"Radioactivity" (German: "Radioaktivität") is a song by the German electronic music band Kraftwerk. It was released in February 1976 as the only single from their fifth studio album, Radio-Activity (1975).
| "Radioactivity" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Kraftwerk | ||||
| from the album Radio-Activity | ||||
| B-side | "Antenna" | |||
| Released | 13 February 1976 (UK)[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1975, Kling Klang Studio | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:18 (radio edit) 6:42 (album version) | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| Kraftwerk singles chronology | ||||
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The song was a commercial success in France and Belgium, but failed to chart in other countries, and thus was not as successful as Kraftwerk's previous hit "Autobahn".
Composition
edit
The original recording features a Minimoog bass line playing eighth notes. Morse code signals spelling out radioactivity are also present, near the beginning of the track and again near the end. The second time the message continues with is in the air for you and me.
The song was re-recorded as a radically different version for The Mix album in 1991 and was issued as a single in an edited form with remixes by François Kevorkian and William Orbit. The 1991 version drops all references to radio and incorporates additional lyrics with a pointed anti-nuclear theme, remaking the central lyrical hook as “stop radioactivity” and also referring to “contaminated population” and mentioning by name Chernobyl, Harrisburg, Sellafield and Hiroshima.
Live performances
edit"Radioactivity" has remained a regular part of Kraftwerk's live sets over the years. On its original performances in 1976, the band tried out an experimental light-beam operated "percussion cage", during which Wolfgang Flür attempted to trigger electronic drum sounds by interrupting light beams using arm gestures. This system frequently failed.
The band performed the Mix version at the "Stop Sellafield" concert in 1992. The song was performed during majority of live performances since 1991. Live versions of "Radioactivity" feature on both English and German versions of the band's 2005 live album Minimum-Maximum.
That live version played between 2002-2011, that mixed 1975 and 1991 versions, included the Sellafield 2 intro (they've used it since 1997, until 2011), where Florian says through a vocoder:
"Sellafield 2 will produce 7.5 tons of plutonium every year. 1.5 kilograms of plutonium make a nuclear bomb. Sellafield 2 will release the same amount of radioactivity into the environment as Chernobyl every 4.5 years. One of these radioactive substances "Krypton 85" will cause death and skin cancer"
In 2012, Kraftwerk performed the new remix of "Radioactivity" during No Nukes 2012, held in Japan. To commemorate the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, Hütter sang alternate lyrics to the song in Japanese. The new lyrics were translated into Japanese language by Ryuichi Sakamoto,[2] and make direct reference to Fukushima. This version of the song also has notable lyric changes such as "Chernobyl, Harrisburg, Sellafield, Fukushima," as well as calls for the end of Japan's use of nuclear technology.[3] This altered version of the song is also the version Kraftwerk performs live to this day, albeit with the second chorus switching back to the English or German lyrics sung on the Mix version, depending on where they perform. This version also appears on the band's 2017 live album 3-D The Catalogue.
Reception
edit"Radioactivity" is widely regarded as one of Kraftwerk's best songs. In 2020, Billboard and The Guardian ranked the song number five and number two, respectively, on their lists of the greatest Kraftwerk songs.[4][5]
The song influenced Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark's song "Electricity". Andy McCluskey of OMD describes "Electricity" as "a faster, punkier version of 'Radioactivity' with a chorus".[6]
Appearances in other media
editThe song appeared in Rainer Werner Fassbinder's films Chinese Roulette and Berlin Alexanderplatz, and the 2010 documentary Into Eternity.
The song, as did other songs from Radio-Activity, appeared in the Brazilian telenovela Saramandaia.
The song appeared in the season finale of American Horror Story season 11, as part of a death montage.
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Ralf Hütter, Florian Schneider and Emil Schult
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Radioactivity" ("Radioaktivität") | 3:18 |
| 2. | "Antenna" ("Antenne") | 3:03 |
Charts
editWeekly charts
edit| Chart (1976) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| France (SNEP)[7] | 3 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[8] | 21 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia) | 8 |
Certifications and sales
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| France (SNEP)[9] | Gold | 500,000* |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
1991 re-issue
edit| "Radioactivity" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Kraftwerk | ||||
| from the album The Mix | ||||
| Released | October 1991 | |||
| Genre | Synth-pop | |||
| Length | 6:53 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| Kraftwerk singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Radioactivity" was re-issued 1991 as a single from Kraftwerk's remix album The Mix, featuring remixes by François Kevorkian and William Orbit. The song's new lyrics turn it into an anti-nuclear protest song, with references to the Hiroshima bombing, Three Mile Island (Harrisburg), Chernobyl, and Sellafield.[10]
Track listing
edit7-inch single
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Radioactivity (François Kevorkian 7" Remix)" | 4:08 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 2. | "Radioactivity (William Orbit 7" Remix)" | 3:49 |
12-inch single
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Radioactivity (François Kevorkian Remix)" | 7:26 |
| 2. | "Radioactivity (LP Version)" | 6:53 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 3. | "Radioactivity (William Orbit Hardcore Mix)" | 6:13 |
| 4. | "Radioactivity (William Orbit Remix)" | 7:23 |
CD single
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Radioactivity (François Kevorkian 7" Remix)" | 4:10 |
| 2. | "Radioactivity (François Kevorkian 12" Remix)" | 7:26 |
| 3. | "Radioactivity (William Orbit 12" Remix)" | 7:24 |
Cassette single
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Radioactivity (François Kevorkian 7" Remix)" | |
| 2. | "Radioactivity (William Orbit 7" Remix)" |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 3. | "Radioactivity (François Kevorkian 7" Remix)" | |
| 4. | "Radioactivity (William Orbit 7" Remix)" |
Charts
editWeekly charts
edit| Chart (1991) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[citation needed] | 8 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[11] | 43 |
| US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[12] | 21 |
Fatboy Slim version
edit| "Radioactivity" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Fatboy Slim | ||||
| from the album Late Night Tales: Fatboy Slim | ||||
| B-side | "Everything Is Everything" | |||
| Released | October 8, 2007 | |||
| Length | 3:37 | |||
| Label | LateNightTales | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | ||||
| Fatboy Slim singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Fatboy Slim covered "Radioactivity" for the closing track of his compilation album Late Night Tales: Fatboy Slim. It featured vocals contributed by a woman from his favorite record store.[13] The song was released as a limited edition 7-inch single.[citation needed]
Track listing
edit7-inch single
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Radioactivity" | Hütter, Schneider, Schult | 3:37 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2. | "Everything Is Everything" | Bootsy Collins | 3:43 |
References
edit- ^ "Music Week" (PDF). p. 38.
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Kraftwerk 3D - Spacelab / Radioactivity (Live) HD". YouTube.
- ^ "No_Nukes_Video". Kraftwerk.com. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
- ^ Zlatopolsky, Ashley (6 May 2020). "Kraftwerk's 10 Best Songs: Staff Picks". Billboard. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
- ^ Simpson, Dave (7 May 2020). "Kraftwerk: their 30 greatest songs, ranked!". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
- ^ Gourlay, Dom (25 April 2012). "Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Interview: Interview with Andy McCluskey from OMD". Contactmusic.com. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
- ^ "Charts 18-07-76".
- ^ "Kraftwerk – Radioactivity" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
- ^ "French single certifications – Kraftwerk – Radioactivity" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
- ^ "Kraftwerk – Radioaktivität (The Mix Version)".
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "Kraftwerk Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ John Bush. "LateNightTales - Fatboy Slim". Allmusic. Retrieved 19 September 2011.