"Radioactivity" (German: "Radioaktivität") is a song by the German

electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroa ...

band Kraftwerk. It was released in May 1976 as the only single from their fifth studio album, '' Radio-Activity'' (1975). The song was a commercial success in France, but was not as successful in other countries as Kraftwerk's previous hit single "

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Composition

The original recording features a Minimoog bass line playing

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. 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

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. The 1991 version drops all references to radio and incorporates additional lyrics with a pointed

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theme, remaking the central lyrical hook as “stop radioactivity” and also referring to “contaminated population” and mentioning by name

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, Sellafield and Hiroshima.

Live performances

"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 Wolfgang Flür (born 17 July 1947) is a German musician, best known for playing percussion in the electronic group Kraftwerk from 1973 to 1987. Flür claims that he invented the electric drums the group used throughout the 1970s. However, pa ...

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 Kraftwerk's set at

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to commemorate the anniversary of the Chernobyl incident on 26 April (the date of the band's performance). Live versions of "Radioactivity" feature on both English and German versions of the band's 2005 live album '' Minimum-Maximum''. 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

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, and make direct reference to Fukushima. This version of the song also has notable lyric changes such as "Chernobyl, Harrisburg, Sellafield, ''Fukushima''". 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 ''

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''.

Reception

"Radioactivity" is widely regarded as one of Kraftwerk's best songs. In 2020, '' Billboard'' and ''

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'' ranked the song number five and number two, respectively, on their lists of the greatest Kraftwerk songs.

Appearances in other media

The song appeared in Rainer Werner Fassbinder's films '' Chinese Roulette'' and '' Berlin Alexanderplatz'', Michael Jupp's animated film '' Alice in Galaxy'' and the 2010 documentary '' Into Eternity''. The song, as did other songs from '' Radio-Activity'', appeared in the Brazilian telenovela '' Saramandaia''.

Track listing

Charts

Weekly charts

Certifications and sales

1991 re-issue

"Radioactivity" was re-issued 1991 as a single from Kraftwerk's remix album '' The Mix'', featuring remixes by François Kevorkian and

. The song's new lyrics turn it into an

protest song, with references to the Hiroshima bombing, Three Mile Island (Harrisburg),

, and Sellafield.

Track listing

7-inch single

12-inch single

CD single

Cassette single

Charts

Weekly charts

Fatboy Slim version

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. The song was released as a limited edition 7-inch single.

Track listing

7-inch single

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Radioactivity (Song) Kraftwerk songs 1976 singles Fatboy Slim songs 2007 singles 2007 songs Songs written by Florian Schneider Songs written by Ralf Hütter Songs written by Emil Schult Songs about radio Songs about science Electronic songs Protest songs 1975 songs 1991 singles 1991 songs Songs written by William Orbit