BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1985
“Rock Me Amadeus” is a 1985 song by 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. The song was written by Falco and Dutch music producers Bolland & Bolland.
With “Rock Me Amadeus,” Falco became the first German-speaking artist to be credited with a No. 1 single in all mainstream US pop singles charts: the Billboard Hot 100 and Cashbox Top 100 Singles. The single hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on 29 March 1986. Falco is erroneously often considered a one-hit wonder for this song in the United States. However, Falco had already had a minor US hit in 1982 with “Der Kommissar” (a hit the following year there for After the Fire), “Sound of Musik” reached No. 13 and his follow-up single from Falco 3, “Vienna Calling,” reached No. 18 on the Hot 100.
“Rock Me Amadeus” would later be ranked No. 87 in VH1’s 100 Greatest Songs of the 80s and No. 44 in VH1’s 100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders.
SIDE A:
Rock Me Amadeus (The American Edit) 5:53
Edited By – Boris Granaich*, Christer Modig
SIDE B:
Vienna Calling (The Metternich Arrival-Mix) 7:33
Vienna Calling (The “Vienna Girls” Sax Mix Max) 4:17
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
CHARTS:
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Rock Me Amadeus | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | #1 |
| 1986 | Rock Me Amadeus | U.S. Billboard Hot Black Singles | #6 |
| 1986 | Rock Me Amadeus | U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play | #4 |
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: A&M Records – AMRS 1496-12
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 RPM
Country: South Africa
Released: 1986
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop
Credits: Directed By – Falco
Producer, Arranged By – Rob And Ferdi Bolland*
Written-By – R. & F. Bolland*, Falco
NOTES:
From The A&M Album “FALCO3” AMLS65105
Find The 12″ On DISCOGS
EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut III
Cartridge: Ortofon Super
Stylus: Ortofon OM Stylus 30
Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Soundcard: ESI Juli@
VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Brother MFC-6490CW Professional Series Scanner
SOFTWARE USED:
Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Adobe Photoshop CS5
ClickRepair
dBpoweramp
Playlist Creator
RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
Downsampled to 24bit/96kHz and16bit /44kHz using iZotope RX Advanced 2
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi
Buena version, muchas gracias amigo.
I have a soft spot for Falco. He was an emotional ( 😉 )man and it came across. Well it came across to some at least, including me. I watched the biopic called “Falco – Verdammt, wir leben noch!” (“Damn It, We’re Still Alive!”) and I really enjoyed it.
Thanks for the post, Paul!
Thank you very much.. Very cool stuff, always!!
i was obsessed with this song back in junior high school…thought i had every available 12″ single for this one, but as i am finding out, that’s almost NEVER the case!!! thanks for another wonderful post, you rock!
Super Classic!!! Thank you Paul.
Igenuity or Novelty?
I’ve yet to decide even after 25 years!
It is a brilliant moment in pop history for sure, but back in 1986, I was a little upset that this is the song that ended the run of George Michael’s A Different Corner atop the UK charts.
Another weekend has arrived, Paul!
Yes indeed Ric another week has flown by. This week was short due to Monday being the Labor Day Holiday here in the states. Unfortunately I am not particularly happy with this rip I just couldn’t get it to sound as clean as I wanted. I plan to eventually post the UK 12″ which includes the Salieri Mix.
Paul, you really set such a high standard for your rips! They sound wonderful to me as they are, but I do feel the rips for Vienna Calling sound more crisp than the Amadeus one. Am I right?
Amadeus has a bit more crackle in it that I was not avble to completely remove, I used the same ripping method on both tracks Amadeus and Vienna. I think they might have been mastered deifferently.
Thanks.
25 years latter those tracks really rocks!!
Falco was a smart good looking guy… 😉
Merci Paul.
I agree totally!
Great…
Regarz from Argentina