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Tour de France

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Kraftwerk

About Tour de France

"Tour de France" is a song by Kraftwerk. It was first issued in June 1983, peaking at number 22 in the United Kingdom singles chart. It is notable for the use of sampled voices and mechanical sounds associated with cycling that were used to supplement a simple electro-percussion pattern – an approach Kraftwerk had used on earlier tracks such as "Metal on Metal" (from Trans-Europe Express) and "Numbers" (from Computer World). The music is credited to Ralf Hütter, Florian Schneider and Karl Bartos; the lyrics are credited to Hütter and Maxime Schmitt, a French label associate of the band. The melody appears to quote a fragment of the opening section of Paul Hindemith's “Sonata for Flute and Piano” (“Heiter Bewegt”). For Kraftwerk, "Tour de France" was a departure from the technological tone of the two previous albums, The Man-Machine and Computer World. Instead, the song is a joie de vivre celebration of cycling, marking the group's increasing interest in the sport. Of the current line-up, Hütter and Fritz Hilpert have been known to take part in cycling events. 


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The hell of Northern Paris - Roubaix
The Cote d'Azur and Saint Tropez
The Alps and the Pyrenees
Last stage Champs-Elysees
Galibier and Tourmalet 
Dancing even on the top
Bicycling at high gear
Final sprint at the finish
Flat tire on the paving-stones
The bicycle is repaired quickly
The peloton is regrouped
Comrades and friendship

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Kraftwerk

Kraftwerk (German pronunciation: [ˈkʀaftvɛɐk], meaning power station) from Düsseldorf, Germany, is an influential electronic music project that was formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970, and was fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008. The signature Kraftwerk sound combines driving, repetitive rhythms with catchy melodies, mainly following a Western Classical style of harmony, with a minimalistic and strictly electronic instrumentation. The group's simplified lyrics are at times sung through a vocoder or generated by computer-speech software. Kraftwerk were one of the first groups to popularize electronic music and are considered pioneers in the field. In the 1970s and early 1980s, Kraftwerk's distinctive sound was revolutionary, and… more »

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Sheet Music      PDF     

Written by: FRITZ HILPERT, RALF HUETTER, MAXIME SCHMITT, FLORIAN SCHNEIDER-ESLEBEN

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

11 facts about this song

Concept Origin
The song "Tour de France" is inspired by Kraftwerk's fascination with cycling. The band members were big fans of the sport and used this song to bring out their enthusiasm, specifically for the famous cycling race, Le Tour de France.
Unique Inspiration
Notably unique, and possibly the only song in the history of pop music to have been inspired by a bicycle race, establishing the band's reputation for exploring unusual themes.
Song Release Details
"Tour de France" was originally released as a single in 1983. It was both a commercial and critical success, making it one of Kraftwerk's most well-known songs.
Album History
It was later included in the album "Tour de France Soundtracks" which was released in 2003, marking 20 years after the song's initial release.
Language Element
The lyrics to "Tour de France" are in French, in honor of the bicycle race, whose country of origin is France.
Song version
In 1999, the song was re-released as "Tour de France '99 - Remix" to celebrate the 100th birthday of the French cycling contest. This version is more techno-oriented than the original, reflecting changes in electronic music over the previous 16 years.
Sound Effects
The song uses a variety of unusual sound effects to evoke the experience of a bicycle race including the sounds of gears changing, cycling heavy breaths, and wind swooshing by.
Chart Performance
The song charted in a number of countries, reaching the number 2 spot on the UK Singles Chart, making it Kraftwerk's highest-charting song in the UK.
Band Member's Passion
Kraftwerk's Ralf Hütter, who is an avid cycling enthusiast, once revealed in an interview that the song was written to convey the effort and glory of cycling.
Influence in other Works
The song has been featured in several films and commercials. Most notably, it was used in the 1984 breakdancing movie "Breakin".
Music Video
The music video for "Tour de France" was directed by French duo Pascal Béhèrèc and Laurent Fauchère, portraying the history of the Tour de France bicycle race with footage and animation.

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