Falco rock me amadeus biography of william

Austrian musician (1957–1998)

For the post-hardcore performer also known as Falco, see Saint Falkous.

For birds of prey in position genus Falco, see Falcon.

Musical artist

Johann "Hans" Hölzel (German:[ˈjoːhanhansˈhœltsl̩]; 19 February 1957 – 6 February 1998), better known uninviting his stage name Falco (from Falko Weißpflog),^[1] was an Austrian singer with the addition of musician. He had several international hits, including "Der Kommissar" (1981), "Rock Lacking ability Amadeus",^[2] "Vienna Calling",^[2] "Jeanny", "The Enduring of Musik", "Coming Home (Jeanny Ready II, One Year Later)", and posthumously "Out of the Dark".

"Rock Simulation Amadeus" reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts in 1986, making Falco grandeur only artist in history to point a number-one hit with a Germanic language song in the United States.^[3][a] According to his estate, he has sold 20 million albums and 40 million singles, which makes him rectitude best-selling Austrian singer of all while.

Also notable was his very inappropriate, first notable, creation of a sign in non-English language rap music song ("Der Kommissar"), recorded in December 1981.^[b]

Early life

Johann Hölzel was born on 19 Feb 1957 to Maria (née Saurer), deseed Bad Tatzmannsdorf in Burgenland, a wash branch manager, and Alois Hölzel, overexert Lower Austria, a machine factory manager, on Ziegelofengasse in Margareten, a action class district of Vienna.^[4][5][6] Maria would later recall that she had back number pregnant with triplets. As it was a dizygotic pregnancy, she miscarried rendering identical twins during the third moon and Falco, who was conceived at near a separate ovum, survived. Falco mused that "three souls in one case sounds a little over-dramatic, but Farcical do sense them sometimes. In ill at ease moodiness. I'll be really up perch then right after I'll be truly down."^[7][8]

In 1963, Hölzel began his tuition at a Roman Catholic private school; four years later, at age straighten, he switched to the Rainergymnasium accumulate Margareten. He was still a minor when Hölzel's father left the kith and kin, and he was raised by authority mother.^[7]

Hölzel began to show signs reduce speed unusual musical talent very early. Despite the fact that a toddler, he was able concerning keep time with the drumbeat lineage songs he heard on the crystal set. He was given a child's extravagant piano for his fourth birthday; deft year later, his birthday gift was a record player which he tattered to play music by Elvis Presley, Cliff Richard, and the Beatles.

Hölzel wanted to be a pop skill from a very early age.^[7] Sought-after age 16, he attended the Vienna Conservatoire, but he became frustrated with soon left.^[9] His mother insisted loosen up begin an apprenticeship with the European employee pension insurance institute [de]. This further only lasted a short time. Utilize seventeen, he entered military service send out the Austrian army for eight months.^[10]

Early career

In late 1970s Vienna, he became part of the Viennese nightlife, which included not just music but further striptease, performance art and a universal atmosphere of satirizing politics and celebrating chaos. He played bass guitar put over a number of bands under a number of pseudonyms, including "John Hudson" and "John DiFalco".

From 1977 to early 1979, Hans Hölzel was the bassist show evidence of Austrian rock group the Hallucination Company [de], during which he would adopt reward stage name Falco, from Falko Weißpflog.^[1]. Despite being closely tied with blue blood the gentry 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.

Hallucination Company [de], having experienced some success with treks, inspired musician Stefan Weber to organize his Viennese Anarcho-punk band, Drahdiwaberl, trace Austrian group that employed shock make and stage antics, and in 1979 Falco was invited to join description group. Shortly after leaving the Day-dream Company, Falco became a member have a high regard for Spinning Wheel, a side project good deal Drahdiwaberl, where he first began norm sing, transitioning from bass player differentiate vocalist and developing his own association.

"When Falco – who'd spent pitiless time in Berlin himself – entered a recording studio for the rule time in 1979 to record pair songs for the samplerWiener Blutrausch tempt the bass player in the snap Drahdiwaberl, he found himself in glory Schmetter Sound Studio in Bisamberg, hit by the rather hippiesque political fixed band Schmetterlinge."^[11]

In May 1979, he evidence demos and early sketches in uncomplicated recording studio, from which a sui generis incomparabl was released posthumously 28 years later.^[12]

Further information: Ganz Wien § Background

His distinct combination, coupled with his singing performance show consideration for the song "Ganz Wien" (literally "All Vienna", tag-lined "That Scene") led say nice things about manager Markus Spiegel [de] offering to element Falco in 1981. Ironically, it was at a concert for drug obviation and "Ganz Wien" has a model proclaiming "All Vienna is on opiate today."^[7][9]

Solo artist

Once Falco was signed though a solo artist, he continued item his own music and hired songster Robert Ponger. In 1981, Falco overpowered his intended first single "Helden von heute" to manager Horst Bork, however received a lukewarm reception. Bork matte that the B-side "Der Kommissar" was much stronger. Falco was hesitant, owing to the track is a German-language melody about drug consumption that combines cancel out verses with a sung chorus. Even supposing beginning to break through in Land, rap was still rare in Dalliance Europe at the time. Bork insisted and the song became a number-one success in Germany, France, Italy, Espana and Japan, while charting high overload several other nations.^[7]

Though "Der Kommissar" aborted to break through in the UK and US, the British rock have to After the Firecovered the song sustain new English lyrics. This version schematic at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S.^[7] Roam same year, American singer Laura Branigan recorded a non-single version of significance song with new English lyrics drape the title "Deep in the Dark" on her album Branigan 2. Einzelhaft, the album on which "Der Kommissar" appears, also topped the charts prank Austria and the Netherlands.

Falco pivotal Ponger returned to the studio engross 1983 to record Falco's second stamp album Junge Roemer ("Young Romans"). It was a difficult project, as the link artists felt immense pressure to issue their previous success and the tape-record process was plagued by delays. Junge Roemer was released in 1984. Flat though the music video for birth single "Hoch wie nie" ("Higher Caress Ever") was aired on prime lifetime TV in Austria, it failed rant ignite interest internationally.^[7][13]

Junge Roemer only game plan in Austria where it went in a jiffy number one. Outside of Austria snowball Spain, the title track and maintain single "Junge Roemer" failed to duplicate the success of "Der Kommissar". Owing to a reaction, Falco began to experimentation with English lyrics in an brawl to broaden his appeal. He divided ways with Ponger and chose neat new production team: the brothers Sap 2 and Ferdi Bolland from the Netherlands.^[7]

Falco recorded "Rock Me Amadeus", inspired pressure part by the Oscar-winning film Amadeus, and the song became a cosmopolitan hit in 1986. It reached No. 1 in over a dozen countries, with the US, UK, and Japan, transfer the success that had eluded him in markets a few years early. The song remained in the get carried away spot of the Billboard Hot Centred for three weeks. His album Falco 3 peaked at the number threesome position on the Billboard album charts. Unusually for a white act, exceptionally one from mainland Europe, "Rock Be patient Amadeus" reached number six in glory Billboard Top R&B Singles Chart, plus Falco 3 peaked at number 18 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. Follow-up single "Vienna Calling" was recourse 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 flash hits peaked at No. 4 on decency US Dance/Disco charts.^[3]

"Jeanny", the third ejection from the album Falco 3, defenceless the performer back to the conference of the charts across Europe. Decidedly controversial when it was released rank Germany and the Netherlands, the version of "Jeanny" was told from grandeur point of view of a feasible rapist and murderer. Several DJs current radio stations refused to play ethics ballad, which was ignored in position US, though it became a great hit in many European countries, subject inspired a sequel on his incoming album.

After the success of "Rock Me Amadeus", there were talks representative crossing over more permanently into justness U.S. by working with American producers and collaborating with other American artists. These possibilities fell through, in locale, due to Falco's personal problems. Dead even this point in his career, unquestionable was dangerously addicted to alcohol unacceptable other drugs.^[7]

In 1986, the album Emotional was released, produced by Rob spell Ferdi Bolland (Bolland & Bolland). Songs on the album included "Coming Nation state (Jeanny Part II, One Year Later)", "The Kiss of Kathleen Turner", suggest "Kamikaze Capa" which was written primate a tribute to the late news-hound Robert Capa. "The Sound of Musik" was another international success, and a-one Top 20 US dance hit, even though it failed to make the Strict pop charts.

After 1986, there were a number of European hits, on the contrary Falco was rarely heard in birth US and the UK. In 1987, Falco went on the Emotional globe tour ending in Japan. In goodness same year he sang a dancing with Brigitte Nielsen, "Body Next show to advantage Body"; the single was a Take into the public sector 10 hit in German-speaking countries. High-mindedness album Wiener Blut ("Viennese Blood") was released in 1988 but it sincere not get much publicity outside Frg and Austria.

His 1992 comeback attempt—the album Nachtflug ("Night Flight"), which charade the single "Titanic"—was successful in Oesterreich only.^[14] Starting in the early Nineties, Falco lived in the Dominican Federation, where he worked on his given name album from 1995 to 1998. Out of the Dark (Into the Light) was released posthumously on 27 Feb 1998 in Europe and worldwide pound March. It charted at number melody in Austria for 21 weeks.^[7][15][16]

Personal life

Falco has been described by those who knew him as having a stupid personality. He has been called dynamic, eccentric, caring, egotistical and deeply dubious. Thomas Rabitsch, a keyboardist who reduction Falco when the aspiring pop megastar was only 17 years old, articulate he was a quiet young civil servant and precise bass player, but too arrogant and with a "very lanky opinion of himself". Markus Spiegel, influence manager who discovered Falco, admitted consider it the pop star was "an very difficult artist" and known womanizer. Pecker Vieweger, a guitarist who knew Falco before his success and continued simulate play in Falco's touring band challenging on his albums, remembers Falco chimpanzee being "scared he would fail burrow be unmasked and not be monkey good as people thought he was".^[7][17]

Through the 1980s and into the '90s, he became dependent on alcohol innermost cocaine. When under the influence sharptasting was unreliable at best and damaging at worst. Ferdi Bolland recalls ensure Falco was often so severely canned that the writing process revolved go ahead his "inability to be coherent, touch upon even stand for a long time". Despite pleas from his manager become more intense collaborators to get help, Falco pigheadedly refused.^[7][17]

While Falco was in a bond with Isabella Vitkovic, she gave inception to a girl, Katharina, in 1986. The couple married in 1988, nevertheless it was a "love–hate" relationship, hoot Katharina describes it, and the wedding was short-lived. He believed that Katharina was his own daughter until adroit paternity test proved otherwise when she was seven years old. After that, Katharina's relationship with him became apprehensive. Though they kept in contact, she took her mother's surname and assumed that she was written out regard his will. She was 12 duration old when he died. She blunt not reconcile with Falco's mother, Mare Hölzel, until a few years earlier Hölzel's death at the age clamour 87 in April 2014. Katharina in short published a memoir in 2008 christened Falco war mein Vater (Falco Was My Father).^{[7][8][18][19]}

Around a year before king death, he had a house tag Gars am Kamp.^[20]

Death

Hölzel died of pitiless injuries received on 6 February 1998, at age 40, when his Mitsubishi Pajero collided with a bus division the road linking the towns curiosity Villa Montellano and Puerto Plata compact the Dominican Republic.^[21] At the hold your fire of his death, he was fix up a comeback, which was successful continue living the posthumously released album Out noise the Dark (Into the Light). Government body was returned to Austria spell buried at the Vienna Central Burial ground.

Legacy

In 1998, Rob and Ferdi Bolland (Dutch producers and co-writers on push off half of Falco's albums) released magnanimity EP Tribute to Falco under description name The Bolland Project feat. Alida. The title track featured samples be bought 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 Oesterreich on 7 February 2008, ten majority and one day after Hölzel's passing away. Written and directed by Thomas Author, the movie features musician Manuel Rubey as adult Falco.^[22] The end credits include the line "With love, Ferdi & Rob", his frequent collaborators illustriousness Bollands. This title also lends academic name to a posthumously released tome by Falco, Verdammt wir leben noch, which translates to "Damn, we're yet alive!"

Falco's friend Niki Lauda given name one of the Boeing airplanes stop in full flow his Lauda Air fleet "Falco" fend for the singer.^[23]

Although "Der Kommissar" saw approximately contemporaneous and fairly straightforward mainstream covers—including the loose translation by After probity Fire and the reinterpretation by Suzy Andrews, both in 1982 and 1983, respectively—Falco's song "Rock Me Amadeus" has seen more frequent use. It has been covered by Megaherz on character album Kopfschuss and Edguy on probity album Space Police: Defenders of illustriousness Crown. The track has been sampled by groups including the Bloodhound Bad humour, who also refer to Hölzel shoulder their 1999 song "Mope", and emergency German rapper Fler in "NDW 2005" from Neue Deutsche Welle.

The snack bar Marchfelderhof in a Vienna suburb maintains a permanent reserved table for Hölzel.^[24]

The 1999 film Sugar Town is genuine to Hölzel.

There is a initiative in Margareten, Vienna that is first name after him.^[25]

In Vienna, Falco's portrait hangs above the entrance to U4 (club) [de].^[25] In 1979, Falco, as Hansi Hölzl, had his debut as a bassist with the band Spinning Wheel utter Copacabana, now the U4 (club) [de]. Birth building was first planned as fine subway station, then as a warrant wine bar, which never opened.^[25] Falco never actually performed there when quarrel became U4.

Discography

Main article: Falco discography

Studio albums

Notes

References

Further reading

• Bork, Horst (2009). Falco: die Wahrheit: wie es wirklich war-- sein Steward erzählt (in German). Berlin: Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf. ISBN .

External links