Theme from S-Express

"Theme from S-Express" is an acid house song by British dance music band S'Express, from their debut studio album, Original Soundtrack, written and produced by Mark Moore and Pascal Gabriel. 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, peaking at number one in the UK Singles Chart in April 1988 for two weeks.[1] It fared less well in the United States, only reaching number 91 in the Billboard Hot 100, but reaching number one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. It peaked at number 11 in Australia and number two in West Germany, France and the Netherlands.

"Theme from S-Express"
Single by S'Express
from the album Original Soundtrack
Released	April 1988
Recorded	1988
Genre	Acid house
Length	3:55
Label	Rhythm King Capitol
Songwriter(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)

Production

The song samples liberally from many other works, including heavy usage of Rose Royce's "Is It Love You're After", and TZ's "I Got the Hots for You", which provided the song's campy hook.[2] The song made prominent use of the line "Drop that ghetto blaster" from the song "Tales of Taboo" by Karen Finley. The hi-hat is sampled from an aerosol spray. The track's "S express" refrain makes reference to the 42nd Street Shuttle, a line on the New York City Subway. The train sample used is of an InterCity 125. The cover artwork features a cutaway drawing of a British Rail Class 56, a contemporary freight locomotive. For the North American release, some spoken word samples had to be removed due to licensing issues, and were recreated by unnamed voice artists.

Samples used

This is a list of samples used in "Theme from S-Express".[3]

• Alfredo de la Fé – "Hot to Trot" from Alfredo, 1979 (LP)
• Crystal Grass – "Crystal World" from You're All I Ever Dreamed Of, 1974 (LP)
• Karen Finley – "Tales of Taboo" from Tales of Taboo, 1986 (12")
• Debbie Harry – "Feel the Spin" from Krush Groove soundtrack, 1985 (LP) [removed from U.S. version]
• Vocal sample by Laura Olsher from "The Martian Monsters" from Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House, 1964 (LP) [removed from U.S. version]
• Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson – "The Bottle" from Winter in America, 1974 (LP) [removed from U.S. version]
• Ish Ledesma – "Scream for Daddy" from I Could Love You, 1986 (12")
• Peech Boys – "Don't Make Me Wait" from Life Is Something Special, 1983 (LP)
• Gene Roddenberry – "The Star Trek Dream" from The Star Trek Dream, 1976 (LP) [removed from U.S. version]
• Rose Royce – "Is It Love You're After" from Rose Royce IV: Rainbow Connection, 1979 (LP)
• Sam the Sham & The Pharaohs – "Oh That's Bad, No That's Good" from Oh That's Good, No That's Bad, 1967 (7") [removed from U.S. version]
• Stacey Q – "Two of Hearts" from Better Than Heaven, 1986 (LP) [removed from U.S. version]
• TZ – "I Got the Hots for You" from I Got the Hots for You, 1983 (12")
• Yazoo – "Situation" from Upstairs at Eric's, 1982 (LP)

Impact and legacy

In 2020, The Guardian ranked the song at number 51 in their list of "The 100 greatest UK No 1s".[4] They added,

"To watch Top of the Pops as 1987 gives way to 1988 is to watch the freaks taking over the asylum: after MARRS and Bomb the Bass’s earlier acid house hits, S-Express’s sample-heavy track affirmed the sound’s chart coronation, making the Stock Aitken Waterman stable look even more square, and stuck one in the eye of London’s throttlingly cool club scene with its euphoric, queer collage."

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"

CD Maxi - Theme From S-Express (The Return Trip) (1996 release)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Theme From S-Express (Tony De Vit 7" Mix)"	4.04
2.	"Theme From S-Express (Aquarius 7" Mix)"	4.12
3.	"Theme From S-Express (Original Theme 7" Mix Plus-8)"	3.36
4.	"Theme From S-Express (Tony De Vit 12" Mix)"	8.51
5.	"Theme From S-Express (Aquarius 'Party On The Orient Express' Mix)"	7.36
6.	"Theme From S-Express (Carl Craig's Edited Birthday Surprise Mix)"	7.36

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts Chart (1988) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[5] 11 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[6] 9 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[7] 1 Canada Dance/Urban (RPM)[8] 1 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[9] 1 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[10] 2 France (SNEP)[11] 2 Greece (IFPI)[12] 1 Ireland (IRMA)[13] 2 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[14] 2 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[15] 2 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[16] 7 Norway (VG-lista)[17] 2 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[18] 9 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[19] 1 UK Singles (OCC)[20] 1 US Billboard Hot 100[21] 91 US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[22] 1 West Germany (Official German Charts)[23] 2 Chart (1996) Peak position Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[24] 54

Year-end charts Chart (1988) Position Belgium (Ultratop)[25] 14 Canada Dance/Urban (RPM)[26] 13 Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)[27] 6 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[28] 11 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[29] 9 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[30] 19 West Germany (Official German Charts)[31] 22 Certifications Region Certification Certified units/sales United Kingdom (BPI)[32] Silver 250,000^^ ^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 487. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
2. Reynolds, S., (2013), Energy Flash: A Journey Through Rave Music and Dance Culture, Faber & Faber, ISBN 978-0571289134, Chapter Two.
3. "Les samples de S express". Du-bruit.com. Retrieved 2014-03-30.
4. Beaumont-Thomas, Ben; Petridis, Alexis; Snapes, Laura (2020-06-05). "The 100 greatest UK No 1s: 100-1". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
5. "Australian-charts.com – S-Express – Theme from S-Express". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
6. "Austriancharts.at – S-Express – Theme from S-Express" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
7. "Ultratop.be – S-Express – Theme from S-Express" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
8. "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 8546." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
9. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 5 no. 24. 11 June 1988. p. 11. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
10. Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
11. "Lescharts.com – S-Express – Theme from S-Express" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
12. https://americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Music-and-Media/80s/1988/M&M-1988-07-16.pdf
13. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Theme from S'Express". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
14. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 23, 1988" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved 4 April 2018.
15. "Dutchcharts.nl – S-Express – Theme from S-Express" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
16. "Charts.nz – S-Express – Theme from S-Express". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
17. "Norwegiancharts.com – S-Express – Theme from S-Express". VG-lista. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
18. "Swedishcharts.com – S-Express – Theme from S-Express". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
19. "Swisscharts.com – S-Express – Theme from S-Express". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
20. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
21. "S Express Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
22. "S Express Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
23. "Offiziellecharts.de – S-Express – Theme from S-Express". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
24. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
25. "Jaaroverzichten 1988" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
26. "Top 25 Dance Singles of '88" (PDF). RPM. Vol. 49 no. 10. 24 December 1988. p. 10. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
27. "1988 Year End Eurocharts" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 6 no. 52/1. 1 January 1988. p. 30. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
28. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1988" (in Dutch). Retrieved 4 April 2018.
29. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1988" (in German). Retrieved 4 April 2018.
30. Scaping, Peter, ed. (1991). "Top 100 Singles: 1988". BPI YearBook 1989/90. London, England: British Phonographic Industry. pp. 64–65. ISBN 978-0-9061-5410-6.
31. "Top 100 Single–Jahrescharts 1988" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
32. "British single certifications – S-Express – Theme from S-Express". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 14 July 2019. Select singles in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Theme from S-Express in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.