| "That Scene (Ganz Wien)" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Falco | ||||
| from the album Einzelhaft | ||||
| B-side | "That Scene (Ganz Wien)" (instrumental) | |||
| Released | September 1981 [1] | |||
| Recorded | 1981 | |||
| Length |
| |||
| Label | GiG | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Falco | |||
| Producer(s) | Robert Ponger | |||
| Falco singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Ganz Wien" is the debut single by Falco, originally released in 1981. It later appeared on his 1982 debut album Einzelhaft .
The song also appeared on Psychoterror , the 1981 album by Drahdiwaberl , of which Falco was a member. [2]
From 1977 to early 1979, Hans Hölzel was the bassist of Austrian rock group the Hallucination Company , during which he would adopt his stage name Falco. The group, having experienced some success with touring, inspired musician Stefan Weber to reorganize his Viennese Anarcho-punk band, Drahdiwaberl, and in 1979 Falco was invited to join the group. Shortly after leaving the Hallucination Company, Falco became a member of Spinning Wheel, a side project of Drahdiwaberl, where he first began to sing, transitioning from bass player to vocalist and developing his own style. In May 1979, he recorded demos and early sketches in a recording studio, which were to remain unpublished. However, a single from these recordings was released posthumously, 28 years later. [3]
The song was written as a reaction to the growing use of hard drugs in Vienna. In 1980, Falco arrived at a Drahdiwaberl rehearsal with his music and lyrics for "Ganz Wien (... ist heut auf Heroin)" ("All of Vienna [... is high on heroin today]"). Since it did not fit into the repertoire of the band, it served as an interlude between their performances, wherein Falco would take his bass guitar to the edge of the stage and Stefan Weber would step into the background. The number became a cult hit in the new wave scene in Vienna, with Falco experiencing his first successes as a solo artist. [3]
At that time, Markus Spiegel , the then-owner of the Viennese label GiG Records , attended one of Drahdiwaberl's concerts, resulting in two record deals: one for the band, and one for Falco as a solo artist.
When I first saw Falco and his number "Ganz Wien" at a Drahdiwaberl concert in the Vienna Sophiensäle , I realized that I wanted to sign him as a solo artist. Falco left a tremendous charismatic impression on me.
Spiegel brought Falco together with the music producer and sound mixer Robert Ponger, who composed a song for Reinhold Bilgeri in the summer of 1981, but he did not like it.
The music and lyrics were written by Falco himself. The recording was mixed by Ponger. [4]
The song first appeared in 1981, on the album Psychoterror . It first charted on 1 August 1981, reaching number 8 in the album charts. It continued to chart for 8 weeks, until 15 September 1981. This version is often credited to both Drahdiwaberl and Falco. [5] Because the song dealt with the theme of drug use, the song was "indexed" and was banned from being played on the national pop station Hitradio Ö3.
In September 1981, the English version "That Scene (Ganz Wien)" was released as a single, with an instrumental version as a B-side. Falco was credited as a solo artist, without Drahdiwaberl. This version charted for 6 weeks starting on 20 September 1981, reaching number 11 on the Ö3-Hitparade. [6] The English version was later reissued on the albums Austropop Kult in 2004, and in 2007 on the 25th anniversary edition of Einzelhaft .
With the release of his Austrian number one hit "Der Kommissar" in December 1981, Falco saw both a national and international launch as a solo artist. Both the German version of Ganz Wien, as well as its B-side Maschine brennt, are included on Falco's 1982 album, Einzelhaft.
Ganz Wien remained an integral part of Falco's live concerts, and he also occasionally appeared as a guest star at Drahdiwaberl concerts, including in 1996 at the 1000 Jahre Österreich/100 Jahre Drahdiwaberl show.
Falco's lyrics reflected upon a hedonistic lifestyle, without which a club like Vienna's U4 could never have survived. To this day, Falco's music is played in the U4, and "Ganz Wien" has long been the 'national anthem' for several generations of regular guests.
The English version of the song (titled "That Scene") reached no. 11 in the Ö3-Hitparade (an Austrian radio chart) in September 1981. [8]
In 2017 the German version entered the Austrian chart at number 72. [4]
| Chart (2017) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) [9] | 72 |
7" single GiG Records GIG 111 107 (Austria, 15 September 1981)
Johann "Hans" Hölzel, better known by his stage name Falco, was an Austrian singer and musician. He had several international hits, including "Der Kommissar" (1981), "Rock Me Amadeus", "Vienna Calling", "Jeanny", "The Sound of Musik", "Coming Home ", and posthumously "Out of the Dark".
Stefan Weber was an Austrian art teacher and the lead singer and Kapellmeister of the Viennese band Drahdiwaberl.
"Rock Me Amadeus" is a song recorded by Austrian musician Falco, for his third studio album, Falco 3 (1985). The single was made available for physical sale in 1985 in German-speaking Europe, through A&M. "Rock Me Amadeus" was written by Falco along with Dutch music producers Bolland & Bolland. To date, the single is the only German language song to peak at number one of the Billboard Hot 100, which it did on 29 March 1986.
Einzelhaft (1982) is the debut album by Austrian singer Falco. It was released in Austria, Germany, the United States, Japan, Spain, Italy, Canada, Sweden and Finland.
Rainhard Jürgen Fendrich is an Austrian singer, composer, entertainer, and actor. He is one of the most successful Austropop musicians, and his songs are written in Viennese German. He is very popular in Austria and in Bavaria, but less so in other German-speaking countries and regions. In non-German-speaking countries he is little known. His song from 1990, "I Am from Austria" is still popular in Austria and considered to be the "secret national anthem".
Hoch wie nie is a posthumously-published greatest hits album by Austrian musician Falco, who died in 1998. The Longplayer was published on Falco's 50th birthday. It was released in two versions. The limited edition additionally contains the song "Urban Tropical", which was only available on vinyl before. There is also a DVD with the same name, which is a documentary about Falco's life and career. In the non-European countries the album was released on 2 August 2007.
Junge Roemer is the second album by Austrian pop rock artist Falco, released in 1984.
"Jeanny" is a song by Austrian singer Falco, released in December 1985 as the third single from his third studio album, Falco 3 (1985). It was written and composed by Falco and Rob and Ferdi Bolland, who also produced the song.
"Der Kommissar" is a song recorded by Austrian artist Falco in 1981. The song was written by Robert Ponger and Falco. It reached the top of the charts in many European countries. The cover version as an English translation by the group After the Fire in 1982 had greater success in other countries.
Symphonic is a live DVD by Falco containing a largely recreated live performance with a symphonic orchestra, that was originally performed in Wiener Neustadt in 1994. A separate audio CD with studio versions of these tracks, also called Symphonic, was also released at the same time: 1 February 2008, a few days before the tenth anniversary of the singer's death.
Thomas Rabitsch is an Austrian keyboardist and record producer.
"Vienna Calling" is a song by Austrian musician Falco, released in September 1985 as the second single from his third studio album, Falco 3 (1985).
Farbenspiel is the sixth studio album by German singer Helene Fischer. It was released on 4 October 2013 by Polydor.
Weihnachten is the seventh studio album by German singer Helene Fischer. It was released on 13 November 2015 by Polydor. The album was supported by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
"Maschine brennt" is a song by Falco from his 1982 debut studio album Einzelhaft. The song was also released as a single.
Austrian singer Falco released nine studio albums, four live albums, 13 compilation albums, and 38 singles.
The Vogue were an Austrian psychedelic mod band, formed in 1978 in Vienna, Austria. The group existed until 1982 and released one album and two singles, the second of which was released by Falco label GiG. ‘The Frozen Seas Of Io’, despite their underground status and due to their loyal fan base, became a number 2 hit in the Austrian Hitradio Ö3 Hit-Wähl-Mit' radio charts.
