Radioactivity (song)

"Radioactivity"
Single by Kraftwerk
from the album Radio-Activity
B-side	"Antenna"
Released	13 February 1976 (UK)
Recorded	1975, Kling Klang Studio
Genre	Synth-pop electronic
Length	3:18 (radio edit) 6:42 (album version)
Label	Kling Klang EMI Electrola Capitol
Songwriter(s)	Ralf Hütter Florian Schneider Emil Schult
Producer(s)	Ralf Hütter Florian Schneider
Kraftwerk singles chronology
"Autobahn" (1975) "Radioactivity" (1976) "Trans-Europe Express" (1977)

"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).

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

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

"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, 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. 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

"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.

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".

Appearances in other media

The 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

All 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

Weekly charts

Chart (1976)	Peak position
France (SNEP)	3
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)	21
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)	8

Certifications and sales

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
France (SNEP)	Gold	500,000*
* Sales figures based on certification alone.

1991 re-issue

"Radioactivity"
Single by Kraftwerk
from the album The Mix
Released	October 1991 (1991-10)
Genre	Synth-pop
Length	6:53
Label	Kling Klang EMI Electrola
Songwriter(s)	Ralf Hütter Florian Schneider Emil Schult
Producer(s)	Ralf Hütter Florian Schneider
Kraftwerk singles chronology
"The Robots" (1991) "Radioactivity" (1991) "Expo 2000" (1999)

"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.

Track listing

7-inch single

Side one

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Radioactivity (François Kevorkian 7" Remix)"	4:08

Side two

No.	Title	Length
2.	"Radioactivity (William Orbit 7" Remix)"	3:49

12-inch single

Side one

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Radioactivity (François Kevorkian Remix)"	7:26
2.	"Radioactivity (LP Version)"	6:53

Side two

No.	Title	Length
3.	"Radioactivity (William Orbit Hardcore Mix)"	6:13
4.	"Radioactivity (William Orbit Remix)"	7:23

CD single

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

Side one

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Radioactivity (François Kevorkian 7" Remix)"
2.	"Radioactivity (William Orbit 7" Remix)"

Side two

No.	Title	Length
3.	"Radioactivity (François Kevorkian 7" Remix)"
4.	"Radioactivity (William Orbit 7" Remix)"

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1991)	Peak position
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)	8
UK Singles (OCC)	43
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)	21

Fatboy Slim version

"Radioactivity"
Single by Fatboy Slim
from the album Late Night Tales: Fatboy Slim
B-side	"Everything Is Everything"
Released	October 8, 2007 (2007-10-08)
Length	3:37
Label	LateNightTales
Songwriter(s)	Ralf Hütter Florian Schneider Emil Schult
Producer(s)	Norman Cook Simon Thornton
Fatboy Slim singles chronology
"Champion Sound" (2006) "Radioactivity" (2007) "Please Don't" (2010)

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

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Radioactivity"	Hütter, Schneider, Schult	3:37

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
2.	"Everything Is Everything"	Bootsy Collins	3:43