Autobahn is a song composed in 1974 by Florian Schneider and Ralf Hütter of the German electronic band Kraftwerk, with Emil Schult collaborating on the lyrics. It was their first track to use sung lyrics. It is designed to capture the feel of driving on a motorway.

A version of the song lasting over 22½ minutes was recorded as the title track of their album Autobahn. This was edited to a more modest 4 minutes and released as a single, giving the band an unexpected top 10 hit in the USA, UK and other territories, the first of their career.

The instrumentation used on the song's 1974 recording was strikingly innovative at the time and is notable for having a huge influence on many subsequent genres of electronic popular and dance music.

This recording was co-produced by the influential "krautrock" producer Conny Plank.

Notable aspects of the arrangement included:

• Electronic percussion pads played by Wolfgang Flür
• Use of a classic "moog bass" sound to play the bass line, playing an octave riff with added analogue echo.
• Liberal use of phasing on synths to play the chords.
• Use of a vocoder to process some of the vocals.

The arrangement also included acoustic elements such as guitar and flute.

The band have continued to perform the song live regularly throughout their career. Live arrangements have evolved continuously as the band have adapted the instrumentation and equipment they use on stage.

Kraftwerk