Falco, whose real name is Johann Hölzel, was an Austrian singer who could boast of being the only Germanic-speaking singer to have managed to rank a No.1 title in the American Charts.
But also to have sold no less than 20 million albums and 40 million Singles worldwide, making him the Austrian artist who sold the most records worldwide, just that !
It was at the end of the 1970s that he really began his artistic career and this is how we find him in the nightlife of Vienna under various pseudonyms such as John Hudson or John DiFalco. He also appears in the 'Drahdiwaberl' group.
But it was above all his dandy look that made him stand out from manager Markus Spiegel, who signed him at the very beginning of the 1980s.
The singer tries to release a first single called "Helden von heute" but it is paradoxically the B side that will interest the label more, a title talking about drugs and sung in an atypical way since it combines rap and sung refrain. A title called “Der Komissar”…
The title will be released during the year 1981 and offer the artist a first planetary success, unexpected to say the least, even if it will not break through either in the United States or in England.
The following year, his first album "Einzelhaft" was released in 1982, an album which allowed the artist to shine once again on a planetary level and above all to penetrate the American market for the first time.
A radiation that will stop abruptly two years later when the album "Junge roemer" is released in 1984, an album with the most modest success and which will be unable to produce any single of international class.
It is thanks to the help of the Dutch duo Bolland & Bolland that the singer will save his career in extremis and in what way. The 2 will deliver to him on a set in 1985 the huge single "Rock me Amadeus", single which will give the artist the biggest planetary success of his entire career.
The duo will also produce the album "Falco 3" the same year, an album which will also be a hit all over the planet and above all produce two other huge titles with "Vienna calling" and "Jeanny". A title "Jeanny" which will cause controversy and be partially censored because the lyrics of the title suggest that it is a potential rapist and murderer who speaks.
A mid-decade that sees the singer at the height of his career but also sees him sink into alcohol and drugs...
New album "Emotional" a year later in 1986, an album with less success but which will still produce two high-caliber singles, "The sound of musik" and "Coming home (Jeanny Part II)".
A relative underperformance which will unfortunately be confirmed later with the release of other albums and other singles, which, too, will only experience a level of success, to say the least, limited...
An adventure that will take a dramatic and above all definitive turn for the artist on February 6, 1998 when he is the victim of a very serious car accident while he is in the Dominican Republic. Accident which will ultimately prove to be fatal and which will therefore see the artist disappear at the age of only 41...
To discover or rediscover.
Discography (among others…) :
Ganz wien 1981
Der kommissar 1981
Maschine brennt 1982
Auf der flucht 1982
Steuermann 1984
Junge roemer 1984
Nur mit dir 1984
Kann es liebe sein ? 1984
Rock me Amadeus 1985
Vienna calling 1985
Jeanny 1985
The sound of musik 1986
Coming home (Jeanny Part 2) 1986
Emotional 1987
Body next to body 1987
Wiener blut 1988
Satellite to satellite 1988
Data de groove 1990
Charisma kommando 1990
Nachtflug 1992
Titanic 1992
Dance Mephisto 1992
Mutter, der mann mit dem koks ist da 1996
Naked 1996
Out of the dark 1998
Egoist 1998
Push! Push! 1999
Verdammt wir leben noch 1999
Männer des Westens 2007
The spirit never dies (Jeanny final) 2009
Clips :
1981...first title and already first success. Certainly, success limited exclusively to his native land but it's always better than nothing as they say...
1981... who could have imagined that from the second title this young Austrian would smash everything on a planetary level. Not many people, that's for sure and yet he did it. HU-GE !
1982... the only problem is that he will be unable to confirm all the good that we could think of him. And singing in German doesn't help either...
1982...as much as the year 1981 was incredible for the artist, the year 1982 saw him fall completely to the bottom of the ladder. But how could this happen...
1984...he will therefore have to ask himself the right questions and quickly, otherwise the exit door risks opening faster than expected...
1984... when we thought he was going to smash everything during this beginning of the decade, it was him who really shattered. A totally inexplicable turn of events...
1984...a year 1984 which will see him stand still and still the word is weak. And yet we can't say that he doesn't put good will into it...
1984... all the titles released since 'Der kommissar' pass 'through' or experience only a very limited level of success. A more muscular takeover becomes more than urgent...
1985... when we no longer believed in it, the singer will succeed in returning to the front of the stage in a spectacular way, to say the least, with this title. So much so that he will land here the biggest success of his career and obtain de facto a direct ticket for posterity. MAS-TER-FUL !
1985...a year 1985 which will turn out to be exceptional in all respects since the mega hits now follow the mega hits. While we thought the artist was almost finished, here he is becoming the phenomenon of the moment. Who would've believed that...
1985...and 3 ! The singer literally walks on water and offers us here a very fine title which will remain as one of the most significant of the decade. MA-GIC !
1986... it is obvious that after having reached the top of the mountain, the singer was going to have to begin the descent. A descent that will be smooth in the Charts, the essential is therefore preserved...
1986...he manages without too much difficulty to maintain himself at the highest level in this year 1986, which is reassuring to say the least. Hope it lasts...
1987...unfortunately, what we feared is happening, that is to say that the deceleration will accelerate in a brutal way from this title...
1987...and having him sing with one of the most glamorous stars of the moment is not going to stop the fall. Nice try though...
1988...the only thing that keeps him afloat is the fact that he continues to do well in the Germanic sphere. This allows him to save a minimum of furniture...
1988...a title which will not be officially released but which it would have been a shame to hide. So here it is brought back to light as it should be...
1990...but it is clear that the best years are now behind. He may continue to believe in it, he will never be able to get back to the leading pack...
1990...another title which will not be officially released but which still deserved a minimum of spotlight, that's clear...
1992...just like this one. It would have been a shame to miss out, as they say, so let's put things back in their proper place...
1992... anyway, as long as he continues to be successful in his native land, he doesn't see why he should throw in the towel. And in principle, he's absolutely right...
1992... the adventure therefore continues at all costs to the delight of its basic fans. He will now have to bet only on them...
1996 ... we will all the same lose sight of him for almost 4 years which shows that everything is no longer quite round. And going back into overspeed mode isn't really going to help...
1996...impossible to make him slow down on the tempo side. Certainly he wants to stick to the latest musical trends of the moment but all the same...
1998... the art of going from one extreme to another. We find it in this year 1998 in a mode of tempo which will already highlight him much more. A finesse mode that has always benefited him in any case...
1998... he ends his second decade of career without imagining for a moment that he will not go to the next one. Literally and figuratively...
1999... fate will cut him down in full flight at an age where everything is normally going for the best. A cruel destiny that did not give the artist time to savor his success as he should have...
1999...everything that will come out afterwards will therefore necessarily be posthumous. A destiny shattered far too soon and which only wanted to write other pages of its history...
2007...he is no longer there but his work lives on. It is the miracles of the modern world to allow deceased artists to continue to produce unreleased titles...
2009...as the title of the song says, one's spirit never dies because the work done is timeless. A work of which he can be proud from above !
Wiki :
Official Website :
Greatest Hits :
Discography :