Kraftwerk’s Autobahn”, composed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider of the band, with Emil Schult collaborating on the lyrics. It is co-produced by Conny Plank, and was the band’s first track to use sung lyrics. Recorded in 1974, the song is designed to capture the feel of driving on a motorway. A version of the song lasting over 22 minutes was recorded as the title track of the album Autobahn. This was edited to a more modest 3 minute and 28 seconds running time and released as a single, giving the band an unexpected Top 40 hit in the USA, and other countries, the first of their career. A differently edited version, at 3 minutes and 5 seconds duration, was released in the UK, reaching #11, and was later included on the UK compilation LP Exceller 8. The song also reached #12 in Canada and number 12 in the Netherlands.
