Jeanny

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“Jeanny, Part I”
“Jeanny, Part I” cover
Single by Falco
from the album Falco 3
Released 1986 worldwide
Format Digital download, CD single, 7", 12"
Recorded 1985
Genre Pop, Rock
Label GIG
Writer(s) Rob and Ferdi Bolland, Falco
Producer Rob and Ferdi Bolland

Jeanny is a song by the Austrian musician Falco, who said that it was inspired by serial killer Jack Unterweger.

The song was the third single of Falco's album Falco 3. In 2008 the song re-entered the Austrian Single Charts. [1]

Contents

[edit] Lyrics

The song is about a relationship between a man and a girl named Jeanny.

At the time, when it reached number one, critics said that the song glorifies rape. German TV and radio personality Thomas Gottschalk made various negative remarks and called the song "rubbish". An outcry in German language markets caused the song to be banned by some radio broadcasters or played with a preceding warning by others. The scandal only helped to increase the sales of the single.

The song is sung in a slightly unhinged voice, but the lyrics don't actually contain any direct reference to the act of rape or abduction. It is left to the listener's imagination. Falco argued that it's about the musings of a stalker.

Most scandalous passage:

…
Dein Lippenstift ist verwischt
Du hast ihn gekauft und
Und ich habe es gesehen
Zuviel Rot auf deinen Lippen
Und du hast gesagt: „Mach mich nicht an!“
Aber du warst durchschaut.
Augen sagen mehr als Worte
Du brauchst mich doch, hmmmh?
Alle wissen, dass wir zusammen sind
Ab heute
Jetzt hör' ich sie.
Sie kommen.
Sie kommen Dich zu holen.
Sie werden Dich nicht finden.
Niemand wird dich finden!
Du bist bei mir!!

Translation:

Your lipstick is smeared
You have bought it and
And I have seen it
Too much red on your lips
And you have said: "Don't touch me!"
But I saw through you
Eyes say more than words
However, you need me, hmmmh?
Everyone knows, that we are together
From today.
Now I can hear them.
They are coming.
They are coming to get you.
They won't find you.
Nobody will find you!
You are with me!!

Chorus

Jeanny, quit livin' on dreams
Jeanny, life is not what it seems
Such a lonely little girl in a cold, cold world
There's someone who needs you
Jeanny, quit livin' on dreams
Jeanny, life is not what it seems
You're lost in the night
Don't wanna struggle and fight
There's someone who needs you

The part of the Newsflash in the track is spoken by a German newsreader; The newsflash has obvious parallels to the case in the song, but doesn't explicitly mention the girl's name.

Falco released a second song, "Coming Home" in what was supposed to be a trilogy. The third song of which never officially appeared. After Falco's death, a half finished version of a potential third song was made available for download, but it appeared as a reworked version of the original with an alternative newsflash, designed to change the entire context of the song.

[edit] Boycott

Several feminist associations called for a boycott of the song. Some TV and radio stations in West Germany agreed and didn't play the song "for ethical reasons", while others just played it on the charts show. In East Germany the song was not on air and playing it in dance clubs was prohibited.

There were also demands to prohibit the song in West Germany, but officials denied the application in April 1986. This angered Dieter Kronzucker, the news anchorman of Western German public TV station, and he showed this in the daily news TV show Heute Journal. Following this, further radio stations followed the boycott. In the German federal state of Hessen the song was aired with a warn comment. In the popular music show Formel Eins cutscenes were aired, as long as the song was on the first place of the charts.

[edit] Chart performance

Country Peak
position
Austria 1
Germany 1
The Netherlands 1[1]
Norway 1
Sweden 1
Switzerland 1

[edit] Cover versions

[edit] References

  1. ^ De Nederlandse Top 40, week 14, 1986. Retrieved on 2008-03-03.
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