Falco – From Der Kommissar (“The Inspector”) to Amadeus

Falco, born Hans Hölzel in 1957, grew up in Vienna, began his career there and was eventually buried there. You could say he was Viennese through and through.

Er war Superstar, er war so populär, er war zu exaltiert, genau das war sein Flair, er war ein Virtuose, war ein Rockidol […]

(“He was a superstar, he was so popular; he was so extravagant—that was precisely his flair. He was a virtuoso, a rock idol […]”)

Ferdinand D. Bolland / Robert J. Bolland / Johann Hoelzel© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc

Those words could easily describe Falco himself. He co-wrote them, but they are about another Austrian virtuoso from another century. They come from Rock Me Amadeus, Falco’s biggest hit. To this day, it remains the only German-language song to have reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song paid tribute to Mozart, Austria’s musical genius, while turning its Austrian creator into a pop icon. And, as so often in Falco’s story, it all began in Vienna.

Hello, Vienna calling

Falco, born Hans Hölzel in 1957, grew up in Vienna, began his career there and was eventually buried there. He was Viennese through and through. It is no coincidence that he chose Viennese slang for his distinctive musical style, mixing it with English phrases. Vienna also featured repeatedly in his songs, including Ganz Wien (“All of Vienna”), Wiener Blut (“Viennese Blood”) and Vienna Calling. His lyrics often carried a dose of Wiener Schmäh (Viennese wit), paired with a little Viennese arrogance.

Falco developed a rhythmic way of speaking and singing in Viennese that resembled rap. Today, he is regarded as a pioneer of hip-hop and rap in the German-speaking world. Although his music is more commonly classified as pop and new wave, he is often called the “father of German rap.” German rap acts including Fettes Brot, Fler and Die Fantastischen Vier have cited him as an influence. But that career had modest beginnings—in Vienna, of course.

Der Kommissar geht um (“The Inspector Is Making the Rounds”)

When Falco was still Hans Hölzel and living in Vienna’s fifth district, he was assessed by the Vienna Music Academy as having perfect pitch. He was about five years old and had already started learning the piano. Young Hans had all the makings of the musician he would become.

After his Matura (Austrian school-leaving exams), Falco put the sentiment of his later song Nie mehr Schule! Keine Schule mehr! (“No More School! School Is Over!”) into practice: he dropped out of his music studies after just one semester. Incidentally, the song is still something of an anthem for school leavers and is regularly sung at graduation parties.

After his brief time as a student, Hans Hölzel made his first appearances as a jazz bassist in various Berlin nightclubs. In 1978, he saw ski jumper Falko Weißpflog on television during the New Year’s ski-jumping event. Soon afterwards, Hans Hölzel became Falco. When he returned to Vienna and joined the First Vienna Music Theatre, followed by the band Drahdiwaberl, he insisted on being introduced by his new name.

In 1980, while performing with Drahdiwaberl, Falco sang his self-written song Ganz Wien (“All of Vienna”). It brought him widespread attention and soon earned him a record deal. He released his first album the following year. Like the inspector in Der Kommissar (“The Inspector”), the song made the rounds—and climbed charts internationally.

Rock me Amadeus

Falco’s second album, Junge Römer (“Young Romans”), was less successful. But his next album, released in 1986, propelled him to the top of charts around the world. With Rock Me Amadeus, he made history: for the first—and so far only—time, a German-language song topped the US Billboard Hot 100. It remained at number one for three weeks. The song was inspired by Miloš Forman’s multiple Oscar-winning film Amadeus. Like the film, Falco’s hit centres on Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Worldwide success also brought growing pressure and stress. Falco had little time for the girl he raised as his daughter, who had been born just weeks before his breakthrough in the US. After touring that summer, he released another record and toured Japan. A US tour was meant to follow the next year. But Falco was homesick, and being away from his family made him unhappy. He gave up the opportunity and decided against touring the United States.

Mutter, der Mann mit dem Koks ist da (“Mother, the Man with the Coke Is Here”)

The successful year of 1986 also brought controversy. Several broadcasters boycotted Falco’s song Jeanny over concerns that it glorified violence.

In the early 1990s, rumours about Falco’s alcohol and drug use began to circulate. Perhaps his difficulties were connected to his struggle to match the success of Rock Me Amadeus, or to the breakdown of his marriage after just one year.

After several of his albums failed to find the same success, Falco changed musical direction in 1995. His new song, Mutter, der Mann mit dem Koks ist da (“Mother, the Man with the Coke Is Here”), leaned towards techno and was released under a pseudonym. As in several earlier songs, drugs were part of its subject matter.

Out of the Dark

Falco was 40 when he died in a car accident in 1998. He had moved to the Dominican Republic, where his car was struck by a bus as he pulled out of a parking area. He died at the scene. The autopsy found traces of drugs and alcohol in his blood.

After his death, rumours circulated that the crash might have been a suicide. The posthumous release of the album Out of the Dark fuelled the speculation because its title track included the line »muss ich denn sterben, um zu leben?« (“Must I die to live?”). But the theory is unfounded: the song had been written years before Falco’s death, and someone else had written its lyrics.

Still, the rumours became part of the legend surrounding him. His grave is now among the most visited at Vienna’s Central Cemetery. Although Falco died abroad, the Viennese musician had wanted to be buried in his hometown. Fans still leave flowers, wreaths and even drawings at his grave.

It is easy to see why he has not been forgotten. Falco’s music remains part of Austrian nightlife. More than twenty years after his death, people in clubs across the country can still sing along when the speakers announce: Hello! Vienna Calling.