Theme from S-Express

"Theme from S-Express"
Single by S'Express
from the album Original Soundtrack
Released	April 1988
Format	7" 12" maxi CD cassette
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)
"Theme from S-Express" (1988) "Superfly Guy" (1988)
Alternative cover
"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 debut studio 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 train sample used, by contrast, is of a mainline train hauled at speed by a diesel locomotive. The cover artwork features a cutaway drawing of a British Rail Class 56, a contemporary freight locomotive.

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. 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]

• 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)
• Vocal sample by Laura Olsher from "The Martian Monsters" from Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House, 1964 (LP)
• Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson – "The Bottle" from Winter in America, 1974 (LP)
• 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)
• 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")
• Stacey Q – "Two of Hearts" from Better Than Heaven, 1986 (LP)
• 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)

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

References