Falco: Rock Me Armadeus

[V] rewind with Jane Gazzo

In the 1980s Falco was considered Austria’s most famous musical export and considering the output from the country in the decades since (The Vienna Philharmonic and stalwart rockers Opus), it’s pretty fair to say he’s remained their most popular rock star. In Oz we were introduced to the dapper and handsome Falco (real name Johann Holzel) by way of his synth-heavy, techo-rock catchy and memorable ode to Beethoven, Rock Me Amadeus which got to number 2 on the ARIA charts and was sung entirely in German. Apparently the song was inspired by the 1984 Milos Oreman/Peter Shaffer Hollywood film Amadeus. Falco loved the movie so much he wrote a song about its hero and then simulated many scenes from the movie in the accompanying music video. Louis XIV wigs of curled hair, knickerbockers, feathers, brocade, breeches and hose stockings all feature in the clip (Which Vampire Weekend recently revisited for their Holiday video) but it’s Falco’s undeniable charisma and cheeky German charm which leaps out of the screen and keeps the viewer glued to the screen when he portrays Beethoven as a modern day punk rocker.