Johann "Hans" Hölzel (; 19 February 1957 – 6 February 1998), better known by his stage name Falco, was an Austrian singer and musician. Falco had several international hits including " Der Kommissar" (1981), " Rock Me Amadeus", " Vienna Calling", " Jeanny", " The Sound of Musik", " Coming Home (Jeanny Part II, One Year Later)", and posthumously " Out of the Dark". "Rock Me Amadeus" reached No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' charts in 1986, making him the only artist in history whose principal language was German, to score a ''vocal'' number-one hit in the United States. According to his estate, he has sold 20 million albums and 40 million singles, which makes him the best-selling Austrian singer of all time. Also notable was his very early creation of a successful non-English language rap music song (''Der Kommissar''), recorded in December of 1981.

Early years

Johann Hölzel was born on 19 February 1957 to Alois Hölzel and Maria Hölzel in a

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district of

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. Maria would later recall that she had been pregnant with triplets. As it was a dizygotic pregnancy, she miscarried the

identical twins Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of TwinLast Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two em ...

during the third month and Falco, who was conceived via a separate ovum, survived. Falco mused that "three souls in one breast sounds a little over-dramatic, but I do sense them sometimes. In my moodiness. I'll be really up and then right after I'll be really down." In 1963, Falco began his schooling at a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

private school; four years later, at age ten, he switched to the Rainergymnasium in

Margareten Margareten (; bar, Magredn) is the fifth district of Vienna (german: 5. Bezirk, Margareten). It is near the old town of Vienna and was established as a district in 1850, but borders changed later. Falco began to show signs of unusual musical talent very early. As a toddler, he was able to keep time with the drumbeat in songs he heard on the radio. He was given a child's grand piano for his fourth birthday; a year later, his birthday gift was a record player which he used to play music by

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

, Cliff Richard, and

the Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

. Falco wanted to be a

pop star A pop icon is a celebrity, character, or object whose exposure in popular culture is regarded as constituting a defining characteristic of a given society or era. The usage of the term is largely subjective since there are no definitively object ...

from a very early age. At age 16, he attended the Vienna Conservatoire, but he became frustrated and soon left. His mother insisted he begin an

apprenticeship Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...

with the Austrian employee pension insurance institute. This too only lasted a short time. At seventeen, he got conscripted for eight months of military service with the Austrian army. In late 1970s Vienna, he became part of the Viennese nightlife, which included not just music but also striptease,

performance art Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...

and a general atmosphere of satirizing politics and celebrating chaos. He played

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

in a number of bands under various pseudonyms, including "John Hudson" and "John DiFalco." One such band with whom he appeared was Drahdiwaberl, an Austrian group that employed shock tactics and stage antics. It was around this time he began performing under the stage name of Falco. Despite being closely tied with the Viennese underground club scene, Falco looked uncharacteristically clean-cut. In contrast to shabbier fashions, he had short hair (due to his military service) and wore Ray-Ban sunglasses and suits. His distinct style, coupled with his singing performance of the song " Ganz Wien" ("All of Vienna") led to manager Markus Spiegel offering to sign Falco in 1981. Ironically, it was at a concert for drug prevention and "Ganz Wien" has a line proclaiming "All Vienna is on heroin today."

Individual success

Once Falco was signed as a solo artist, he continued composing his own music and hired songwriter

Robert Ponger Robert Ponger (born 1950, Vienna) is an Austrian songwriter and record producer, most famous for his work with Austrian singer Falco. Ponger produced and shared writing credits on Falco's first two solo albums, 1982's ''Einzelhaft'' and 1984's '' ...

. In 1981 Falco brought his intended first single "Helden von heute" to manager Horst Bork, but received a lukewarm reception. Bork felt that the B-side " Der Kommissar" was much stronger. Falco was hesitant, since the track is a German-language song about drug consumption that combines rap verses with a sung chorus. Though beginning to break through in America, rap was still rare in Western Europe at the time. Bork insisted and the song became a number-one success in Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Japan, while charting high in several other nations. Falco Ursela Monn 1986-3

Though "Der Kommissar" failed to break through in the UK and US, the British rock band

After the Fire After the Fire (or ATF) were a British rock band that evolved from playing progressive rock to new wave over ten years, while having only one hit in the United States (" Der Kommissar") and one hit in the United Kingdom (" One Rule for You" ...

covered the song with new English lyrics. This version charted at number five on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the U.S. That same year, American singer

Laura Branigan Laura Ann Branigan (July 3, 1952 – August 26, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her signature song, the platinum-certified 1982 single "Gloria", stayed on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for 36 weeks, then a record for a ...

recorded a non-single version of the song with new English lyrics under the title "Deep in the Dark" on her album ''

Branigan 2 ''Branigan 2'' is the second studio album by American singer Laura Branigan, released in March 1983 by Atlantic Records. The album reached number 29 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of Ame ...

''. '' Einzelhaft'', the album on which "Der Kommissar" appears, also topped the charts in Austria and the Netherlands. Falco and Ponger returned to the studio in 1983 to record Falco's second album '' Junge Roemer'' ("Young Romans"). It was a difficult project, as the two artists felt immense pressure to match their previous success and the recording process was plagued by delays. ''Junge Roemer'' was released in 1984. Even though the music video for the single "Hoch wie nie" ("Higher Than Ever") was aired on prime time TV in Austria, it failed to ignite interest internationally. ''Junge Roemer'' only charted in Austria where it went to number one. Outside of Austria and Spain, the title track and main single "Junge Roemer" failed to repeat the success of "Der Kommissar". As a reaction, Falco began to experiment with English lyrics in an effort to broaden his appeal. He parted ways with Ponger and chose a new production team: the brothers Rob and Ferdi Bolland from the Netherlands. Falco recorded " Rock Me Amadeus" inspired in part by the

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology) ...

-winning film ''

Amadeus Amadeus may refer to: *Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791), prolific and influential composer of classical music *Amadeus (name), a given name and people with the name * ''Amadeus'' (play), 1979 stage play by Peter Shaffer * ''Amadeus'' (film), ...

'', and the song became a worldwide hit in 1986. It reached No. 1 in over a dozen countries, including the US, UK, and Japan, bringing the success that had eluded him in markets a few years earlier. The song remained in the top spot of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for three weeks. His album '' Falco 3'' peaked at the number three position on the'' Billboard'' album charts. Unusually for a white act, especially one from mainland Europe, "Rock Me Amadeus" reached number six in the Billboard Top R&B Singles Chart, and ''Falco 3'' peaked at number 18 on the

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated ...

charts. Follow-up single " Vienna Calling" was another international pop hit, peaking at No. 18 of the Billboard Charts and No. 17 on the US Cash Box Charts in 1986. A double A-side 12" single featuring remixes of those two hits peaked at No. 4 on the US 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 possible rapist and murderer. Several DJs and radio stations refused to play the ballad, which was ignored in the US, though it became a huge hit in many European countries, and inspired a sequel on his next album. After the success of "Rock Me Amadeus," there were talks of crossing over more permanently into the U.S. by working with American producers and collaborating with other American artists. These possibilities fell through, in part, due to Falco's personal problems. At this point in his career, he was dangerously addicted to alcohol and other drugs. In 1986, the album '' Emotional'' was released, produced by Rob and Ferdi Bolland ( Bolland & Bolland). Songs on the album included " Coming Home (Jeanny Part II, One Year Later)", "The Kiss of Kathleen Turner", and "Kamikaze Capa" which was written as a tribute to the late photojournalist Robert Capa. "The Sound of Musik" was another international success, and a Top 20 US dance hit, though it failed to make the US pop charts. In 1987, Falco went on the ''Emotional'' world tour ending in Japan. In the same year he sang a duet with

Brigitte Nielsen Brigitte Nielsen (; born Gitte Nielsen; 15 July 1963) is a Danish actress, model, and singer. She began her career modelling for Greg Gorman and Helmut Newton. She subsequently acted in the 1985 films ''Red Sonja'' and ''Rocky IV'', later retu ...

, " Body Next to Body"; the single was a Top 10 hit in German-speaking countries. The album '' Wiener Blut'' ("Viennese Blood") was released in 1988 but it did not get much publicity outside Germany and Austria. After 1986, there were a number of European hits, but Falco was rarely heard in the US and the UK. His 1992 comeback attempt, the album ''

Nachtflug ''Nachtflug'' is the seventh album by Austrian singer Falco. In Germany, ''Nachtflug'' marked the return of Falco to the album and single charts after four years of absence, during which his only charted singles were seen in his home country ...

'' ("Night Flight") including the song " Titanic", was successful in Austria only. Starting in the early 1990s, Falco lived in the Dominican Republic, where he worked on his last album from 1995 to 1998. '' Out of the Dark (Into the Light)'' was released posthumously on 27 February 1998 in Europe and worldwide in March. It charted at number one in Austria for 21 weeks.

Personal life

Falco has been described by those who knew him as having a complex personality. He has been called ambitious, eccentric, caring, egotistical and deeply insecure. Thomas Rabitsch, a keyboardist who met Falco when the aspiring pop star was only 17 years old, said he was a quiet young man and precise bass player, but also arrogant and with a "very high opinion of himself." Markus Spiegel, the manager who discovered Falco, admitted that the pop star was "an extremely difficult artist" and known womanizer. Peter Vieweger, a guitarist who knew Falco before his success and continued to play in Falco's touring band and on his albums, remembers Falco as being "scared he would fail or be unmasked and not be as good as people thought he was." Through the 1980s and into the '90s, he became dependent on alcohol and cocaine. When under the influence he was unreliable at best and abusive at worst. Ferdi Bolland recalls that Falco was often so severely intoxicated that the writing process revolved around his "inability to be coherent, to even stand for a long time." Despite pleas from his manager and collaborators to get help, Falco stubbornly refused. While Falco was in a relationship with Isabella Vitkovic, she gave birth to a baby girl, Katharina, in 1986. The couple married in 1988, but it was a "love-hate" relationship, as Katharina describes it, and the marriage was short-lived. He believed that Katharina was his own daughter until a

paternity test DNA paternity testing is the use of DNA profiles to determine whether an individual is the biological parent of another individual. Paternity testing can be especially important when the rights and duties of the father are in issue and a child' ...

proved otherwise when she was seven years old. After this, Katharina's relationship with him became strained. Though they kept in contact, she took her mother's surname and claimed that she was written out of his will. She was 12 years old when he died. She did not reconcile with Falco's mother, Maria Hölzel, until a few years before Hölzel's death at the age of 87 in April 2014. Katharina subsequently published a memoir in 2008 called ''Falco war mein Vater'' (Falco Was My Father).

Death

Falco died of severe injuries received on 6 February 1998, 13 days before his 41st birthday, when his

Mitsubishi Pajero The Further information on the Mitsubishi P ...

collided with a bus on the road linking the towns of Villa Montellano and Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic. At the time of his death he was planning a comeback, which was successful with the posthumously released album '' Out of the Dark (Into the Light)''. His body was returned to Austria and buried at the Vienna Central Cemetery.Falco
Findagrave.com

Tributes

upA Falco statue in Gars am Kamp, Lower Austria 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". The film ''Falco: Damn It, We're Still Alive!'' was released in Austria on 7 February 2008, ten years and one day after Falco's death. This title also lends its name to a posthumously-released album by Falco, '' Verdammt wir leben noch,'' which translates to "Damn, we're still alive!" Written and directed by Thomas Roth, the movie features musician Manuel Rubey as adult Falco. The end credits include the line "With love, Ferdi & Rob", his frequent collaborators the Bollands. Falco's friend

Niki Lauda Andreas Nikolaus "Niki" Lauda (22 February 1949 – 20 May 2019) was an Austrian Formula One driver and aviation entrepreneur. He was a three-time Formula One World Drivers' Champion, winning in , and , and is the only driver in Formula ...

named one of the Boeing airplanes in his

Lauda Air Lauda Air Luftfahrt GmbH, branded as Lauda Air, was an Austrian airline headquartered at Vienna International Airport in Schwechat. It was owned by Niki Lauda (1949–2019) during much of its existence, later becoming a charter airline subsidi ...

fleet "Falco" after the singer. Although " Der Kommissar" saw nearly contemporaneous and fairly straightforward mainstream covers including the loose translation by

and the reinterpretation by Suzy Andrews, both in 1982 and 1983, Falco's song " Rock Me Amadeus" has seen more frequent use.

Megaherz Megaherz (English "Mega-heart", a pun on the homophone " megahertz") is a German Neue Deutsche Härte band formed in Eichenau in 1993. Megaherz has gone through many changes in musical style since their founding. Their early works are a fairly ...

covered this song on their album ''

Kopfschuss ''Kopfschuss'' (English: "Headshot") is the second full-length studio album by German industrial metal band Megaherz. It was released in July 1998 via ZYX Music. The album features a cover of a Falco song, "Rock Me Amadeus", and continued Megah ...

''. The track has been sampled by groups including the Bloodhound Gang, who also refer to Falco in their 1999 song " Mope", and by German rapper Fler in "NDW 2005" from ''

Neue Deutsche Welle Neue Deutsche Welle (NDW, , "New German Wave") is a genre of West German rock music originally derived from post-punk and new wave music with electronic influences. The term was first coined by Dutch radio DJ Frits Spits on the popular nationwid ...

''. The restaurant Marchfelderhof in a Vienna suburb maintains a permanent reserved table for Falco. The 1999 film '' Sugar Town'' is dedicated to Falco.

Discography

Studio albums * '' Einzelhaft'' (1982) * '' Junge Roemer'' (1984) * '' Falco 3'' (1985) * '' Emotional'' (1986) * '' Wiener Blut'' (1988) * ''

Data de Groove ''Data de Groove'' is the sixth album by Austrian singer Falco, released in May 1990 – a collaboration with producer Robert Ponger. It was dedicated to the upcoming computer era and peaked at number 11 in Austria. It is known to be his most ...

'' (1990) * ''

'' (1992) * '' Out of the Dark (Into the Light)'' (1998) * '' Verdammt wir leben noch'' (1999) * '' The Spirit Never Dies'' (2009)

References

External links

* – Official site (in German)
Official Falco
– Promotional site by Sony BMG * Falco Billboard Single Charts Discography* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Falco 1957 births 1998 deaths A&M Records artists Austrian bass guitarists 20th-century Austrian male singers Austrian new wave musicians Austrian pop singers Austrian rappers Austrian soldiers Burials at the Vienna Central Cemetery Dance musicians English-language singers from Austria Hansa Records artists Male bass guitarists Road incident deaths in the Dominican Republic Sire Records artists 20th-century guitarists 20th-century bass guitarists