Theme from S-Express

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"Theme from S-Express"
File:S-Express Theme.jpg
Single by S'Express
from the album Original Soundtrack
Released April 1988
Format 7" single, 12" maxi, CD maxi, cassette
Recorded 1988
Genre Acid house
Length 3:55
Label Rhythm King/Capitol Records
Writer(s) Mark Moore, Pascal Gabriel
Producer(s) Mark Moore, Pascal Gabriel
S'Express singles chronology
"Theme from S-Express"
(1988)		 "Superfly Guy"
(1988)
Alternative cover
"Theme from S-Xpress — The Return Trip" cover (1996)
"Theme from S-Xpress — The Return Trip" cover (1996)

"Theme from S-Express" is an acid house song by English dance music band S'Express from their 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 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.[dubious – discuss] The song's predominant "I've got the hots for you" hook has been described as "campy".[2]

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

Chart (1988)[4][5][6][7][8][9] Peak
position
Australian ARIA Singles Chart 11
Austrian Singles Chart 9
Dutch Singles Chart 2
French Singles Chart 2
German Singles Chart 2
Irish Singles Chart 2
Italian Singles Chart 9
Norwegian Singles Chart 2
Swedish Singles Chart 9
Swiss Singles Chart 1
UK Singles Chart 1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 91
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play 1
Preceded by UK number one single
24 April 1988 - 7 May 1988		 Succeeded by
"Perfect" by Fairground Attraction
Swiss number one single
5 June 1988 – 19 June 1988		 Succeeded by
"Im Nin'alu" by Ofra Haza
Preceded by Billboard Hot Dance Club Play number-one single
2 July 1988 – 9 July 1988		 Succeeded by
"What's on Your Mind (Pure Energy)" by Information Society

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Reynolds, S., (2013), Energy Flash: A Journey Through Rave Music and Dance Culture, Faber & Faber, ISBN 978-0571289134, Chapter Two.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ "Theme from S-Express", in various Singles Chart Lescharts.com (Retrieved 10 April 2008)
  5. ↑ German Singles Chart Charts-surfer.de (Retrieved 10 April 2008)
  6. ↑ Irish Single Chart Irishcharts.ie (Retrieved 10 April 2008)
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ UK Singles Chart Chartstats.com (Retrieved 10 April 2008)
  9. ↑ Billboard Billboard.com (Retrieved 10 April 2008)
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