Releases

  • That Scene (1981) (English version of "Ganz Wien") (Austrian single only)
  • Der Kommissar (1981) ( The Inspector/Commissioner )
  • 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) ( Could it Be 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 coke is here) (coke as coal or cocain (the german word is ambiguous) )
  • Naked (1996 )
  • Out of the Dark (1998)
  • Egoist (1998)
  • Push Push (1999)
  • Verdammt wir leben noch (1999) (Damn - we are still alive)
  • Europa (1999) (Europe)

[edit] External links

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