"Theme from S-Express" is an

acid house Acid house (also simply known as just "acid") is a subgenre of house music developed around the mid-1980s by DJs from Chicago. The style is defined primarily by the squelching sounds and basslines of the Roland TB-303 electronic bass synthesiz ...

song by British electronic dance music group S'Express, from their debut studio album, '' Original Soundtrack'' (1989), written and produced by Mark Moore and Pascal Gabriel. One of the landmarks of early

and late 1980s sampling culture, the single became an instant hit upon its release in April 1988, peaking at number one on the UK Singles Chart for two weeks. It fared less well in the United States, only reaching number 91 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, but reaching number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Club Play chart. It peaked at number 11 in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and number two in West Germany, France and the Netherlands.

Production

The song samples liberally from many other works, including heavy usage of Rose Royce's "Is It Love You're After", and TZ's "I Got the Hots for You", which provided the song's campy hook. The song made prominent use of the line "Drop that ghetto blaster" from the song "Tales of Taboo" by

Karen Finley Karen Finley (born 1956) is an American performance artist, musician and poet. Her performance art, recordings, and books are used as forms of activism. Her work frequently uses nudity and profanity. Finley incorporates depictions of sexuality, ...

. The

hi-hat A hi-hat (hihat, high-hat, etc.) is a combination of two cymbals and a pedal, all mounted on a metal stand. It is a part of the standard drum kit used by drummers in many styles of music including rock, pop, jazz, and blues. Hi-hats consist o ...

is sampled from an aerosol spray. The track's "S express" refrain makes reference to the

42nd Street Shuttle The 42nd Street Shuttle is a New York City Subway shuttle train service that operates in Manhattan. The shuttle is sometimes referred to as the Grand Central/Times Square Shuttle, since these are the only two stations it serves. The shuttle runs ...

, a line on the

New York City Subway The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the government of New York City and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, an affiliate agency of the state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Opened on October 2 ...

. The train sample used is of an InterCity 125. The cover artwork features a cutaway drawing of a

British Rail Class 56 The British Rail Class 56 is a type of diesel locomotive designed for heavy freight work. It is a Type 5 locomotive, with a Ruston-Paxman power unit developing 3,250 bhp (2,423 kW), and has a Co-Co wheel arrangement. Enthusiasts nicknamed t ...

, a contemporary freight locomotive. For the North American release, some spoken word samples had to be removed due to licensing issues, and were recreated by unnamed voice artists. The female vocalist is Michel'le.

Samples used

This is a list of samples used in "Theme from S-Express". *

Alfredo de la Fé Alfredo Manuel De La Fé (born February 6, 1954) is a Cuban-born and New York-based violinist who lived in Colombia for more than 16 years and is responsible for transforming the violin into an important sound of Salsa and Latin music. The first ...

– "Hot to Trot" from ''Alfredo'', 1979 (LP) * Crystal Grass – "Crystal World" from ''You're All I Ever Dreamed Of'', 1974 (LP) *

– "Tales of Taboo" from ''Tales of Taboo'', 1986 (12") *

Debbie Harry Deborah Ann Harry (born Angela Trimble; July 1, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter and actress, best known as the lead vocalist of the band Blondie. Four of her songs with the band reached on the US charts between 1979 and 1981. Born in ...

– " Feel the Spin" from ''Krush Groove'' soundtrack, 1985 (LP) emoved from U.S. version* Vocal sample by Laura Olsher from "The Martian Monsters" from '' Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House'', 1964 (LP) emoved from U.S. version*

Gil Scott-Heron Gilbert Scott-Heron (April 1, 1949 – May 27, 2011) was an American Jazz poetry, jazz poet, singer, musician, and author, known primarily for his work as a spoken-word performer in the 1970s and 1980s. His collaborative efforts with musician ...

and Brian Jackson – " The Bottle" from '' Winter in America'', 1974 (LP) emoved from U.S. version* Ish Ledesma – "Scream for Daddy" from ''I Could Love You'', 1986 (12") *

Peech Boys The Peech Boys, also known as the New York Citi Peech Boys or NYC Peech Boys, were a band that comprised Bernard Fowler, Steven Brown, Robert Kasper, Darryl Short, Larry Levan and Michael de Benedictus. The group formed at the Paradise Garage, b ...

– "Don't Make Me Wait" from ''Life Is Something Special'', 1983 (LP) *

Gene Roddenberry Eugene Wesley Roddenberry Sr. (August 19, 1921 – October 24, 1991) was an American television screenwriter, producer, and creator of ''Star Trek: The Original Series'', its sequel spin-off series ''Star Trek: The Animated Series,'' and ''Sta ...

– "The Star Trek Dream" from ''The Star Trek Dream'', 1976 (LP) emoved from U.S. version* Rose Royce – " Is It Love You're After" from ''Rose Royce IV: Rainbow Connection'', 1979 (LP) *

Sam the Sham & The Pharaohs Domingo "Sam" Samudio (born February 28, 1937, in Dallas, Texas, United States), better known by his stage name Sam the Sham, is a retired American rock and roll singer. Sam the Sham was known for his camp robe and turban and hauling his equipme ...

– "Oh That's Bad, No That's Good" from ''Oh That's Good, No That's Bad'', 1967 (7") emoved from U.S. version*

Stacey Q Stacey Lynn Swain (born November 30, 1958), known by her stage name Stacey Q, is an American pop singer, songwriter, dancer and actress. Her best-known single, John Mitchell's " Two of Hearts", released in 1986, reached number one in Canada, n ...

– " Two of Hearts" from '' Better Than Heaven'', 1986 (LP) emoved from U.S. version* TZ – "I Got the Hots for You" from ''I Got the Hots for You'', 1983 (12") * Yazoo – " Situation" from '' Upstairs at Eric's'', 1982 (LP)

Impact and legacy

In 2020, '' The Guardian'' ranked the song at number 51 in their list of "The 100 greatest UK No 1s". They added,

"To watch Top of the Pops as 1987 gives way to 1988 is to watch the freaks taking over the asylum: after MARRS and Bomb the Bass’s earlier acid house hits, S-Express’s sample-heavy track affirmed the sound’s chart coronation, making the Stock Aitken Waterman stable look even more square, and stuck one in the eye of London’s throttlingly cool club scene with its euphoric, queer collage."

Track listings

* CD maxi # "Theme from S-Express" – (3:55) # "The Trip" (Microdot House Mix) – (5:41) # "Theme from S-Express" (Herbal Tea Casualty Mix) – (8:05) * 7" single # "Theme from S-Express" – (3:55) # "The Trip" (Microdot House Mix) – (4:18) * 12" maxi, Europe 1 # "Theme from S-Express" – (5:58) # "The Trip" (Microdot House Mix) – (5:40) # "Theme from S-Express" – (3:55) * 12" maxi, Europe 2 # "Theme from S-Express" (Herbal Tea Casualty Mix) # "The Trip" (Microdot House Mix) – (5:40) # "Theme from S'Express" – (3:55) * 12" maxi, Canada & UK # "Theme from S-Express" (12" U.S.A. Mix) – (5:53) # "Theme from S-Express" (7" U.S.A. Mix) – (3:53) # "The Trip" (Microdot House Mix) – (5:53) * Cassette # "Theme from S-Express" (7" U.S.A. Mix) # "Theme from S-Express" (12" U.S.A. Mix) # "The Trip" # "Theme from S-Express" (7" U.S.A. Mix) # "Theme from S-Express" (12" U.S.A. Mix) # "The Trip" * CD maxi - Theme From S-Express (The Return Trip) (1996 release) # "Theme from S-Express" (Tony De Vit 7" Mix) – (4:04) # "Theme from S-Express" (Aquarius 7" Mix) – (4:12) # "Theme from S-Express" (Original Theme 7" Mix Plus-8) – (3:36) # "Theme from S-Express" (Tony De Vit 12" Mix) – (8:51) # "Theme from S-Express" (Aquarius 'Party On The Orient Express' Mix) – (7:36) # "Theme from S-Express" (Carl Craig's Edited Birthday Surprise Mix) – (7:36)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Theme From S-Express 1988 songs 1988 debut singles 1996 singles Capitol Records singles European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles Number-one singles in Greece Number-one singles in Switzerland S'Express songs Songs written by Pascal Gabriel UK Independent Singles Chart number-one singles UK Singles Chart number-one singles Ultratop 50 Singles (Flanders) number-one singles