Earlier entries of this series can be found here: http://www.acclaimedmusic.net/forums/vi ... ive#p45337
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“Wenn er di anspricht, und du weißt, warum / Sag ihm, dein Leben bringt di um”
104. Falco – Der Kommissar
The facts:
Year: 1981.
Genre: Dance pop.
Country: Austria.
Album: Einzelhaft.
Acclaimed Music ranking: #6170.
Song ranking on Acclaimed Music in the artist’s discography: 1st.
Ranks higher than Without You by Badfinger, but lower than You Make Me Feel Brand New by The Stylistics.
Place in the Acclaimed Music Song Poll 2015: Unranked.
The people:
Produced by Falco & Robert Ponger.
Written by Falco & Robert Ponger.
Lead vocals by Falco.
Backing vocals by Falco, Andy Kolbe, Gary Lux & Peter Vieweger.
Guitar by Peter Vieweger.
Bass by Falco.
Keyboards by Robert Ponger.
Rototoms by Thomas Böröczs.
Cymbal by Thomas Böröczs.
The opinion:
“Alles klar, Herr Kommissar?”
Remember how controversial it was when Eminem became popular? Not just what he rapped about made people uncomfortable, but that he was both white and a rapper simply was not done according some people. For some Eminem betrayed his white roots, for others he appropriated black culture for white gain on a scale not seen since the years of global colonialism (if I exaggerate, well, people did that then too). Of course, there were white rappers before, most notably Beastie Boys, but criticasters of Eminem just forgot about that. Above all, they forgot that in Austria one man crowned himself as Godfather of White Rap, no later than in 1982.
Well, that fact wasn’t probably not really noted in the US. Also the Austrian guy who said it would in his subsequent career not really be linked to rap music anymore. Still, Falco gave himself the above title and while this is a good showcase of his notorious arrogance, it is worth noting that in 1982 his song Der Kommissar topped the charts in many European countries and would eventually become a minor hit in the USA too. No controversy erupted over this, although honestly it probably wasn’t looked at as a real hip-hop track.
Der Kommissar is a dance pop song, based around a catchy, unforgettable bass line and a strong beat. Falco was a real singer and he sang the chorus. Still, the verses were rapped and it was that as much as the music which was seen as a highlight of the song. Falco’s rapping is unconventional and cocky, but it sounds great and fluent, helped by a good ear for words that flow well. The lyrics aren’t deep or anything, but the wording is quite good.
Basically it is a tale about a group of friends who hang around and do drugs, hoping that Der Kommissar (a police inspector) who does the rounds not catches them doing it. The song reminds me a lot of Saturday Night by Dutch rocker Herman Brood, which has a similar theme (although there the gang is confronted by an conservative citizen instead of by a police officer), structure and off-beat vocals. The lyrics weren’t meant to be political. Falco had worked on an episode of Austrian police series Kottan ermittelt, which got him the idea to write a song about police inspector.
Around the same time songwriter Robert Ponger offered newcomer Falco an instrumental tune to play. This composition was originally written for another Austrian musician named Reinhold Bilgeri, but he declined. Falco accepted, as it matched his lyrics. Besides, Falco was mostly specialized in playing the bass and the song suited this instrument well.
Der Kommissar appeared on Falco’s first album and the studio wanted it to be the lead single. Falco was against this, because he had one problem with the song: it sounded a lot like Super Freak by Rick James, a big hit that same year. Well, although I’d argue that Der Kommissar has appeal enough of itself, Falco wasn’t wrong: the similarities with Super Freak are more than clear. Falco wanted it to be an album-only track. His choice for a single was a song that was more consciously based on another one: Helden von heute, a loose interpretation of David Bowie’s Heroes. Eventually a compromise was made: the single got a double a-side with both Der Kommissar and Helden von heute. But only the first one became a hit. A huge hit at that.
Maybe there was a market for a German version of Super Freak? Or maybe the appeal was the reference to another song: the children’s play song Der Pluhmsack geht um. In Der Kommissar the chorus opens with “Jetzt das Kinderlied” (translation: “Now the children’s song”), followed by “Drah deh nicht um” (“Don’t turn around”). This line does appear in Der Pluhmsack geht um, which is a child’s game based around a song. In English, this song is called Duck, Duck, Goose or Hanky Putting. The things you learn here…
Despite the international success the song originally failed to crack the English speaking charts. Then in 1982 the British band After the Fire made a rather faithful translation of the lyrics and released a more punky cover of the song. It became a minor hit and brought new attention to the original in the US, where it now finally charted. Der Kommissar would become an early taste of success for Falco. For a few years, his songs didn’t do much outside of his home country, but in 1986 he would hit it big with his ubiquitous Rock Me Amadeus, the first German language #1 hit in the US. Here in my home country he seems to be best remembered for his controversial Jeanny from the same year, a very creepy song ostensibly told from the perspective of a rapist.
Afterwards, it was all downhill for Falco, whose substance abuse and difficult behaviour would make him near-impossible to work with. This would eventually lead to his death in a car crash which happened when he was heavily under the influence. This was in 1998, he was only 40.
His legacy is a couple of songs that are very typical for their time. Nobody will mistake Der Kommissar or Rock Me Amadeus as something other than 80’s pop. At a young age he was seen as something of a musical wunderkind. He auditioned for a conservatorium aged five, though his difficult personality and restless nature kept him from staying at one music school (or any other study) too long. It’s somewhat surprising that someone who is apparently so gifted ended op making such simple songs. Then again, they do work. Der Kommissar in particular has a flow and beat that combined together make for a very danceable pop song. I wouldn’t call it a masterpiece, but the world has seen far worse #1 hit songs.
7/10
Other versions:
I already mentioned the cover by After the Fire in the main text. It is well done and I appreciate the way they translated the lyrics, but isn’t a remarkable take besides that. There is another semi-famous version of Der Kommissar, by Laura Branigan. She wrote completely, unrelated lyrics to the tune and named it Deep in the Dark. It’s slower and to me the melody doesn’t work when it misses its danceable quality. I don’t like her version much. Neither do I like the take by Trent Reznor, who did a cover with the After the Fire lyrics, with an early band named Option 30.
There aren’t only translations of this song in English. Matthew Gonder did it in French, under the somewhat humorous name Clair, Commissaire. It’s a bit sexier, but also less powerful. Czech comedy group Tezkej Pokondr did a parody of it named Trapi me dluh, though since I don’t speak the language the humor is lost on me. There is a Brazilian hard rock cover by Comunidade Nin-jitsu, in Portuguese, that brings down the house and is one of the best takes here. It’s called Rap do Trago. Dr. Ella sings it in German, but changed the lyrics. It’s a terrible version.
MC Hammer became famous by sampling Super Freak with his U Can’t Touch This. Why not repeat that success by sampling a song that is a lot like Super Freak? So he ended up using Der Kommissar for his song Don’t Stop, though to be fair, it doesn’t sound like a real repeat of U Can’t Touch This. It’s a bit dull though. Frankie HI-NRG MC did a sort of mash-up with an Italian song named I Trafficati, unknown by me. More interesting is the use of the song in the experimental Der da da Da by The Pink Project.
There is a lot more, from instrumental version to remixes to banjo takes to parodies to very faithful covers, but little has any interest. Yet one cover stands out, the one by Itä-Saksa. They seem to have a Run-DMC thing going on, as a rap duo who finish each other’s lines, while using a big guitar rock sound. This sounds like their Walk This Way and the result is glorious, on par with the original, but distinct from it.
The playlist:
Laura Branigan – Deep in the Dark
Option 30 – Der Kommissar
MC Hammer – Don’t Stop
Matthew Gonder – Clair, commissaire
