Der Kommissar (song)

"Der Kommissar" (German: [deːɐ̯ kɔmɪˈsaːɐ̯]; "The Commissioner") 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.

"Der Kommissar"
Single by Falco
from the album Einzelhaft
B-side"Helden von heute"
Released12 December 1981
Recorded1981
Genre
Length3:51
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Robert Ponger
Falco singles chronology
"That Scene (Ganz Wien)"
(1981)		 "Der Kommissar"
(1981)		 "Maschine brennt"
(1982)
Music videos
"Der Kommissar" on YouTube
"Der Kommissar" (U.S. version) on YouTube

Background

The music of "Der Kommissar" was written by producer Robert Ponger and intended for Reinhold Bilgeri. After Bilgeri rejected it, as he felt the song was too soft, Falco reworked it by adding his text to the partly mixed down instrumental track.

Falco would have preferred to release "Helden von heute" as the main side (A-side), because the melody hook of "Der Kommissar" seemed too similar to the bass hook of Rick James' "Super Freak" from which Ponger had borrowed it after its release earlier in 1981, but the record company wanted "Der Kommissar" to be on the A-side, because they felt it had more potential. The record company decided on a Y- vs. X-side release for Austria and an A-side for Germany, which was vindicated when "Der Kommissar" reached No. 1 in both countries in January 1982. After this success, Falco's management decided to release "Der Kommissar" (as an A-side) in other countries as well.

The song recorded for other side of the record, the pop-rock "Helden von heute" ("heroes of today"), is a tribute to David Bowie's "Heroes". It was recorded in Berlin; Falco stated in an interview that he went to Berlin to follow the "tracks" left there by Bowie, with his albums "Heroes" and Low.

Commercial performance

The song reached No. 74 on the US Cashbox chart in 1983,[2] while failing to chart on the US Billboard Hot 100 or on the UK Singles Chart. 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.

Music video

In the U.S. official music video, Falco is shown in front of a blue screen with stock footage of U.S. police cars driving the streets at night with blue lights on playing behind him. Falco is lip-syncing the song, partly dancing and at the beginning running in place, to simulate running from the cops.[3] In the European official music video he is sitting in a kind of interrogation room wearing a white suit and smoking.[4]

Charts

After the Fire version
"Der Kommissar"
Single by After the Fire
from the album Der Kommissar
B-side"Dancing in the Shadows"
Released1982
Recorded1982
StudioThe Record Plant (New York City)
Genre
Length4:03 (single version)
5:43 (album version)
LabelEpic
Songwriter(s)
  • Robert Ponger
  • Falco
  • Andy Piercy
Producer(s)John Eden, After the Fire
After the Fire singles chronology
"Rich Boys"
(1982)		 "Der Kommissar"
(1982)		 "Dancing in the Shadows"
(1983)
Music video
"Der Kommissar" on YouTube
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicNo rating[28]

In mid-1982, British rock band After the Fire recorded an English version, also titled "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 disbanding. Both the After the Fire and Falco versions were rising on the Canadian charts at the time, but neither had cracked the US pop charts. Around that time, American singer Laura Branigan began working on her second studio album, Branigan 2, and she recorded "Deep in the Dark", a new song written over the melody and arrangement of "Der Kommissar" which was prepared for release. Then the After the Fire version finally hit the US Billboard Hot 100 on 22 February 1983, and started rising. Though its version barely nicked their home country's Top 50, in 1983 the song's music video received extensive airplay on MTV propelling its popularity on US radio. The song entered the US top 40 on 5 March 1983, peaking at No. 5, and spending a total of 14 weeks in the top 40. The 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 US 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. 74 on the Cashbox chart.[2]

In Canada, Falco's version had peaked at No. 11 the same late-January week that 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 promotional singles for "Deep in the Dark" were pressed (the After the Fire version missed the UK top 40 and the Falco version failed to chart there), Branigan's record company, Atlantic, officially released "Solitaire" in the United States, where that song peaked at No. 7.

Weekly charts
Weekly chart performance for "Der Kommissar"
Chart (1983) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[29] 17
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[8] 12
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[30] 13
South Africa (Springbok Radio)[31] 2
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[32] 20
UK Singles (OCC)[33] 47
US Billboard Hot 100[34] 5
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[34][35] 17
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[34] 4
US Cash Box Top 100 Singles[36] 5
West Germany (Official German Charts)[37] 61

Year-end charts
Year-end chart performance for "Der Kommissar"
Chart (1983) Position
US Billboard Hot 100[38] 30
US Cash Box Top 100 Singles[39] 31

References
  1. Breihan, Tom (30 November 2020). "The Number Ones: Falco's "Rock Me Amadeus". Stereogum. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  2. "Cash Box Top 100 Singles – Week ending April 23, 1983". Cash Box. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
  3. U.S. Falco music video of "Der Kommissar" at YouTube
  4. European Falco music video of "Der Kommissar" at YouTube
  5. Kent 1993, p. 190.
  6. "Falco – Der Kommissar" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  7. "Falco – Der Kommissar" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  8. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6194." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  9. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  10. "Top Hebdo". Top-france.fr (in French). Retrieved 23 June 2022. Select tabs "1983" and "22/01/1983".
  11. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Der Kommissar". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  12. "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 2 June 2022. Select "Singoli" in the "Tipo" field, type "Der Kommissar" in the "Titolo" field and press "cerca".
  13. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Falco" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  14. "Falco – Der Kommissar" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  15. "Falco – Der Kommissar". Top 40 Singles.
  16. "Falco – Der Kommissar". VG-lista.
  17. Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  18. "Falco – Der Kommissar". Singles Top 100.
  19. "Falco – Der Kommissar". Swiss Singles Chart.
  20. "Falco Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  21. "Falco Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  22. "Offiziellecharts.de – Falco – Der Kommissar" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  23. "Jahreshitparade Singles 1982". austriancharts.at (in German). Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  24. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1982". hitparade.ch (in German). Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  25. "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts – 1982" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  26. "National Top 100 Singles for 1983". Kent Music Report. No. 497. 2 January 1984 – via Imgur.
  27. "The Top Singles of 1983". RPM. Vol. 39, no. 17. 24 December 1983. p. 10. ISSN 0033-7064 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  28. Stewart Mason. "Der Kommissar – After the Fire | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  29. Kent 1993.
  30. "After the Fire – Der Kommissar". Top 40 Singles.
  31. "SA Charts 1965–1989 (As presented on Springbok Radio/Radio Orion) – Acts A". The South African Rock Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 10 May 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  32. "After the Fire – Der Kommissar". Singles Top 100.
  33. "After the Fire: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  34. "After the Fire | Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 8 September 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  35. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974–2003. Record Research. p. 17.
  36. "Cash Box Top 100 Singles – Week ending May 14, 1983". Cash Box. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  37. "Offiziellecharts.de – After the Fire – Der Kommissar" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  38. "Talent Almanac 1984 – Top Pop Singles" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 95, no. 52. 24 December 1983. p. TA-18. ISSN 0006-2510 – via World Radio History.
  39. "The Cash Box Year-End Charts: 1983 – Top 100 Pop Singles". Cash Box. 31 December 1983. Retrieved 2 June 2022.

Bibliography
  • Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
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