It took 23 years before another non-English track topped the Billboard Hot 100, with Austrian artist Falco achieving the feat with his New Wave bop ‘Rock Me Amadeus.’ The song remains the only German-language song to ever reach #1 on the Hot 100. Nena came close a few years earlier, but her ’99 Luftballons’ peaked at #2.
The song’s lyrics describe Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart as a womanizing rock star in his day, incredibly talented but saddled by debts. This depiction was familiar to audiences who had watched Milos Forman’s film Amadeus nearly sweep the Academy Awards just two years earlier.
Non-German speakers might not have understood the song’s lyrics, but the video certainly conveyed the same message. I remember this one being in heavy rotation on MTV.
While this was Falco’s biggest international success, a cover version of his 1981 song ‘Der Kommissar’ was a hit for British rock band After the Fire. He remains the top-selling Austrian singer of all time.
Falco was just 40 years old when he died in a car accident, colliding with a bus while on vacation in the Dominican Republic.
Rock me, rock me, rock me, rock me
Rock me, Amadeus
Do it, do it
Ey
Rock me all the time to the top
[Part 1]
Er war ein Punker und er lebte in der großen Stadt
Es war in Wien, war Vienna, wo er alles tat
Er hatte Schulden, denn er trank, doch ihn liebten alle Frauen
Und jede rief: „Come and rock me Amadeus!“
Er war Superstar, er war populär
Er war so exaltiert, because er hatte Flair
Er war ein Virtuose, war ein Rockidol
Und alles rief: „Come and rock me Amadeus!“
[Hook]
Amadeus, Amadeus, Amadeus
Amadeus, Amadeus, Amadeus
Amadeus, Amadeus – oh, oh, oh – Amadeus
Come and rock me Amadeus!
Amadeus, Amadeus, Amadeus
Amadeus, Amadeus, Amadeus
Amadeus, Amadeus – oh, oh, oh – Amadeus
[Part 2]
Es war um 1780 und es war in Wien
No Plastik money anymore, die Banken gegen ihn
Woher die Schulden kamen, war wohl jedermann bekannt
Er war ein Mann der Frauen, Frauen liebten seinen Punk
Er war Superstar, er war so populär
Er war zu exaltiert, genau das war sein Flair
Er war ein Virtuose, war ein Rockidol
Und alles ruft noch heute: „Come and rock me Amadeus!“
[Hook]
Amadeus, Amadeus, Amadeus
Amadeus, Amadeus, Amadeus
Amadeus, Amadeus – oh, oh, oh – Amadeus
Come and rock me Amadeus!
Amadeus, Amadeus, Amadeus
Amadeus, Amadeus, Amadeus
Amadeus, Amadeus – oh, oh, oh – Amadeus
Come and rock me, Amadeus!
Now, come and rock me, Amadeus!
[Hook]
Amadeus, Amadeus, Amadeus
Amadeus, Amadeus, Amadeus
Amadeus, Amadeus – oh, oh, oh – Amadeus
Oh, can’t you rock me, Amadeus?
Amadeus, Amadeus, Amadeus
Amadeus, Amadeus, Amadeus
Amadeus, Amadeus – oh, oh, oh – Amadeus
[Outro]
Amadeus, Amadeus!
Amadeus, Amadeus!
Come on, rock me
Come and rock me to the top
Amadeus
Ama-, Ama-, Amadeus
Now come and, now come and rock me, Amadeus
Amadeus
Meet Me In Montauk 
Ah, I remember this one quite well, especially since I was captivated by the movie. That said, 99 Luft Balloons was arguably the far better song. That should have made it to number one.
I don’t remember this song at all fortunately
Another tragic ending at such a young age