Popular 80s American Hits Share Proud Austrian Roots via Falco

Remember Falco? The singer who performed Rock Me Amadeus in that memorable 80s video also presented the original Der Kommissar. 

 

Adolescents of the 80s from around the world can likely recall the familiar dance beat of Der Kommissar, but many of them won't realize that Austrian singer Falco—well known for Rock Me Amadeus—initiated the performance in 1981, popularizing the ode in German-speaking countries. After reaching No. 1 one on the German hit charts, the song was released across the globe, hitting No. 5 on U.S. Billboard charts.

British rock band After the Fire (ATF) popularized the dance-rock tune for English-speaking audiences, just in time to grab a greater fame. ATF reportedly had prior plans to call it quits.

 

After Falco had brought Rock Me Amadeus (1985) to popular enjoyment in Germany, that hit was engineered as a remix with an English overlay (effectively "reducing" but not replacing the German lyrical content) for release in the United States. It reached No. 1 on Billboard charts in 1986, to date a relatively rare phenomenon for a non-English hit. Likewise, more of the original content remained with Rock Me Amadeus for the MTV video version above. 

Young Falco had been a "classical music prodigy", credited as a "new Mozart", and eventually embarked on a musical career in rock. Perhaps this is why the titular Rock Me Amadeus was pressed on Falco when he made clear that he performed it only under utmost duress from his managers. Ultimately, the gamble paid off. Americans loved the German Falco and his performances:

"In the US, Falco's Sprechgesang was classified as rap, where he is still considered the forefather of white rap. With "Rock Me Amadeus" he made it as the first white on the Billboard R & B singles charts."  —Sailer

It's further postulated by Niklas Sailer that if Falco had taken up the offer to move to the States to pursue his musical career, that he may have fared even better than he did. 

Below, enjoy an original version of Der Kommissar, featuring Falco:

 

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REF:

Der Kommissar,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Der_Kommissar_(song) (Retrieved Feb. 08, 2019).

Falco's World Hit, http://www.spiegel.de/einestages/rock-me-amadeus-von-falco-die-geschichte-des-deutschen-us-nr-1-hit-a-1084647.html (Retrieved Feb. 08, 2019).

Falco, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falco_(musician) (Retrieved Feb. 08, 2019).