Falco (Musician)

Falco (February 19, 1957 - February 6, 1998) was the stage name of the classical music prodigy turned Austrian rock star, Johann Hlzel (also Hans Hlzel). He was born in Vienna and studied at the Vienna Music Conservatory. Before becoming an international popstar, he was bass-player in the Austrian hard-rock band Drahdiwaberl. As a solo artist, Falco had taken an interest in the sounds and rhythms of rap music, and was one of the first Europeans to incorporate rap stylings into pop and rock music. He was best known internationally for the rap-styled 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 Number 1 on the US charts, arguably the first rap song to achieve this feat. ("Ice Ice Baby" by Vanilla Ice from 1991 is usually cited as the first true rap record to top the Billboard Hot 100.) Other well-known international hits include Der Kommissar (a partial rap song about drug consumption) from the 1982 album Einzelhaft and Vienna Calling from Falco 3. An English cover version of Der Kommissar by After the Fire became a Top 5 hit in the United States. The song Jeanny became somewhat of a controversy when it was released in Germany and the Netherlands. Because it was told from the point of view of a rapist, several DJs and radio stations refused to play it. He died of severe head injuries received following his SUV's collision with a bus near the resort of Puerto Plata, in the Dominican Republic at age 40.

Tributes to Falco

In 2000, the musical Falco Meets Amadeus was produced and staged in Germany. Also in 2000, the American comic rock group, The Bloodhound Gang dedicated their song, "Mope" to him. The spoken intro jokingly refers to Falco as "a gang bangin' thug" and "money makin' playa". The beginning of the song samples from "Rock Me Amadeus." While the tribute may have been less than 100% sincere, there is no denying that Falco's combination of pop melody with rap-styled vocal delivery has proven highly influential in recent years.

Albums/Discography

  • Einzelhaft (1982)
  • Junge Rmer (1984)
  • Falco 3 (1985)
  • Emotional(1986)
  • Wiener Blut (1988)
  • Data de Groove (1990)
  • The Remix Hit Collection (1991)
  • Nachtflug (1992)
  • Out Of The Dark (1998)
  • Verdammt wir leben noch (2000)

External links

Falco Falco

 

<< PreviousWord BrowserNext >>
invariance of domain
takashi miike
bmp
u.s. atlantic fleet
canon de 75 m(montagne) modele 1919 schneider
hydrogen chloride
tachanka
burtnieki
uss cyane
uss cyane (1796)
molotov
tern
act of succession
swedish act of succession
skua
kagu
lake burtnieks
lacandon
sunbittern
decembrist revolt
fort oswego
royal swedish academy of sciences
anserinae
falco
phasianidae
swedish royal academies
edie falco
aibonito, puerto rico
royal swedish academy of engineering sciences
caguas creoles (basketball)
royal swedish academy of war sciences
royal swedish society of naval sciences
british broadcasting company
super mario bros. (film)
royal swedish academy of agriculture and forestry
b1ff
square enix
royal swedish academy of music
richard lester
list of swedes in music
kingdom hearts
royal swedish academy of letters, history and antiquities
consilience: the unity of knowledge
crater (constellation)