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 number one hit in both the United States and 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.
The song is about the classical composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791). Mozart was a child prodigy who performed his first musical tour at the age of five. His last three years were his most successful and he had an extremely excessive lifestyle. The basic concept is the suggestion that Mozart was the rock’n’roll rebel of his day. Some of the lyrics in “Rock Me Amadeus” reflect this. Here’s an English translation:
He was the first punk ever to set foot on this earth.
He was a genius from the day of his birth.
He could play the piano like a ring and a bell
And everybody screamed: Come on, rock me Amadeus
With a bottle of wine in one hand and a woman in the other
His mind was on rock and roll and having fun
Because he lived so fast he had to die so young
But he made his mark in history
Still everybody says: Rock me Amadeus
SIDE A:
Rock Me Amadeus (The American Edit) 3:10
Edited By – Boris Granaich*, Christer Modig
SIDE B:
Rock Me Amadeus (Canadian Version) 4:02
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint (company sleeve)
U.S. CHART HISTORY:
| 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 – AM-2821
Format: Vinyl, 7″, Single, 45 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1985
Genre: Electronic
Style: Electro, Synth-pop
Credits: Directed By – Falco
Producer, Arranged By – Rob And Ferdi Bolland*
Written-By – R. & F. Bolland*, Falco
NOTES:
Issued in a die-cut A&M company sleeve.
Original version appears on the A&M album “FALCO 3”
Find The 7″ On DISCOGS
EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut III
Cartridge: Ortofon Super
Stylus: Ortofon OM Stylus 30
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Speed Control: Pro-Ject Speed Box S
Phono Pre-amp: Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Tube: Tung-Sol 12AX7ECC803-S Gold Electron Tube
Soundcard: ESI Juli@
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans: Brother MFC-6490CW Professional Series Scanner
SOFTWARE USED:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removeal: ClickRepair (DeClick Level 3)
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator
RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi
Another exclusive edit is this French 7″:
https://www.discogs.com/Falco-Rock-Me-Amadeus-Special-Radio-Salieri-Version/release/5901161
Only available on this 7″ (as far as I know that is). 😆
Thank you so much! Will love if you post more Michael Jackson/Jackoson 5/The Jacksons rare 12”s and 7”s…
When I click on the links to download, a window appears asking for username and password? How can I download, please?
Please read the FAQ.
wow, I’ve been looking long time for American Edit version of this song because I believe it’s the best one. It’s not easy to find. And the sound quality is amazing. Thank you!!
Always Falco!
Thank you, Paul… thank you! 🙂
Thanks Paul for another rare 7″ treat…so strange these were never included with all the remastering of Falco.
Love your rips, and I know 7″s are harder to perfect than the 12″s.
Keep ém coming, 7″ or 10″ or 12″ inchers…as long as they are awesome and rare!
Nice post again Paul!
Rock me Amadeus is one of the best songs of the 80s decade.
I also do prefer the Can-Am ’86 mix.
From Rock me Amadeus about 11 mixes are floating around.
Minor different cuts and edits.
Even on some of the 12-inches you will notice even differents in speed.
So80s serie cds are the worst master pressings out there.
Every mastering of the songs is in my opinion overcompressed and destroyed by B&J.
They should use your mastering skills on those Paul 😉
Thank you Marcello I appreciate that 🙂
@Marcello: I think you are right until up to So80s Volume 8 (which came out mid 2012) where Blank&Jones changed their approach towards compression.
A firm favourite of mine in 1985.
Thanks Paul 🙂
You’re welcome Junior 🙂
By the way, the lyrics above are not right, actually Falco sings: He was a punk and he lived in the big city It was Wien, was Vienna where he did everything He was in debt because he liked to drink Yet all the women loved him And they all shouted Come on and rock me Amadeus He was a superstar He was so popular He was so eccentric Because he had flair He was a virtuoso Was a rock idol And everybody was shouting Come on and rock me Amadeus It was around 1780 And it was in Vienna… Read more »
Hey Paul, as usual a GREAT job! Loved this song when it first came out and I think it hasn’t aged one bit! I would like to particularly mention your scans of the front and back sleeves of the records you post. They are awesome. As someone who also scans records frequently, I can appreciate the time spent on touching them up to make them look so good (although I am sure your copies are mint anyway!). So well done and thank you!
Thank you André I love doing the scans almost as much as the music 🙂
It’s unbelievable that these two mixes of Falco’s best known song have not been released in good quality on CD yet! All the better that we now get an excellent rip on BurningTheGround which is far better than all the existing vinyl rips on CD releases. This single was a double A-sided affair, as A&M were unsure if American and English radio stations would play a record with German lyrics. So they decided to let the DJs choose for themselves which side they would play. The first mix is the ‚American Edit‘ which mixes elements from the well know ‚Salieri… Read more »
That’s strange, though, because the only version I ever remember hearing on the radio here in the USA was the “American Edit” with Falco’s German rapping lyrics. I don’t ever recall hearing the so-called “Canadian Version” with that spoken-word Mozart bio before… (and honestly, I don’t think very highly of that mix at all.)
Well, I was not living in the USA during 1986 but stayed a few weeks during Falco’s reign in the charts in spring of that year, and I heard the ‘Canadian Version’ more often. I remember that Kasey Casem played this version only in his Amerian Top 40 radio program and I think this was played on the largest radio network in the USA. But I guess this was just a small excerpt of all the many radio stations in the USA. Would make more sense to play the ‘American Edit’ as it is much more of a song than… Read more »
That’s plausible, I suppose — I do recall that “American Top 40” had a habit of playing the “safest” airplay versions of whatever was on their list (such as the version of “The Devil Went Down To Georgia” where Charlie Daniels sings “son of a gun” instead of “son of a bitch”). And yeah, the over-use of that “skipping-CD” stuttering effect is mostly what kills the “Canadian” and “Salieri” versions for me. But then, I’ve never really been a fan of that particular effect; using it a couple of times as an attention-getting intro hook (such as in the “American… Read more »
I think you are right with your theory about Dub mixes, they were hip during a few days in the 80s and now (and then) sound a bit boring.
There was the aforementioned “Canadian/American Edit” of ‘Rock Me Amadeus’ in 1986 which mixed these two edits in a really good one. Paul ripped this version already and it’s a real shame that there is a real sloopy editing after around 3:15 minutes which ruins this mix completely for me…
Rock Me Amadeus? Rock Us, DJ Paul! 🙂
What’s up with the 7″ lately ?
We need our 12″ 🙂
One request Paul T Greg Phillinganes – Behind The Mask
This one needs your 24bit fix
Thanx for your great work
Cheers
MM
http://www.discogs.com/Greg-Phillinganes-Behind-The-Mask/release/1667072
Good 7″s and they as welcome as any 12″ especially if unavailable on CD!
good stuff another classic
Thank you Dazz22 🙂
Awesome. You are on fire of late Sir!
Thank you NKelly 🙂
Paul,
I love these two versions of the song. I remember the old trade publication “Dance Music Report” had an ad for the American Edit, saying something along the lines of “The Killing of German Language Records has got to stop. Play the new mix of Falco’s ‘Rock Me Amadeus’.” I thought it was a great way to bring attention to the new mix. Thanks for this version Paul.
Jeff
You’re welcome Jeff. I think these are the best mixes 🙂
Nice post! Curious to find out how these 2 separate single versions are like.
In the Netherlands (and a few other European markets outside the German speaking territories) this single was re-released in 1986 as the Canadian/American ’86 Mix. That was an edit of these 2 versions. Very terrific 7″ mix by the way (you’ll never like the original dull album version anymore).
Thanks Stefano. Yeah that was the CanAm mix and I already have it posted 🙂
I like this Can/Am 86 Mix a lot too, but what always annoyed me was the sloopy editing to join the different parts in the last minute: You can clearly hear the dirty editing after 3:15 minutes when the ending of the European single version is glued onto the “baby baby blue” chorus of the Salieri Version… It’s just one second but it ruins this otherwise best mix for me!
Thanks Paul. Do U have his single Satellite To Satellite ?
No sorry I don’t Omar.
@OMAR: if you are looking not just for his song Satellite To Satellite but for all of his classic 80s 12inches, look here, great compilation:
http://www.discogs.com/Falco-So80s-Soeighties-Presents-Falco/release/4104810