3 Songs from Kraftwerk that Will Beep and Boop Forever

The German electronic quartet Kraftwek has been making music since 1970. They are one of the most innovative and influential groups of their kind, creating their own Autobahn-sized lane on the musical landscape.

Here below, we wanted to highlight three of the group’s best and most iconic tracks. A trio of songs the stalwart outfit continue to play live and endure on playlists, song samples, and the radio waves. Indeed, these are three songs from Kraftwek that will beep and boop forever.

[RELATED: How Kraftwerk Pioneered Synth Pop with the 1970s Hit “Autobahn”]

“Computer Love” from Computer World (1981)

Perhaps the most on-the-nose song from the German group, this is also one of the catchiest and most melodic. For an electronic band, writing a song about computer love makes sense. But the delivery—this eerie, affectionate vibe—gives it an ominous feel. As if there is a literal note of trepidation in the work. Yes, computers can be useful and at times necessary, but to love them is strange. Literally, the song is about being bored and lonely and looking to one’s computer to find companionship. Perhaps an online date. But that, too, bears some sadness. Either way, the song opens,

Computer love
Computer love

Another lonely night
Stare at the TV screen
I don’t know what to do
I need a rendezvous
Computer love
Computer love

“Autobahn” from Autobahn (1974)

This song, which is the band’s first to use sung lyrics, comes from the album of the same name and is titled after the famous speedy German highway. The track also marks the group’s biggest single in the United States, as it hit No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100. Some versions of the song clock in at a manageable, radio-friendly length. But there is also a 22-minute version, which you can hear below. Even though it was released in 1974, the song still offers a futuristic feel, as if it was zapped to Earth from some distant planet. With all German lyrics, the song sounds as if it’s saying: Fun, fun, fun on the Autobahn, but really it is:

Autobahn
Autobahn
Autobahn
Autobahn

Wir fahr’n, fahr’n, fahr’n auf der Autobahn
Wir fahr’n, fahr’n, fahr’n auf der Autobahn

Wir fahr’n, fahr’n, fahr’n auf der Autobahn
Wir fahr’n, fahr’n, fahr’n auf der Autobahn

“The Man-Machine” from The Man-Machine (1978)

From the 1978 album of the same name, this is another song that bridges human existence with electronics—and not just in the sounds and performance but in the subject matter, too. With minimal lyrics, the group seems to be talking about their own relationship to electronics. Part-man, part-machine, Kraftwerk is intentional about its style and presentation. Perhaps to such a degree that it blends reality and fantasy. But the ultimate value of that is the group becomes a reflection of humanity’s own reliance on technology, a fact that grows by the day. On this song, they sing,

Man machine, semi human being
Man machine, super human being
The Man
Machine
Machine
Machine
Machine

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