Falco (musician)
An Austrian art-school rebel who fused German lyrics with new wave beats to conquer global pop charts in the 1980s.
1957–1998 (age 41)·Austrian musician·Birthday: February 19·Baby Boomers
Biography
Falco, born Johann Hölzel, was a Vienna-born provocateur who smashed the barrier between European art-rock and American pop. Trained as a bassist and inspired by glam rock, he crafted a unique, often cynical persona—part punk, part dandy. His 1981 track 'Der Kommissar,' with its driving synth bass and rap-style German verses, became an unexpected club hit across Europe and even cracked the U.S. charts. But it was his audacious 1985 Mozart-themed single 'Rock Me Amadeus' that made him a global superstar, topping the Billboard Hot 100 and making him the first German-language artist to do so. His career was a turbulent mix of massive success and personal struggle, cut short by a car accident at age 40, leaving behind a legacy as a pioneering figure in global pop.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Falco was born in 1957, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Falco Was Born
The biggest hits of 1957
#1 Movie
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Best Picture
The Bridge on the River Kwai
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Falco's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1957Born
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1962Started school
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1970Became a teenager
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1973Could drive
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1975Could vote
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Turned 21
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1987Turned 30
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 40
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
1998Died at 41
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
Key Achievements
- Became the first German-language artist to have a number-one single on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 with 'Rock Me Amadeus.'
- His 1981 single 'Der Kommissar' became a worldwide hit and an early example of German-language rap.
- Sold over 20 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling Austrian musicians of all time.
Did You Know?
He adopted his stage name 'Falco' as an homage to the East German ski jumper Falko Weiss.
Before his music career, he played bass in the Austrian band Drahdiwaberl.
His song 'Jeanny' sparked major controversy for its dark narrative about a missing girl.
““I am what I am, and that's all that I am.””
