Throwback Video Of The Week: Falco “Rock Me Amadeus”

It's still considered one of the greatest motion pictures of all time. The 1984 film Amadeus won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The movie even inspired a #1 hit song the following year.

Like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, pop singer Falco (born Johann Hölzel) was born in Austria. The two also died prematurely: Mozart at 35, Falco at 40. While the similarities may have ended there, the singer is forever linked to the composer in one other way.

Following the international success of the Oscar-winning film, Falco paid tribute to Austria's national hero with "Rock Me Amadeus." The German-English single was released in the summer of 1985 and quickly dominated the worldwide music charts.

The video looks like it might have been shot on the set of Milos Forman's movie, blending elements of Mozart's Austria with the 1980s. Falco wears both 18th Century and 20th Century attire, while Viennese aristocracy of the 1700s mixes with a modern day biker gang. It's a scene in which Mozart himself might have found inspiration for an opera.

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