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Autobahn (song)

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"Autobahn"
Single by Kraftwerk
from the album Autobahn
B-side
  • "Morgenspaziergang"
  • "Kometenmelodie 1"
ReleasedFebruary 1975[1]
Recorded1974
Genre
Length
  • 22:43 (album version)
  • 3:28 (single edit)
  • 3:06 (UK single edit)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Kraftwerk singles chronology
"Kometenmelodie 2"
(1974) 		"Autobahn"
(1975) 		"Radioactivity"
(1976)

"Autobahn" is a 1974 song by German electronic band Kraftwerk, released as the lead single from their studio album of the same name. The song was composed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider of the band, with Emil Schult collaborating on the lyrics. It was co-produced by Conny Plank, and is the band's first track to use sung lyrics. Recorded in 1974, the song is designed to capture the feel of driving on a motorway. "Autobahn" is Kraftwerk's biggest hit in the US, reaching number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Composition and lyrics

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Unlike Kraftwerk's later work, "Autobahn" was only released with German lyrics, without a simultaneous English-language release. The main refrain "Fahren Fahren Fahren" was often mistaken for the English phrase "Fun Fun Fun" and thought to be a reference to the 1964 Beach Boys' song "Fun, Fun, Fun" to which band member Wolfgang Flür later commented:[3]

No! Someone else told me that they [the misinterpreters] thought the way we speak in German "Fahren", which means driving, sounds like the English word "fun". "Fahren fahren fahren", "fun fun fun". That is wrong. But it works. Driving is fun. We had no speed limit on the autobahn, we could race through the highways, through the Alps, so yes, fahren fahren fahren, fun fun fun. But it wasn't anything to do with the Beach Boys! We used to drive a lot, we used to listen to the sound of driving, the wind, passing cars and lorries, the rain, every moment the sounds around you are changing, and the idea was to rebuild those sounds on the synth.

Ralf Hütter has said that The Beach Boys were an influence on the band, but described the song as a "sound painting", reflecting the band's experiences on tour.[4] The song also included acoustic elements such as a flute played by Florian Schneider and atmospheric guitars.[5] For this song a Minimoog was used to play the bass line,[6] and an octave riff with added analogue echo. It also included use of a vocoder to process some of the vocals and use of the motorik drum rhythm over the song's final section.[7][8]

Release and reception

[edit]

The original album version of the song lasts 22 minutes, but the song was edited down to 3 minutes for its single version. The song was Kraftwerk's first hit, reaching No. 11 on the British charts where it later was included in the UK compilation LP Exceller 8. The single was also successful in other countries; it reached No. 25 in US Billboard Hot 100 and No. 43 in Adult Contemporary. It also reached No. 9 in Germany and No. 12 in Canada. A 12-minute animated video of "Autobahn" directed by Roger Mainwood was released in 1979.[9] "Autobahn" is widely considered to be one of Kraftwerk's greatest songs. In 2020, Billboard and The Guardian ranked the song number six and number five, respectively, on its lists of the greatest Kraftwerk songs.[10][11]

Charts

[edit]
Chart (1974–1975) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[12] 30
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[13] 15
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[14] 27
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[15] 12
Germany (GfK)[16] 9
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[17] 12
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[18] 16
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[19] 4
Ireland IRMA[20] 20
South Africa[21] 15
UK Singles (OCC)[22] 11
US Billboard Hot 100[23] 25
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[24] 43

Year-end charts

[edit]
Chart (1975) Position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[25] 117

References

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  1. ^ "Great Rock Discography". p. 471.
  2. ^ Pitchfork Staff (22 August 2016). "The 200 Best Songs of the 1970s". Pitchfork. Retrieved 13 October 2022. ...but despite its proggy length it had the bones of a pop song, new territory for Kraftwerk.
  3. ^ Thompson, Dave. "Autobahn". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
  4. ^ Tim Jonze (15 June 2017). "Kraftwerk's Ralf Hütter: 'Music is about intensity … the rest is just noise'". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  5. ^ International, Audio Media (21 September 2021). "Deep Cuts: How Kraftwerk Made Autobahn". Audio Media International. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  6. ^ Wilson, Scott (24 June 2017). "7 pieces of gear that prove Kraftwerk are technological trailblazers". Fact Magazine. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  7. ^ "Making Kraftwerk: Autobahn". Classic Pop Magazine. 29 September 2019. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  8. ^ "'Autobahn': How Kraftwerk Created A Road Map To The Future". Dig!. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  9. ^ Pescovitz, David (24 May 2016). "Fantastic psychedelic video for Kraftwerk's Autobahn (1979)". Boing Boing. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  10. ^ Zlatopolsky, Ashley (6 May 2020). "Kraftwerk's 10 Best Songs: Staff Picks". Billboard. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  11. ^ Simpson, Dave (7 May 2020). "Kraftwerk: their 30 greatest songs, ranked!". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  12. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 170. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  13. ^ "Kraftwerk – Autobahn" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  14. ^ "Kraftwerk – Autobahn" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  15. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 3975a." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. June 7, 1975.
  16. ^ "Kraftwerk – Autobahn" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  17. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Kraftwerk" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  18. ^ "Kraftwerk – Autobahn" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  19. ^ "Kraftwerk – Autobahn". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  20. ^ "All there is to know". The Irish Charts. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  21. ^ "South African Rock Lists Website - SA Charts 1969 - 1989 Acts (K)".
  22. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  23. ^ "Kraftwerk Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  24. ^ "Kraftwerk Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  25. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 4057b." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
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