40 Years Ago, This Weird, Genre-Bending Song Hit No. 1

It may sound like an April Fools' joke, but on April 1, 1986, a synth-pop song about Mozart complete with German rap verses was No. 1 in the U.S.: "Rock Me Amadeus" by Falco.

Austrian singer Falco was hugely popular in Europe, but it wasn't until this single off his third studio album that he hit major success on this side of the Atlantic.

"Rock Me Amadeus" is quintessentially '80s, with a new wave sound evocative of Eurythmics and Depeche Mode. Aside from its famed chorus, the entire song's lyrics are in German — and Falco raps them. In fact, "Rock Me Amadeus" is the only German rap song — or German song, period — to top the Billboard Hot 100, per Songfacts. Another German-language song came close two years prior, though: "99 Luftbaloons" by Nena peaked at No. 2.

When you translate the lyrics of "Amadeus" into English, you realize that Falco is making a bold declaration about Austria's most famous composer. "He was the first punk to ever set foot on this earth," Falco raps. "... He lived so fast he had to die so young." The whole song compares the hoity-toity Mozart to the tattooed and mohawked punks of the '80s like Sid Vicious and Glenn Danzig. And most English-speaking Americans had no idea.

Unfortunately, Falco's American success was short-lived. While his next single, "Vienna Calling" peaked at No. 18 and his album, Falco 3, peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, Falco faded just as quickly as he appeared. Nonetheless, "Rock Me Amadeus" remains a quintessential example of a one-hit wonder.

“But the important things in a career, I have found, are the downs, not the highlights," Falco told the Los Angeles Timesin 1986. "I think a lot of talented artists broke down after the first real huge hit. They just panic.”

Falco continued to release music and chart in Austria until his death in 1998.