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43-437: Johann " Hans " Hölzel ( German: [ˈjoːhan hans ˈhœltsl̩] ; 19 February 1957 – 6 February 1998), better known by his stage name Falco (from Falko Weißpflog ), was an Austrian singer and musician. He had several international hits, including " Der Kommissar " (1981), " Rock Me Amadeus ", " Vienna Calling ", " Jeanny ", " The Sound of Musik ", " Coming Home (Jeanny Part II, One Year Later) ", and posthumously " Out of

86-665: A Top 20 US dance hit, though it failed to make the US pop charts. After 1986, there were a number of European hits, but Falco was rarely heard in the US and the UK. In 1987, Falco went on the Emotional world tour ending in Japan. In the same year he sang a duet with Brigitte Nielsen , " Body Next to Body "; the single was a Top 10 hit in German-speaking countries. The album Wiener Blut ("Viennese Blood")

129-465: A complex personality. He has been called ambitious, eccentric, caring, egotistical and deeply insecure. Thomas Rabitsch, a keyboardist who met Falco when the aspiring pop star was only 17 years old, said he was a quiet young man and precise bass player, but also arrogant and with a "very high opinion of himself". Markus Spiegel, the manager who discovered Falco, admitted that the pop star was "an extremely difficult artist" and known womanizer. Peter Vieweger,

172-574: A few years before Hölzel's death at the age of 87 in April 2014. Katharina subsequently published a memoir in 2008 called Falco war mein Vater (Falco Was My Father). Around a year before his death, he had a house in Gars am Kamp . Hölzel died of severe injuries received on 6 February 1998, at age 40, when his Mitsubishi Pajero collided with a bus on the road linking the towns of Villa Montellano and Puerto Plata in

215-457: A guitarist who knew Falco before his success and continued to play in Falco's touring band and on his albums, remembers Falco as being "scared he would fail or be unmasked and not be as good as people thought he was". Through the 1980s and into the '90s, he became dependent on alcohol and cocaine. When under the influence he was unreliable at best and abusive at worst. Ferdi Bolland recalls that Falco

258-515: A new production team: the brothers Rob and Ferdi Bolland from the Netherlands. Falco recorded " Rock Me Amadeus ", inspired in part by the Oscar -winning film Amadeus , and the song became a worldwide hit in 1986. It reached No. 1 in over a dozen countries, including the US, UK, and Japan, bringing the success that had eluded him in markets a few years earlier. The song remained in the top spot of

301-725: A posthumously released album by Falco, Verdammt wir leben noch , which translates to "Damn, we're still alive!" Falco's friend Niki Lauda named one of the Boeing airplanes in his Lauda Air fleet "Falco" after the singer. Although " Der Kommissar " saw nearly contemporaneous and fairly straightforward mainstream covers—including the loose translation by After the Fire and the reinterpretation by Suzy Andrews, both in 1982 and 1983, respectively—Falco's song " Rock Me Amadeus " has seen more frequent use. Megaherz covered this song on their album Kopfschuss . The track has been sampled by groups including

344-601: A successful non-English language rap music song ("Der Kommissar"), recorded in December 1981. Johann Hölzel was born on 19 February 1957 to Maria (née Saurer), from Bad Tatzmannsdorf in Burgenland , a laundry branch manager, and Alois Hölzel, from Lower Austria , a machine factory foreman, on Ziegelofengasse in Margareten , a working class district of Vienna . Maria would later recall that she had been pregnant with triplets. As it

387-514: Is an East German former ski jumper who competed from 1977 to 1980. He won a bronze medal in the individual large hill competition at the 1978 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Lahti . On 5 March 1974, he set the ski jumping world record distance at 174 metres (571 ft) on Heini-Klopfer-Skiflugschanze hill in Oberstdorf , West Germany . Weißpflog's best non-world championship career finish

430-671: The Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks. His album Falco 3 peaked at the number three position on the Billboard album charts. Unusually for a white act, especially one from mainland Europe, "Rock Me Amadeus" reached number six in the Billboard Top R&;B Singles Chart, and Falco 3 peaked at number 18 on the Top R&;B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. Follow-up single " Vienna Calling " was another international pop hit, peaking at No. 18 of

473-479: The Bloodhound Gang , who also refer to Hölzel in their 1999 song " Mope ", and by German rapper Fler in "NDW 2005" from Neue Deutsche Welle . The restaurant Marchfelderhof in a Vienna suburb maintains a permanent reserved table for Hölzel. The 1999 film Sugar Town is dedicated to Hölzel. There is a staircase in Margareten , Vienna that is named after him. In Vienna , Falco's portrait hangs above

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516-526: The Rainergymnasium in Margareten . He was still a child when Hölzel's father left the family, and he was raised by his mother. Hölzel began to show signs of unusual musical talent very early. As a toddler, he was able to keep time with the drumbeat in songs he heard on the radio. He was given a child's grand piano for his fourth birthday; a year later, his birthday gift was a record player which he used to play music by Elvis Presley , Cliff Richard , and

559-541: The 1950s and 1960s, sales declined. Though Wayfarers' cultural popularity was aided in 1980 by the film The Blues Brothers , only 18,000 pairs were sold in 1981, and Wayfarers were on the verge of discontinuation. In 1982 Ray-Ban signed a $ 50,000-a-year deal with Unique Product Placement of Burbank, California , to place Ray-Bans in movies and television shows . Between 1982 and 1987, Ray-Ban sunglasses appeared in over 60 movies and television shows per year, continuing through 2007. Tom Cruise 's wearing of Wayfarers in

602-714: The 1983 movie Risky Business was one of the key placements, and that year 360,000 pairs were sold. Additional appearances in movies like The Breakfast Club , and series like Miami Vice and Moonlighting , led to sales of 1.5 million annually. Wayfarers were also worn by various musicians, including Roy Orbison , Michael Jackson , George Michael , Rick Astley , Billy Joel , Johnny Marr , Blondie 's Debbie Harry , Madonna , Depeche Mode , Elvis Costello , and members of U2 and Queen , as well as public figures such as Max Headroom , Jack Nicholson , and Anna Wintour . The novels of Bret Easton Ellis often contain references to Wayfarers. Lyrics that mentioned

645-662: The Beatles . Hölzel wanted to be a pop star from a very early age. At age 16, he attended the Vienna Conservatoire , but he became frustrated and soon left. His mother insisted he begin an apprenticeship with the Austrian employee pension insurance institute  [ de ] . This too only lasted a short time. At seventeen, he entered military service in the Austrian army for eight months. In late 1970s Vienna, he became part of

688-635: The Billboard Charts and No. 17 on the US Cash Box Charts in 1986. A double A-side 12" single featuring remixes of those two hits peaked at No. 4 on the US Dance/Disco charts. " Jeanny ", the third release from the album Falco 3 , brought the performer back to the top of the charts across Europe. Highly controversial when it was released in Germany and the Netherlands, the story of "Jeanny"

731-562: The Dark ". " Rock Me Amadeus " reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts in 1986, making Falco the only artist in history to score a number-one hit with a German language song in the United States. According to his estate, he has sold 20 million albums and 40 million singles, which makes him the best-selling Austrian singer of all time. Also notable was his very early, first notable, creation of

774-712: The Dominican Republic. At the time of his death, he was planning a comeback, which was successful with the posthumously released album Out of the Dark (Into the Light) . His body was returned to Austria and buried at the Vienna Central Cemetery . In 1998, Rob and Ferdi Bolland (Dutch producers and co-writers on about half of Falco's albums) released the EP Tribute to Falco under the name The Bolland Project feat. Alida. The title track featured samples of Falco's music;

817-599: The Ray-Ban logo and the right lens now bears the logo as well. (As of 2007, Wayfarers were available in Original Wayfarer, New Wayfarer, and Wayfarer Folding styles.) Ray-Ban's marketing strategy was threefold: a return to the sunglasses' original, rebellious design, an "edgy" advertising campaign and "high-profile PR events", and the use of new media like MySpace to connect with consumers. Sales in 2007 were 231% greater than in 2006 at Selfridge's London; as of October 2007,

860-475: The UK and US, the British rock band After the Fire covered the song with new English lyrics. This version charted at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. That same year, American singer Laura Branigan recorded a non-single version of the song with new English lyrics under the title "Deep in the Dark" on her album Branigan 2 . Einzelhaft , the album on which "Der Kommissar" appears, also topped

903-633: The Viennese nightlife, which included not just music but also striptease , performance art and a general atmosphere of satirizing politics and celebrating chaos. He played bass guitar in a number of bands under various pseudonyms, including "John Hudson" and "John DiFalco". From 1977 to early 1979, Hans Hölzel was the bassist of Austrian rock group the Hallucination Company  [ de ] , during which he would adopt his stage name Falco, from Falko Weißpflog .. Despite being closely tied with

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946-479: The 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 touring, inspired musician Stefan Weber to reorganize his Viennese Anarcho-punk band, Drahdiwaberl , an Austrian group that employed shock tactics and stage antics, and in 1979 Falco

989-473: The Wayfarer underwent a significant redesign (RB2132), with the frames made smaller and less angular, and changed from acetate to a lighter injected plastic . The changes were intended to update the frames' style during a period of unpopularity and to make them easier to wear (the frames' previous tilt made them impossible to perch on top of one's head, for instance). Wayfarers were brought back into fashion in

1032-485: The Wayfarer was the Luxottica Group 's third-best-selling style. In September 2021, Ray-Ban and Facebook Reality Labs announced a collaboration for smart glasses including Wayfarers with built in cameras called Ray-Ban Stories . During the 2000s Wayfarer revival, many sunglasses designs inspired by the original Wayfarers were produced by designers unaffiliated with Ray-Ban. Grey Ant 's Grant Krajecki designed

1075-662: The bass player in the band Drahdiwaberl , he found himself in the Schmetter Sound Studio in Bisamberg , run by the rather hippiesque political folk band Schmetterlinge ." In May 1979, he recorded demos and early sketches in a recording studio, from which a single was released posthumously 28 years later. His distinct style, coupled with his singing performance of the song " Ganz Wien " (literally "All Vienna", tag-lined "That Scene") led to manager Markus Spiegel  [ de ] offering to sign Falco in 1981. Ironically, it

1118-474: The charts in Austria and the Netherlands. Falco and Ponger returned to the studio in 1983 to record Falco's second album Junge Roemer ("Young Romans"). It was a difficult project, as the two artists felt immense pressure to match their previous success and the recording process was plagued by delays. Junge Roemer was released in 1984. Even though the music video for the single "Hoch wie nie" ("Higher Than Ever")

1161-479: The entrance to U4 (club)  [ de ] . In 1979, Falco, as Hansi Hölzl, had his debut as a bassist with the band Spinning Wheel at Copacabana , now the U4 (club)  [ de ] . The building was first planned as a subway station, then as a city wine bar, which never opened. Falco never actually performed there when it became U4. Studio albums Falko Wei%C3%9Fpflog Falko Weißpflog (born 1954)

1204-399: The frames again became unpopular. The 1950s revival that fueled the glasses' popularity in the 1980s lost momentum, and Wayfarers were outcompeted by wraparound frames. During the slump of the 1990s, Ray-Ban's parent company, Bausch & Lomb was facing pressure from competitors like Oakley. In 1999, Bausch & Lomb sold Ray-Ban to Luxottica Group S.p.A. of Italy for $ 640 million. In 2001,

1247-414: The late 2000s when public figures including Chloë Sevigny and Mary-Kate Olsen began wearing vintage frames. When Ray-Ban noticed that vintage Wayfarers were selling for significant prices on eBay, a 2007 re-introduction of the original Wayfarer (RB2140) design was initiated. The RB2140 model is identical to the original B&L5022 model, except the metal "studs" on the temple arms were replaced with

1290-419: The marriage was short-lived. He believed that Katharina was his own daughter until a paternity test proved otherwise when she was seven years old. After this, Katharina's relationship with him became strained. Though they kept in contact, she took her mother's surname and claimed that she was written out of his will. She was 12 years old when he died. She did not reconcile with Falco's mother, Maria Hölzel, until

1333-474: The other tracks were "We Say Goodbye" and "So Lonely". The film Falco: Damn It, We're Still Alive! was released in Austria on 7 February 2008, ten years and one day after Hölzel's death. Written and directed by Thomas Roth, the movie features musician Manuel Rubey as adult Falco. The end credits include the line "With love, Ferdi & Rob", his frequent collaborators the Bollands. This title also lends its name to

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1376-402: The style of glasses included Don Henley 's 1984 song " The Boys Of Summer ", which contained the lyric "You got that hair slicked back and those Wayfarers on, baby". Corey Hart 's music video Sunglasses at Night shows the artists wearing Wayfarers in darkness. In response to these placements, Ray-Ban's Wayfarer expanded from two models in 1981 to about 40 models by 1989. As the 1990s began,

1419-454: Was a dizygotic pregnancy , she miscarried the identical twins during the third month and Falco, who was conceived via a separate ovum, survived. Falco mused that "three souls in one chest sounds a little over-dramatic, but I do sense them sometimes. In my moodiness. I'll be really up and then right after I'll be really down." In 1963, Hölzel began his schooling at a Roman Catholic private school; four years later, at age ten, he switched to

1462-414: Was aired on prime time TV in Austria, it failed to ignite interest internationally. Junge Roemer only charted in Austria where it went to number one. Outside of Austria and Spain, the title track and main single "Junge Roemer" failed to repeat the success of "Der Kommissar". As a reaction, Falco began to experiment with English lyrics in an effort to broaden his appeal. He parted ways with Ponger and chose

1505-447: Was at a concert for drug prevention and "Ganz Wien" has a line proclaiming "All Vienna is on heroin today." Once Falco was signed as a solo artist, he continued composing his own music and hired songwriter Robert Ponger . In 1981, Falco brought his intended first single "Helden von heute" to manager Horst Bork, but received a lukewarm reception. Bork felt that the B-side " Der Kommissar "

1548-427: Was dangerously addicted to alcohol and other drugs. In 1986, the album Emotional was released, produced by Rob and Ferdi Bolland ( Bolland & Bolland ). Songs on the album included " Coming Home (Jeanny Part II, One Year Later) ", "The Kiss of Kathleen Turner ", and "Kamikaze Capa" which was written as a tribute to the late photojournalist Robert Capa . "The Sound of Musik" was another international success, and

1591-443: Was fourth on three separate occasions, twice in 1978 and once in 1980. Rock singer Falco took his stage name from Weißpflog. Ray-Ban Wayfarer The Ray-Ban brand was sold to Italian Luxottica Group in 1999, who created a second revival in the mid 2000s. Wayfarers were designed in 1952 by American optical designer Raymond Stegeman, who worked for Bausch & Lomb , Ray-Ban's parent company at that time. The design

1634-452: Was inspired by, "a mid-century classic to rival Eames chairs and Cadillac tail fins ." According to design critic Stephen Bayley , the "distinctive trapezoidal frame spoke a non-verbal language that hinted at unstable dangerousness, but one nicely tempered by the sturdy arms which, according to the advertising, gave the frames a 'masculine look'." The sunglasses also featured a new plastic molding technology. After Wayfarers' heyday in

1677-542: Was invited to join the group. Shortly after leaving the Hallucination Company, Falco became a member of Spinning Wheel, a side project of Drahdiwaberl, where he first began to sing, transitioning from bass player to vocalist and developing his own style. "When Falco – who'd spent some time in Berlin himself – entered a recording studio for the first time in 1979 to record two songs for the sampler Wiener Blutrausch as

1720-548: Was much stronger. Falco was hesitant, since the track is a German-language song about drug consumption that combines rap verses with a sung chorus. Though beginning to break through in America, rap was still rare in Western Europe at the time. Bork insisted and the song became a number-one success in Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Japan, while charting high in several other nations. Though "Der Kommissar" failed to break through in

1763-431: Was often so severely intoxicated that the writing process revolved around his "inability to be coherent, to even stand for a long time". Despite pleas from his manager and collaborators to get help, Falco stubbornly refused. While Falco was in a relationship with Isabella Vitkovic, she gave birth to a girl, Katharina, in 1986. The couple married in 1988, but it was a "love–hate" relationship , as Katharina describes it, and

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1806-667: Was released in 1988 but it did not get much publicity outside Germany and Austria. His 1992 comeback attempt—the album Nachtflug ("Night Flight"), which included the single " Titanic "—was successful in Austria only. Starting in the early 1990s, Falco lived in the Dominican Republic, where he worked on his last album from 1995 to 1998. Out of the Dark (Into the Light) was released posthumously on 27 February 1998 in Europe and worldwide in March. It charted at number one in Austria for 21 weeks. Falco has been described by those who knew him as having

1849-549: Was told from the point of view of a possible rapist and murderer. Several DJs and radio stations refused to play the ballad, which was ignored in the US, though it became a huge hit in many European countries, and inspired a sequel on his next album. After the success of "Rock Me Amadeus", there were talks of crossing over more permanently into the U.S. by working with American producers and collaborating with other American artists. These possibilities fell through, in part, due to Falco's personal problems. At this point in his career, he

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