Der Kommissar (song)
Encyclopedia
"" is a song first recorded by Falco
in Austria in 1981, covered a year later by After the Fire
and reworked in 1983 by Laura Branigan
. Originally written by Robert Ponger
and Falco, the Falco version reached the top of the charts in many countries.
After the Fire
's version featured English lyrics by the band's Andy Piercy. The song peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.
Falco wanted to release "Helden von heute" as the main side (A-side)
, but the record company wanted "Der Kommissar" ("the commissioner" or police captain) to be released, because they felt it had more potential. The record company decided upon a double A-side release and was redeemed when "Der Kommissar" reached No. 1 in German-speaking countries in January 1982. After this big success, Falco's management decided to release "Der Kommissar" (as an A-side) in other countries as well.
In the United States
and the United Kingdom
, Falco's hit didn't fare as well, despite topping charts throughout Europe and Scandinavia during spring and summer 1982. In the summer of 1982 the British rock band After the Fire
recorded an English version of the song, also called "Der Kommissar", and released it as a single, but the record floundered. Coming off a tour opening for Van Halen
, After the Fire was working on material for a new album when in December 1982 the group announced onstage during a concert that they were breaking up. Both the After the Fire and Falco versions were rising on the Canadian charts at the time, but neither had cracked the U.S. pop charts.
Around that time, American pop singer Laura Branigan
began working on her second album, and recorded a new song written over the melody and arrangement of "Der Kommissar", called "Deep In The Dark", which was prepared for release, when the After the Fire version finally hit the U.S. charts (Hot 100) on February 22, 1983, and started rising. Though the UK band's version barely nicked their home country's Top 50, in 1983 the song ultimately rose all the way to No. 5 in the U.S., where their music video
was an MTV
hit.
The song entered the American Top 40 (AT40) on March 5, 1983, peaked at No. 5, and remained in the AT40 for a total of 14 weeks. The hit single was released under the Epic label, with a catalog number of 03559.
Amidst all this renewed attention to the composition, Falco's own version, which had done well in some U.S. markets but not charted nationally, was re-released, but the German-language record remained essentially a novelty hit there, charting concurrently with the After the Fire version but not rising above No. 78. (In Canada, Falco's version had peaked at No. 11 the same late-January week After the Fire's version peaked at No. 12.) After the Fire's record company, CBS pleaded with the band to regroup, but to no avail. While UK promos for "Deep In The Dark" were pressed (the After the Fire version missed the UK top 40 and the Falco version didn't even chart there), Branigan's record company, Atlantic, officially released "Solitaire" in the U.S., where that song went to No. 7.
released in Austria and Germany in December 1981. "Der Kommissar" reached the top of the Charts in many countries. The record's B-side, the pop-rock "" (meaning "heroes of today"), is a tribute to David Bowie
's "Heroes". Recorded in Berlin
, Germany
, Falco claimed in an interview that he went to Berlin to follow the "tracks" left there by David Bowie, with his albums Heroes and Low, which had been produced by Brian Eno
.
In his official music video for "Der Kommissar", Falco flees from the police, with several police cars in the background. There is another, lesser-known video for the Falco single.
"Der Kommissar (The Commissioner)" only reached No. 74 in the US Cash Box Charts in 1983 and did not even chart in the UK, but Falco would break through with major hits in those countries two albums later, with "Rock Me Amadeus
" and "Vienna Calling" in 1986.
Updated remixes of "Der Kommissar" were released by Falco in 1991, 1998, and posthumously in 2008.
Falco (musician)
Johann Hölzel , better known by his stage name Falco, was an Austrian pop and rock musician and rapper. He had several international hits: "Der Kommissar", "Rock Me Amadeus", "Vienna Calling", "Jeanny", "The Sound of Musik", "Coming Home " and posthumously, "Out Of The Dark"...
in Austria in 1981, covered a year later by After the Fire
After the Fire
After the Fire are a British rock band that progressed from playing progressive rock to new wave over their initial twelve-year career, while having only one hit in the United States, and one hit in the United Kingdom .-Early career:Keyboard player Peter Banks originally formed the band in the...
and reworked in 1983 by Laura Branigan
Laura Branigan
Laura Ann Branigan was an American singer-songwriter and actress of Italian and Irish ancestry. She is best known in the United States for her 1982 Platinum-certified hit "Gloria" and in Europe for the number-one single "Self Control"...
. Originally written by Robert Ponger
Robert Ponger
Robert Ponger is an Austrian songwriter and record producer, most famous for his work with Austrian singer Falco.Ponger produced and shared writing credits on Falco's first two solo albums, 1982's Einzelhaft and 1984's Junge Roemer...
and Falco, the Falco version reached the top of the charts in many countries.
After the Fire
After the Fire
After the Fire are a British rock band that progressed from playing progressive rock to new wave over their initial twelve-year career, while having only one hit in the United States, and one hit in the United Kingdom .-Early career:Keyboard player Peter Banks originally formed the band in the...
's version featured English lyrics by the band's Andy Piercy. The song peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.
Background
Originally written by producer Robert Ponger for Reinhold Bilgeri, Bilgeri turned it down as he felt the song was too soft, so Falco reworked the song for himself instead.Falco wanted to release "Helden von heute" as the main side (A-side)
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
, but the record company wanted "Der Kommissar" ("the commissioner" or police captain) to be released, because they felt it had more potential. The record company decided upon a double A-side release and was redeemed when "Der Kommissar" reached No. 1 in German-speaking countries in January 1982. After this big success, Falco's management decided to release "Der Kommissar" (as an A-side) in other countries as well.
In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Falco's hit didn't fare as well, despite topping charts throughout Europe and Scandinavia during spring and summer 1982. In the summer of 1982 the British rock band After the Fire
After the Fire
After the Fire are a British rock band that progressed from playing progressive rock to new wave over their initial twelve-year career, while having only one hit in the United States, and one hit in the United Kingdom .-Early career:Keyboard player Peter Banks originally formed the band in the...
recorded an English version of the song, also called "Der Kommissar", and released it as a single, but the record floundered. Coming off a tour opening for Van Halen
Van Halen
Van Halen is an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. The band has enjoyed success since the release of its debut album, Van Halen, . As of 2007 Van Halen has sold 80 million albums worldwide and has had the most #1 hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...
, After the Fire was working on material for a new album when in December 1982 the group announced onstage during a concert that they were breaking up. Both the After the Fire and Falco versions were rising on the Canadian charts at the time, but neither had cracked the U.S. pop charts.
Around that time, American pop singer Laura Branigan
Laura Branigan
Laura Ann Branigan was an American singer-songwriter and actress of Italian and Irish ancestry. She is best known in the United States for her 1982 Platinum-certified hit "Gloria" and in Europe for the number-one single "Self Control"...
began working on her second album, and recorded a new song written over the melody and arrangement of "Der Kommissar", called "Deep In The Dark", which was prepared for release, when the After the Fire version finally hit the U.S. charts (Hot 100) on February 22, 1983, and started rising. Though the UK band's version barely nicked their home country's Top 50, in 1983 the song ultimately rose all the way to No. 5 in the U.S., where their music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
was an MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
hit.
The song entered the American Top 40 (AT40) on March 5, 1983, peaked at No. 5, and remained in the AT40 for a total of 14 weeks. The hit single was released under the Epic label, with a catalog number of 03559.
Amidst all this renewed attention to the composition, Falco's own version, which had done well in some U.S. markets but not charted nationally, was re-released, but the German-language record remained essentially a novelty hit there, charting concurrently with the After the Fire version but not rising above No. 78. (In Canada, Falco's version had peaked at No. 11 the same late-January week After the Fire's version peaked at No. 12.) After the Fire's record company, CBS pleaded with the band to regroup, but to no avail. While UK promos for "Deep In The Dark" were pressed (the After the Fire version missed the UK top 40 and the Falco version didn't even chart there), Branigan's record company, Atlantic, officially released "Solitaire" in the U.S., where that song went to No. 7.
Falco single
/ is a double-A-side single by FalcoFalco (musician)
Johann Hölzel , better known by his stage name Falco, was an Austrian pop and rock musician and rapper. He had several international hits: "Der Kommissar", "Rock Me Amadeus", "Vienna Calling", "Jeanny", "The Sound of Musik", "Coming Home " and posthumously, "Out Of The Dark"...
released in Austria and Germany in December 1981. "Der Kommissar" reached the top of the Charts in many countries. The record's B-side, the pop-rock "" (meaning "heroes of today"), is a tribute to David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
's "Heroes". Recorded in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Falco claimed in an interview that he went to Berlin to follow the "tracks" left there by David Bowie, with his albums Heroes and Low, which had been produced by Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
.
In his official music video for "Der Kommissar", Falco flees from the police, with several police cars in the background. There is another, lesser-known video for the Falco single.
"Der Kommissar (The Commissioner)" only reached No. 74 in the US Cash Box Charts in 1983 and did not even chart in the UK, but Falco would break through with major hits in those countries two albums later, with "Rock Me Amadeus
Rock Me Amadeus
"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 either the United States or the United Kingdom, despite his popularity in Germany, his native Austria, and much...
" and "Vienna Calling" in 1986.
Updated remixes of "Der Kommissar" were released by Falco in 1991, 1998, and posthumously in 2008.
Cover versions and tributes
- After the FireAfter the FireAfter the Fire are a British rock band that progressed from playing progressive rock to new wave over their initial twelve-year career, while having only one hit in the United States, and one hit in the United Kingdom .-Early career:Keyboard player Peter Banks originally formed the band in the...
recorded a 1982 English-language translation of "Der Kommissar" which was a Top 5 hit in the U.S. - Laura BraniganLaura BraniganLaura Ann Branigan was an American singer-songwriter and actress of Italian and Irish ancestry. She is best known in the United States for her 1982 Platinum-certified hit "Gloria" and in Europe for the number-one single "Self Control"...
's "Deep in the Dark" from Branigan 2Branigan 2- Personnel :* Laura Branigan - vocals* Dennis Belfield - bass guitar* Michael Boddicker - synthesizer* Robbie Buchanan - synthesizer, keyboards* Lenny Castro - percussion* Joe Esposito - background vocals* Jim Haas - background vocals...
is a 1983 English-language song written over the melody and hooks of Falco and Ponger's "Der Kommissar" - The SquidsThe SquidsThe Squids are a Chicago-based punk band that was created by Chicago born singer/songwriter Joey Spatafora and William LaTour also known as LaTour. The Squids appeared to break up recently though it is never clear when they will resurface. The Squids toured and recorded from 1990 to 2002...
recorded a punk rock version of "Der Kommissar" in 1996 and titled it "Don't Turn Around". - Dale BozzioDale BozzioDale Bozzio, born Dale Frances Consalvi in Medford, Massachusetts March 2, 1955, is an American progressive rock and new wave vocalist. She is best known as co-founder and lead singer of the 1980s pop/new wave band Missing Persons. She is also known for her work with Frank Zappa...
, the lead singer of Missing PersonsMissing PersonsMissing Persons is an American band who plays a blend of New Wave and Pop rock. The band was founded in 1980 in Los Angeles by guitarist Warren Cuccurullo, vocalist Dale Bozzio, and drummer Terry Bozzio. They went on to add bassist Patrick O'Hearn and keyboardist Chuck Wild. Dale's quirky voice...
recorded "Der Kommissar" in 2007 for her solo project. - Erste Allgemeine VerunsicherungErste Allgemeine VerunsicherungThe EAV is an Austrian band that got together in 1977....
- Gimme 5Gimme 5Gimme 5 was a children's television programme broadcast on Saturday mornings on ITV from 1992 to 1994. The programme was a live two-hour show which included live guests, cartoons, competitions and games. For series 1, it was presented by Jenny Powell, Lewis MacLeod, Matthew Davies,and Nobby the...
- Lajos Túri's Hungarian cover "A felügyelő"
- Matthew Gonder recorded an English-language translation of "Der Kommissar" also in 1982, as well as a French version.
- Trent Reznor's first band Option 30Option 30Option 30 was a New Wave band from the early 1980s founded by Timothy K. Smith on guitars and vocals, Jim Nordstrom on bass and saxophone, and Todd Nero on drums. The band also featured a young Trent Reznor on keyboards and lead vocals....
- Suzy Andrews; X Records, 1982 Produced by Peter Hauke, Distributed by Rocshire Records
- Brazilian band Comunidade Nin-jitsu made a parody of the song, called "Rap do Trago".
- Finnish industrial metal band Itä-Saksa (translates East Germany) made cover that can be found from their last album Man the Machines (2000).
Falco version
| Year (1981/1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Singles Chart | 1 |
| Canadian Singles Chart Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
11 |
| France Singles Chart | 1 |
| German Singles Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
1 |
| Italy Singles Chart | 1 |
| Japan Singles Chart | 1 |
| Norway Singles Chart | 3 |
| Netherlands Singles Chart | 18 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 4 |
| Spain Singles Chart | 1 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 4 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
72 |
After the Fire version
| Year (1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Singles Chart Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
12 |
| South African Singles Chart | 2 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
47 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
5 |
In popular culture
- The song was parodied in a promo for the TV-series ChuckChuck (TV series)Chuck is an action-comedy/spy-drama television program from the United States created by Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak. The series is about an "average computer-whiz-next-door" named Chuck, played by Zachary Levi, who receives an encoded e-mail from an old college friend now working for the Central...
. - The song was featured in the film Pineapple ExpressPineapple Express (film)Pineapple Express is a 2008 American stoner action comedy directed by David Gordon Green, written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg and starring Rogen and James Franco. Producer Judd Apatow, who previously worked with Rogen and Goldberg on Knocked Up and Superbad, assisted in developing the story,...
. - The song was used in the Everybody Hates ChrisEverybody Hates ChrisEverybody Hates Chris is an African American television period sitcom inspired by the teenage experiences of comedian Chris Rock , while growing up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York . The show is set from 1982 to 1987; however, Rock himself was a teenager during years...
episode "Everybody Hates Rejection". - The song was used in the FriendsFriendsFriends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004. The series revolves around a group of friends in Manhattan. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
episode "The One Where the Stripper Cries". - The song (though loosely), was featured in a The Suite Life on DeckThe Suite Life on DeckThe Suite Life on Deck is an American sitcom that aired on Disney Channel from September 26, 2008 to May 6, 2011. It is a sequel/spin-off of the Disney Channel Original Series The Suite Life of Zack & Cody...
episode "So You Think You Can Date" along with other 80s references. - The Song was used in the Family GuyFamily GuyFamily Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
episode German Guy. - The Song was used in a documentary context in Raymond DepardonRaymond DepardonRaymond Depardon is a French photographer, photojournalist and documentary filmmaker.-Photographer:...
's Faits divers (News Items)News ItemsNews Items is a 1983 French documentary film directed by Raymond Depardon. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1983 Cannes Film Festival....
.