"Trans-Europe Express" is a song by German
electronic music band
Kraftwerk. The song was released as the lead single from their
sixth studio album of the same name in 1977. The long version of the song was on the original released album, is 13:44 long, and split into two (in the United States) or three parts (in Germany). The music was written by
Ralf Hütter, and the lyrics by Hütter and
Emil Schult.[2] The track is ostensibly about the
Trans Europ Express rail system, with technology and transport both being common themes in Kraftwerk's oeuvre.
The track became popular in dance clubs in
New York, US and has since found further influence, both in
hip-hop by its
interpolation by
Afrika Bambaata (via
Arthur Baker) on "
Planet Rock", which has been sampled and remixed by many different artists such as
Paul Oakenfold for Swordfish's soundtrack, and by modern experimental bands such as the
electroclash bands of the early 2000s.[3] In 2021, it was ranked at No. 304 on Rolling Stone's "Top 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".[4]
AllMusic described the musical elements of the suite as having a haunting theme with "deadpan chanting of the title phrase" which is "slowly layered over that rhythmic base in much the same way that the earlier "
Autobahn" was constructed".[3] The song's lyrics reference the album Station to Station and meeting with musicians
Iggy Pop and
David Bowie.[5] Hütter and Schneider had previously met up with Bowie in Germany and were flattered with the attention they received from him.[6] Ralf Hütter was interested in Bowie's work as he had been working with Iggy Pop, who was the former lead singer of
the Stooges; one of Hütter's favorite groups.[5]
Release and critical reception
"Trans-Europe Express" was released as a single in 1977,[7] and charted in the
Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at number 67, also peaked at No. 96 in the Canada charts. Trans-Europe Express as a single did not chart in the UK.[8] In 2020, Billboard and The Guardian both named it as Kraftwerk's greatest song.[9][10]
^Pitchfork Staff (22 August 2016).
"The 200 Best Songs of the 1970s". Pitchfork. Retrieved 13 October 2022. The song extols the virtues of the Continent's rail system, mixing the band's minimalist experimentalism with the mechanized tones of what would become known as synth-pop.