Grousing about recent #1 hits like Psy’s “Gangnam Style” and Baauer’s “Harlem Shake,” it’s easy to forget that every generation throws a zero up the pop charts, to misquote Paul Simon.

Spending some time with Sirius XM during a long drive last weekend, Eiffel 65’s “Blue (Da Ba Dee)” came blasting through as a clear reminder. Towering over the charts in at least 10 countries, the 1999 single didn’t top the Billboard Hot 100 here, yet still managed a #6 showing.

But 27 years ago this week, one of the biggest novelty hits of my childhood, Falco’s “Rock Me Amadeus,” began a Baauer-like three-week run at number one. I’d ask whether there was ever a more unlikely chart-topper than a single about an 18th century composer sung primarily in German, but any of the other three aforementioned songs could vie for that prize.

The U.S. single for “Rock Me Amadeus” featured The American Edit and the Canadian Version, both of which received airplay. The former was a freshened up remix of the original European version with additional female backing vocals sung in English:

On the flip side, the Canadian Version offered a history lesson. Ticking off important dates from Amadeus’ life (recited in English, and I don’t believe by Falco), the mix also prominently featured sax.

Amazingly, “Rock Me Amadeus” also reached #6 on the Billboard R&B chart. Falco followed up his international hit with “Vienna Calling,” which peaked at #18 in June 1986. (Yep, I unashamedly bought that single too.)

Falco died in a car crash in the Dominican Republic in February 1998, two weeks shy of his 41st birthday.

Purchase Falco – “Rock Me Amadeus” via iTunes, Amazon MP3.