Theme from S-Express

"Theme from S-Express"
Single by S'Express
from the album Original Soundtrack
Released April 1988
Format
Recorded 1988
Genre Acid house
Length 3:55
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
S'Express singles chronology
"Theme from S-Express"
(1988)		 "Superfly Guy"
(1988)

"Theme from S-Express"
(1988)		 "Superfly Guy"
(1988)
Alternative cover
"Theme from S-Xpress — The Return Trip" cover (1996)

"Theme from S-Express" is an acid house song by British dance music band S'Express, from their debut studio album, Original Soundtrack. It peaked at No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart in April 1988 for two weeks.[1]

Song information

One of the landmarks of early acid house and late 1980s sampling culture, the single became an instant hit upon its release in April 1988. Written and produced by Mark Moore and Pascal Gabriel the song samples liberally from many songs, including heavy sampling from Rose Royce's "Is It Love You're After" and TZ's "I Got the Hots for You". The hi-hat is sampled from an aerosol spray.

The track's "S express" refrain makes reference to the 42nd Street Shuttle, or, as it is sometimes known, the "S Express", a well-known line on the New York City Subway. The train sample used, by contrast, is of an Inter-City 125. The cover artwork features a cutaway drawing of a British Rail Class 56, a contemporary freight locomotive.

The song reached number one on the UK Singles Chart for two weeks in April 1988.[1] It fared less well in the United States where it scraped into the Billboard Hot 100 at number 91, but it reached number one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. It peaked at number 11 in Australia and number two in West Germany and the Netherlands.

The song prominently sampled Karen Finley's "Drop that ghetto blaster" vocal. The song's predominant "I've got the hots for you" hook has been described as "campy".[2]

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 song was featured in the film Arthur and the Invisibles.

The Norwegian Broadcasting Company used parts of the song for the intro music of their weekly sports programme.

Samples used

This is a list of samples used in "Theme from S-Express".[3]

Track listings

CD maxi
  1. "Theme from S-Express" – (3:55)
  2. "The Trip" (Microdot House Mix) – (5:41)
  3. "Theme from S-Express" (Herbal Tea Casualty Mix) – (8:05)
7" single
  1. "Theme from S-Express" – (3:55)
  2. "The Trip" (Microdot House Mix) – (4:18)
12" maxi
Europe 1
  1. "Theme from S-Express" – (5:58)
  2. "The Trip" (Microdot House Mix) – (5:40)
  3. "Theme from S-Express" – (3:55)
Europe 2
  1. "Theme from S-Express" (Herbal Tea Casualty Mix)
  2. "The Trip" (Microdot House Mix) – (5:40)
  3. "Theme from S'Express" – (3:55)
Canada, UK
  1. "Theme from S-Express" (12" U.S.A. Mix) – (5:53)
  2. "Theme from S-Express" (7" U.S.A. Mix) – (3:53)
  3. "The Trip" (Microdot House Mix) – (5:53)
Cassette
  1. "Theme from S-Express" (7" U.S.A. Mix)
  2. "Theme from S-Express" (12" U.S.A. Mix)
  3. "The Trip"
  4. "Theme from S-Express" (7" U.S.A. Mix)
  5. "Theme from S-Express" (12" U.S.A. Mix)
  6. "The Trip"

Charts

References

  1. 1 2 Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 487. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  2. ↑ Reynolds, S., (2013), Energy Flash: A Journey Through Rave Music and Dance Culture, Faber & Faber, ISBN 978-0571289134, Chapter Two.
  3. ↑ "Les samples de S express". Du-bruit.com. Retrieved 2014-03-30.
  4. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – S-Express – Theme from S-Express". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  5. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – S-Express – Theme from S-Express" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  6. ↑ "Ultratop.be – S-Express – Theme from S-Express" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  7. ↑ "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 8546." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  8. ↑ "Lescharts.com – S-Express – Theme from S-Express" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  9. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – S-Express – Theme from S-Express". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  10. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Theme from S'Express". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  11. 1 2 "I singoli più venduti del 1988" (in Italian). Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  12. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 23, 1988" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  13. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – S-Express – Theme from S-Express" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  14. ↑ "Charts.nz – S-Express – Theme from S-Express". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  15. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – S-Express – Theme from S-Express". VG-lista. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  16. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – S-Express – Theme from S-Express". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  17. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – S-Express – Theme from S-Express". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  18. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  19. ↑ "S Express Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  20. ↑ "S Express Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  21. ↑ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  22. ↑ "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts 1988" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  23. ↑ "JAAROVERZICHTEN - Single 1988" (in Dutch). Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  24. ↑ "SWISS YEAR-END CHARTS 1988". Retrieved 4 April 2018.
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