Autobahn (song)


"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

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:
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. The song also included acoustic elements such as a flute played by Florian Schneider and atmospheric guitars. For this song a Minimoog was used to play the bass line, 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.

Release and reception

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. A 9-minute version was created by the band for their dance-oriented 90s album The Mix. "Autobahn" is widely considered to be one of Kraftwerk's greatest songs. In 2020, Billboard and The Guardian ranked the song number 6 and number 5, respectively, on its lists of the greatest Kraftwerk songs.