Theme from S-Express

"Theme from S-Express" is an acid house song by English dance music band S'Express from their album Original Soundtrack. It peaked at No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart in April 1988 for two weeks.

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 song reached number one on the UK Singles Chart for two weeks in April 1988. 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.