Rock Me Amadeus

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"Rock Me Amadeus (Ihn Liebten Alle Frauen...)"
Single by Falco
from the album Falco 3
Released 1986 (1986)
Format 7"
Recorded 1985
Genre Pop, Hip hop, Pop Rap, New Wave
Length 3:21
Falco singles chronology
"Junge Römer (Young Romans)" "Rock Me Amadeus"
(1986)		 "Vienna Calling"

"Rock Me Amadeus" is a 1986 song by the Austrian pop musician Falco from his album Falco 3. It topped the singles charts on both sides of the Atlantic. It was Falco's only major hit in the United States and one of only two singles to make the Top Ten in the United Kingdom, despite his popularity in Germany, his native Austria, and much of Europe.

Contents

[edit] Information

"Rock Me Amadeus" hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on March 29, 1986. Falco is often considered a one-hit wonder in the United States because of the low ranking of his follow-up singles to "Rock Me Amadeus". However, Falco had already had a minor US hit in 1982 with "Der Kommissar" (later covered by After the Fire), and his follow-up single from Falco 3, "Vienna Calling", reached #18 in the Hot 100. "Rock Me Amadeus" is ranked #44 in VH1's 100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders and #87 in VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 80s.

In the United Kingdom, the song hit number one on May 10, 1986, becoming the first single by an Austrian act to achieve this distinction. In the UK, Falco is also often regarded as a one-hit wonder, although his "Vienna Calling" hit number ten.

In Canada, the song reached #2 in March 1986, after "Der Komissar" had reached #11 in January, 1983, and followed by "Vienna Calling" which hit #8 in April, 1986.

Falco also became the first German speaking artist to achieve #1 in all mainstream US charts (Billboard Hot 100, ARC Top 40 and the US Cashbox Charts).

[edit] Production

The song, recorded in German and about Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, talks about his popularity and his debts. A longer version (eight minutes), named the "Salieri Mix", appeared on the initial U.S. release of the album Falco 3. The song was inspired by the movie Amadeus. For the U.S. release, the song was remixed with an English background overlay by L.A. DJ Chris Modig. (There was never a full English version.)

[edit] Music video

The song's music video mixed elements of Mozart's time with modern times; early on, Falco is shown in a modern dinner jacket walking past people in eighteenth-century formal wear. Later, he is shown dressed as Mozart, with wild colored hair, being held on the shoulders of men dressed in modern motorcycle-riding gear. At the end, the two crowds mix together.

[edit] Cover versions

  • The song was covered in 1998 by German industrial metal rock band Megaherz. They released "Rock Me Amadeus" as their 1998 single from their album Kopfschuss. Megaherz infused the song with heavy metal riffs and industrial-trip rock beats in their version.
  • German hard rock/gothic rock band Umbra et Imago released a cover of the song on their 2000 album Mea Culpa.
  • The Order of the Fly covered this song in 2005 on his EP "Breathing Liquid".
  • Norwegian experimental black/thrash metal band, Sturmgeist released a cover of the song on their 2006 album, Über. This version features lyrics sung in a harsh style in German over heavy metal style music and symphonic keyboards.
  • Italian rapper Metal Carter also plagiarised the main tune of this song in his 2006 song "Pagliaccio di Ghiaccio".[1]
  • Indie artists Malente featuring Knixx recorded an electronica cover of the song in 2008.

[edit] Live cover performances

  • The folk-rock group Girlyman does the song live fairly regularly, with Nate doing the German parts and the other band members and audience supplying the ohs.
  • Darren Hayes mixed up "Rock Me Amadeus" with his old Savage Garden song "Carry On Dancing" during his Club Delicacy shows in early 2007.

[edit] Sampling

[edit] Parodies and References

The song has been lampooned and paid tribute to by many:

  • "Weird Al" Yankovic included it in his medley "Polka Party!" on the album of that name.
  • A parody version of this song titled "Amateur" was released in 2004 by Mexican hip-hop/rock band Molotov. In their version the song starts with a melody of Udo Jürgens (Aber bitte mit Sahne), who is a famous Austrian singer. "Amateur" can be found on Molotov's 2004 cover album, "Con Todo Respeto."
  • The song is featured in two Simpsons episodes, "A Fish Called Selma" and "Behind the Laughter." In "A Fish Called Selma" Troy McClure performs the part of the human in a musical adaptation of Planet of the Apes where the chorus becomes "Dr. Zaius, Dr. Zaius". In "Behind the Laughter" Taco plays a tribute to "Rock Me Amadeus" before the Simpsons are called on to present the award for "Most Violent Rap Group" in the New Awareness Awards.
  • An episode of the Muppet Babies animated series featured a parody titled Rock Me Amadogus, performed by Baby Rowlf as Wolfgang Amadogus Mozart.
  • The TV series Comedy Inc. included a sketch making fun of William Shatner's musical career. In the sketch, William Shatner releases a new album consisting of 1980s memorabilia songs, one of which is "Rock Me Amadeus".
  • DJ Mozart's "Moz Up" from Jamster (Jamba) used references from the song. (ex. He said Come on, Rock Me Amadeus which was from the original).
  • Jewish parody band Shlock Rock parodied the song as "Achashverosh".
  • Robbie Williams exclaims "Rock me Amadeus!" before the instrumental break of his song "It's Only Us".
  • In an episode of King of the Hill where Peggy brings a sand timer to a prison inmate (unknowingly carrying cocaine inside), the inmate exclaims "Rock Me Amadeus!"
  • The opening track on Beck's album Stereopathetic Soulmanure is titled "Pink Noise (Rock Me Amadeus)".
  • Kool G Rap references this song in Fast Life, a collaboration with Nas.
  • Mary Cherry from WB's show Popular (TV series) sang this as her audition for teen tarts.
  • On the September 11 and September 13, 2007, and April 9, 2008 episodes of The Daily Show, the song was parodied using the lyrics, "Iraq Me Dave Petraeus!" in reference to Dave Petraeus' Iraq war progress report. Jon Stewart then quipped, "It's the way Falco wanted", and "If only Falco were alive to see that, he'd be so sad." In June 2008, the Daily Show also created a segment on Barack Obama called, "Barack me, Obamadeus".
  • In a 2004 episode of Saturday Night Live hosted by Lindsay Lohan, a skit featured Amy Poehler's and Lohan's characters reciting the chorus, followed by Poehler asking Horatio Sanz, "Who sings that song, Rick? What artist or group, Rick?" to which a perturbed (yet amused) Sanz replies, "Falco!"
  • In the Family Guy episode Petarded, Brian asks Lois if Peter's stupidity bothers her to which Lois responds that she just represses the thought. The camera then zooms into her brain and shows a tumor singing, "I'm a tumor; I'm a tumor" to the tune of "Rock Me Amadeus".
  • The song is featured heavily in Adventureland, a coming-of-age comedy set in the late '80s. The main character (portrayed by Jesse Eisenberg) feels the song is overplayed on the radio and at one point jokingly says he will stab himself in the ear if hears it one more time.
  • In Bedtime Stories (film), when Skeeter gets a shot, he sings Rock Me Amadeus in his truck.
  • In an episode of Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Abridged Series, Yugi exclaims, "Well, rock me, Amadeus!" and the song is played at the end of the episode.

[edit] External links

Preceded by
"These Dreams" by Heart		 Billboard Hot 100 number one single
March 29, 1986- April 12, 1986		 Succeeded by
"Kiss" by Prince and the Revolution
Preceded by
"A Different Corner" by George Michael		 UK number one single
May 4, 1986		 Succeeded by
"The Chicken Song" by Spitting Image

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2eW-1Kmla4
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_Me_Amadeus"
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