Tour de France Soundtracks is the eleventh and final studio album by German electronic music band Kraftwerk. It was first released on 4 August 2003, through Kling Klang and EMI in Europe and Astralwerks in North America. The album was recorded for the 100th anniversary of the first Tour de France bicycle race, although it missed its intended release date for the actual tour. It includes a new recording of their 1983 song of the same name, the cover artwork of both releases being nearly identical. The announcement of the release caused much anticipation, as it had been 17 years since the group had put out a full album of new studio material. It is also the last album to feature Florian Schneider before his departure from the band in 2008 and his death on 21 April 2020.
"Axel F" is the electronic instrumental theme from the 1984 film Beverly Hills Cop performed by Harold Faltermeyer. It was an international number one hit in 1985.
"Listen to Your Heart" is a song by Swedish pop music duo Roxette, which was originally released in Sweden in September 1988 as the second single from the duo's second studio album, Look Sharp! (1988). It was written by Per Gessle with former Gyllene Tider guitarist Mats "M.P." Persson. The song went on to become one of the most successful singles of 1989, reaching number one in both the United States and Canada around November 1989. The track was the first song to reach number one in the US without a commercially-released 7-inch single.
"Macarena" is a Spanish dance song by Los del Río about a woman of the same name. Appearing on the 1993 album A mí me gusta, it was an international hit and dance craze in the latter half of 1996 and part of 1997. The song got the group ranked the "No. 1 Greatest One-Hit Wonder of All Time" by VH1 in 2002. The song uses a type of clave rhythm. In 2012, it was ranked No. 7 on Billboard's All Time Top 100. It also ranked at No. 1 on Billboard's All Time Latin Songs.
"Whenever, Wherever" is a song by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira from her fifth studio album and English-language debut, Laundry Service (2001). It was released on 27 August 2001 by Epic Records as the lead single from the album. The song was written, composed, and produced by Shakira and Tim Mitchell, with additional songwriting from Gloria Estefan. "Whenever, Wherever" is a mix of Latin music and worldbeat that is heavily influenced by Andean music. The Spanish version of the song, titled "Suerte", lyrically discusses how fortunate Shakira is to have found her romantic partner.
"Policy of Truth" is a song by English electronic music band Depeche Mode, released on 7 May 1990 as the third single from their seventh studio album, Violator (1990). Although the song was less successful than the first two singles before, it is the only Depeche Mode single to chart higher on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart than on the UK Singles Chart, as well, as peaking at number two on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. It also became the band's second chart-topper on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.
"I Feel You" is a song by Depeche Mode, released on 15 February 1993 as their 27th UK single and the first single from the album Songs of Faith and Devotion. The song peaked at number eight on the UK Singles Chart and also made number one and number three on the US Modern Rock Tracks and Hot Dance Club Play charts, respectively. It was one of the band's highest-charting singles worldwide.
American singer Madonna has released 88 singles and 24 promotional singles and charted with 16 other songs. She has sold more than 100 million singles worldwide. According to Billboard, Madonna is the most successful solo artist in the Hot 100 chart history, second overall behind the Beatles. In the United Kingdom, Madonna scored a total of 63 top-ten hits and 12 number-two peaks. In 2012, she was ranked as the best-selling singles female artist in the UK with 17.6 million singles sold. At the 40th anniversary of the GfK Media Control Charts, Madonna was ranked as the most successful singles artist in German chart history.
"Tour de France" is a song by German electronic band Kraftwerk. It was first issued in early August 1983, peaking at number 22 in the United Kingdom singles chart since 6 August. 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" and "Numbers". 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”.
"Das Model" is a song recorded by the German group Kraftwerk in 1978, written by musicians Ralf Hütter and Karl Bartos, with artist Emil Schult collaborating on the lyrics. It is featured on the album, Die Mensch-Maschine.
"All or Nothing" is a song by American singer and actress Cher from her 22nd studio album, Believe (1998). It was released as the third international single from Believe on June 7, 1999, by WEA and Warner Bros. Records. "All or Nothing" reached the top 40 of the US Billboard Hot 100 Singles Sales chart at number 38 and peaked at number one on the Billboard Dance/Club Play Songs chart. In Europe, the single was a top-10 hit in the Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, and Scotland.
"Mundian To Bach Ke", also titled "Beware of the Boys " or "Beware", is a bhangra song produced by British musician Panjabi MC, with vocals and lyrics by Punjabi artist Labh Janjua. The song was produced by Panjabi MC in Birmingham, England, for his 1998 album Legalised. Following its release as a single in November 2002, it achieved considerable worldwide success, topping the singles charts in Italy and Wallonia and charting highly in many other countries. A remix featuring American rapper Jay-Z also charted highly in North America and Australia. The song sold an estimated 10 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time.
"Born Slippy .NUXX" is a song by British electronic music group Underworld. It was first released as the B-side to an unrelated track, "Born Slippy", in May 1995. The fragmented lyrics, by vocalist Karl Hyde, describe the perspective of an alcoholic.
"Electrical Storm" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the fourth track on their second greatest hits compilation album, The Best of 1990–2000, and was released as a single on 21 October 2002. "Electrical Storm" is one of two new songs that were recorded for the compilation. Two versions of the song were released: the "Band Version", produced by Carl Glanville; and the "William Orbit Mix", produced by William Orbit. The music video for the song prominently features drummer Larry Mullen Jr. and actress Samantha Morton. The lyrics were written by the band's lead vocalist Bono about two quarreling lovers and the tension between them; he relates this to a looming electrical storm. U2 did not perform the song live until 2 July 2009, on the second concert of their U2 360° Tour in Barcelona, Spain.
"In the Shadows" is a song by Finnish alternative rock band the Rasmus, included on the group's fifth studio album Dead Letters. Released in 2003, the single achieved considerable chart success throughout Europe and Oceania, including the United Kingdom, where it reached No. 3, and New Zealand, where it topped the chart.
"(I'll Never Be) Maria Magdalena", also known simply as "Maria Magdalena", is a song recorded by German singer Sandra for her debut studio album The Long Play (1985). The song, written by Hubert Kemmler, Markus Löhr, Michael Cretu and Richard Palmer-James, was released as the lead single from The Long Play in March 1985, by Virgin Records, and was a major chart hit in Europe, reaching number one in multiple countries. It remains Sandra's signature song.
"The X-Files" is an instrumental written and produced by American film and television composer Mark Snow. On its parent album, The Truth and the Light: Music from the X-Files, the track is titled "Materia Primoris". It is a remixed version of the original theme Snow composed for the science fiction television series The X-Files in 1993. The composition was released as a single in 1996 and achieved chart success, particularly in France, where it reached number one on the singles chart. The composition has since been covered by many artists, including DJ Dado and Triple X; DJ Dado's version was a major hit in Europe while Triple X's version reached number two in Australia.
"Das Boot" is the title theme to the film and TV series Das Boot, composed and produced by Klaus Doldinger, and released as a single in 1981.
"Don't You Want Me" is a song recorded by British DJ and producer Francis Wright, known under the pseudonym of Felix, released as his debut single from his album, #1, in July 1992. Musically, it samples Jomanda's "Don't You Want My Love" and credited as Felix featuring Jomanda. Released on 27 July 1992, the song reached number six on the UK Singles Chart reached number one in Finland, Spain, and Switzerland. It also went to number one on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart and on the European Hot 100 Singles chart. In 1995 and 1996, the song charted in the UK again, but in remixed form. British magazine Mixmag ranked the song number 98 in its "100 Greatest Dance Singles Of All Time" list in 1996.
"Aerodynamik" is a song by the German electronic music band Kraftwerk. It was released on 15 March 2004 as the fourth single from their tenth studio album, Tour de France Soundtracks (2003). The song peaked at number-one on the UK dance singles chart.
