Rock Me Amadeus

"Rock Me Amadeus"
Song

"Rock Me Amadeus" is a 1985 song by the Austrian pop star Falco that topped the singles charts on both sides of the Atlantic. It was Falco's only major hit in the United States, despite his popularity in Germany and his native Austria, and all over Europe. The song was featured in a 2007 Subaru commercial.

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 US hit in 1982 with "Der Kommissar" (later covered by After the Fire). "Rock Me Amadeus" is ranked #44 in VH1's 100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders.

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.

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).

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 by L.A. DJ Chris Modig.

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.

Parodies and cover versions

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

• Included in "Weird Al" Yankovic's medley "Polka Party!" on the album of that name.
• The song was covered in 1998 by German industrial metal rock band Megaherz. They released it as their 1998 single from their album for that year Kopfschuss. Megaherz infused the song with heavy metal riffs and industrial-trip rock beats in their version.
• The Austrian gothic rock/crossover band Sanguis et Cinis did a cover version as tribute on their limited edition (1986 copies) EP "fremde Federn" in 1999.
• German hard rock/gothic rock band Umbra et Imago released a cover of the song on their 2000 album "Mea Culpa".
• A parody titled "Rock Me Jerry Lewis" was recorded by Mike Elliot and Bud LaTour (also known as "Tri-Fi"). It was extremely popular among the listeners of the Dr. Demento Show in 1986, and was the show's most requested song that year.
• 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."
• Rapper Tech N9ne made a song titled "I'm A Playa" set to the same tune, except with a more Dirty South/Crunk style beat.
• The Bloodhound Gang samples "Rock Me Amadeus" throughout the song Mope on the 1999 album, Hooray for Boobies
• 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 Ockerse is playing 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.
• It made an appearance on Family Guy when Lois Griffin is shown to be growing a brain tumor because of her repressing the realization that Peter is her spouse. A close-up on her brain shows the tumor (anthropomorphized to resemble Peter) who repeats "I'm a tumor, I'm a tumor" to the tune of the chorus.
• A parody of the song titled "Jabba on the Dais" appeared on Star Wars fansite www.theforce.net and became very popular there. The chorus, as expected, is "On the dais, on the dais..." The song was recorded by Petch Lucas and Matthew Beall, and placed inside a Quicktime movie that even included a parody of the introduction, a history of the life and death of Mozart.
• 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. referred to "Rock Me Amadeus" in a sketch making fun of William Shatner's musical career. In the sketch William Shatner releases a new album consisting of 80's memorabilia songs, and it shows him performing them. One of the songs he performs 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)
• Groove's Amadeus (also from Jamster) is an actual reference of the song.
• Radio station WSKZ in Chattanooga, TN played a version on that stations morning zoo called Rock Me Donny Osmond which actually sampled music from the original by Falco.
• A parody version of this song was released in 2004 by Singer/Comic Tom Smith, titled "Rock Me Amidala" (Amidala refers to Queen Amidala of the Star Wars films). Steve Jackson, inspired by this version, suggested other things that fit the song's meter; this inspired yet another version by Smith called "Steve Jackson's Amadeus", which itself inspired a Flash video.
• 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.
• The song is referenced briefly in the online RPG Kingdom of Loathing where the Naughty Sorceress threatens to "rock" the player's character "on the dais". The player replies: "On the dais? On the dais? Rock me on the dais?"
• The British Italo Disco act Bruce and Bongo borrows the tune of the song for their 1986 song Geil where they repeat "Everybody Geil, Everybody Geil" as a chorus.
• 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"
• The Kid Rock single "Cowboy" contains the line "Cause chaos, Rock Like Amadeus"
• In an episode of King of the Hill where Peggy brings a sand timer into 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 sang this as her audition for teen tarts.
• Darren Hayes mixed up 'Rock Me Amadeus' with his old Savage Garden song 'Carry On Dancing' during his Club Delicacy shows in early 2007.
• On the September 11, 2007 episode of The Daily Show, the song was parodied using the lyrics, "Iraq Me Dave Petraeus," in reference to Dave Petraeus' Iraq war progress report.
• In an 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!".
• The song is referenced in as well as played at the end of the much awaited Episode 26 of "Yu-Gi-Oh: The Abridged Series" which came following a 4 month break after the previous episode.

External links

• "Rock Me Amadeus" by Falco Song Facts at www.songfacts.com.