History Music / Kraftwerk

* RealSongThemeTune: "Ruckzuck", the first song on their debut album, became the theme song for the Creator/{{PBS}} {{Edutainment}} series ''Newton's Apple''. After using the original recording without permission, the show switched to a CoverVersion after a while to avoid legal action.

* {{Mondegreen}}: One of the more famous ones is the chorus of "Autobahn", which says "''Wir fahren fahren fahren auf der Autobahn''" ("We drive drive drive on the highway"), which was frequently misheard as "[[Music/TheBeachBoys Fun fun fun]] on the Autobahn". Hütter didn't mind the mishearing, as he has frequently cited The Beach Boys as one of his favourite bands.

* BaldOfAwesome: Florian and Henning Schmitz.

* {{Zeerust}}: Some of their older works sounded futuristic at the time but are somewhat dated now, or they've already come true, like ''Music/ComputerWorld.'' The version of "Computer World" on the 2005 live album ''Minimum-Maximum'' still references [[TheGreatPoliticsMessUp the KGB.]]

* SpiritualAntithesis: Music/RyuichiSakamoto considered the band this to his own act, Music/YellowMagicOrchestra. While both bands were SynthPop groups who rose to prominence around the same time, Kraftwerk generally had a much more mechanical and statuesque sound and image, primarily covering topics surrounding the rapid technological advancement of the late 20th century in their work, compared to YMO's breezier sound and coverage of more abstract topics.

Kraftwerk is a German electronic group based in Düsseldorf, Germany, noted for such songs as "Autobahn", "Trans-Europe Express", "The Model", "The Robots", and "Computer Love". Founded by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970 and originating in the [[{{Krautrock}} highly experimental rock scene]] of 1970s UsefulNotes/WestGermany, they were practically the TropeMakers of ElectronicMusic in general, being among the very first groups to begin experimenting making music entirely electronically, starting in the early '70s. Generally treated as electronic music's equivalent of Music/TheBeatles, they are directly responsible for the existence of modern electronic dance music, from Techno, {{Industrial}} and EBM to SynthPop and even early Hip-Hop.

* TelephoneSong: "The Telephone Call" is about maintaining a long distance relationship

* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: "Trans-Europe Express," which makes traveling to hang out with Music/DavidBowie and [[Music/TheStooges Iggy Pop]] sound about as exciting as buying groceries. (Florian went asparagus shopping with ''Iggy Pop'' after they met, so points for realism, at least.)

Kraftwerk is a German electronic group based in Düsseldorf, Germany, noted for such songs as "Autobahn", "Trans-Europe Express", "The Model", "The Robots", and "Computer Love". Founded by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970 and originating in the [[{{Krautrock}} highly experimental rock scene]] of 1970s UsefulNotes/WestGermany, they were practically the TropeMakers of ElectronicMusic in general, being among the very first groups to begin experimenting making music entirely electronically, starting in the early '70s. They are directly responsible for the existence of modern electronic Dance music, from Techno, {{Industrial}} and EBM to SynthPop and even early Hip-Hop.

* ''Electric Café'' [[note]]Originally titled ''Techno Pop''; rereleased in 2009 under that title.[[/note]] (1986)

** The artwork for Trans-Europe Express features photographs of the band styled straight out of the 1940's, but supposedly the idea behind the concept was to imagine what a different, more positive recent history for Germany (and Europe) [[WhatCouldHaveBeen could have been like]].

* ''Tour de France Soundtracks'' (2003)

* ''The Catalogue'' (2017) (Live album)

* TheStoic: A staple of their robot-like personas.
** Noticeably averted somewhat in the 1970s and early 80s, as the band would sometimes interact with the audience (such as holding out the mini instruments into the audience during "Pocket Calculator" for attendees to play "a little melody").

* {{Trope 2000}}: The single "Expo 2000," filled with repeating soundbites of different voices saying: "Das einundzwanzigste Jahrhundert" / "The Twenty-First Century" throughout.

Their songs mainly have to do with technology ([[MeaningfulName "Kraftwerk" is German for "Power Plant"]]). Their [[KayfabeMusic gimmick]] was that they were robots; Kraftwerk often put on concerts and give interviews through robotic replicas of themselves. The robots became less and less human-like over the years.

* TelephoneSong: "The Telephone Call" is about maintaining a long distance relationship.
%%* TitleOnlyChorus

* ''Tone Float'' (1969 - as Organisation)[[note]] The common CD edition of this album, released without the band's consent (as they've disowned their first four LP's) amends the credit to 'Kraftwerk / Organisation'. [[/note]]

* ''Radio-Activity''[[note]]Original German title: ''Radio-Aktivität''[[/note]] (1975)
* ''Music/TransEuropeExpress''[[note]]Original German title: ''Trans Europa Express''[[/note]] (1977)
* ''Music/TheManMachine''[[note]]Original German title: ''Die Mensch-Maschine''[[/note]] (1978)
* ''Music/ComputerWorld''[[note]]Original German title: ''Computerwelt''[[/note]] (1981)
* ''Electric Café''[[note]]Originally titled ''Techno Pop''; rereleased in 2009 under that title.[[/note]] (1986)

Their songs mainly have to do with technology ("[[MeaningfulName Kraftwerk]]" is German for "Power Plant"). Their [[KayfabeMusic gimmick]] was that they were robots; Kraftwerk often put on concerts and give interviews through robotic replicas of themselves. The robots became less and less human-like over the years.

Kraftwerk was a German electronic group based in Düsseldorf, Germany, noted for such songs as "Autobahn", "Trans-Europe Express", "The Model", "The Robots", and "Computer Love". Founded by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970 and originating in the [[{{Krautrock}} highly experimental rock scene]] of 1970s UsefulNotes/WestGermany, they were practically the TropeMakers of ElectronicMusic in general, being among the very first groups to begin experimenting making music entirely electronically, starting in the early '70s. They are directly responsible for the existence of modern electronic Dance music, from Techno, {{Industrial}} and EBM to SynthPop and even early Hip-Hop.

Their songs mainly have to do with technology ("Kraftwerk" is German for "Power Plant"). Their [[KayfabeMusic gimmick]] was that they were robots; Kraftwerk often put on concerts and give interviews through robotic replicas of themselves. The robots became less and less human-like over the years.

* DeadpanSnarker: ''Legendarily'' so. Florian Schneider is particularly infamous for that, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhJJ-KypkBk mostly for this snarktastic interview for Brazilian television]].

* RealSongThemeTune:
** For its initial 1983-1990 run, the PBS {{Edutainment}} show ''Newton's Apple'' used "Ruckzuck" (from their long-disowned debut album) as its theme (it was replaced for the home soundtrack due to licensing issues).
** The ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' sketch "Sprockets" used a sped up[[note]]specifically, playing a 33 RPM record at 45 RPM[[/note]] version of "Electric Café"'s 'chorus' melody.
** The Chinese film ''Film/MasterOfTheFlyingGuillotine'' uses "Kometenmelodie", "Mitternacht" and "Morgenspaziergang" off of the ''Music/{{Autobahn}}'' album as most of its BackgroundMusic.

The band's main line-up, after Hütter and Schneider, included Wolfgang Flür and Karl Bartos. Flür left the group in 1987, Bartos did the same in 1990, and Schneider departed in 2008. On May 6, 2020, it was announced that Schneider passed away of cancer not long after his 73rd birthday.

* {{Irony}}: At the time of his death, Florian was on good terms with Karl and Wolfgang. Fifteen years prior, Florian [[https://youtu.be/RFKMRqhfBeI?t=97 refused to speak of either of them]].

Kraftwerk was a German electronic group based in Düsseldorf, Germany, noted for such songs as "Autobahn", "Trans-Europe Express", "The Model", "The Robots", and "Computer Love". Originating in the [[{{Krautrock}} highly experimental rock scene]] of 1970s UsefulNotes/WestGermany, they were practically the TropeMakers of ElectronicMusic in general, being among the very first groups to begin experimenting making music entirely electronically, starting in the early '70s. They are directly responsible for the existence of modern electronic Dance music, from Techno, {{Industrial}} and EBM to SynthPop and even early Hip-Hop.

On May 6, 2020, it was announced Florian Schneider passed away of cancer not long after his 73rd birthday.

* ''Electric Café''[[note]]Originally titled ''Techno Pop''; was rereleased in 2009 under that title.[[/note]] (1986)