Australian Metalhead reacts to Kraftwerk - “Radioactivity” 

This song's original studio version from the 1970s had different lyrics (partly in English, partly in German) and wasn't *explicitly* political, though Kraftwerk have always been very political, but in a much more subtle way in their early years. What they did in most of their songs was show how dystopian the world already was (and is) from the point of view of a submissive and falsely naïve person who was happy within the system, while being controlled by it not unlike in "Brave New World". After some time you started to get disturbed by so much joy and perfection, noticed that the supposed happiness was also very cold and devoid of real emotion, and suspected that something had to be wrong. Then you started to think. That was their whole point and strategy from the beginning, and that alone would already be genius, but there was more, including small details like the stark contrast between their (at the time) very futuristic, technological, and innovative sound with their nostalgic retro album sleeve artwork, with a touch of deliberate kitsch. Today, some would call it "post-modern", but they made it before that was even a word, let alone a buzzword. Also, this song title is one word, but is from the *nearly* homonymous album "Radio-Activity" - deliberately inserting a hyphen that transformed the title into a pun, as it could be interpreted either literally as "radioactivity" or as "activity on the radio", two very different things but distantly correlated through electromagnetic phenomena. And indeed, that album's songs alternated between the themes of radioactivity and radio as a means of communication. This makes "Radio-Activity" a curious and unique case of a meta-album - an album of electronic music that explored the very physics that makes electronic music possible. Again, genius. Kraftwerk did not invent electronic music, but it was definitely they who brought it to the mainstream and to the centre stage. Not only that, they created a shape, a form, and techniques to compose and play it, and all that can still be heard half a century later in virtually *everything* you listen today. You can't turn on the radio or Spotify, or go to a dance club without listening to things that are taken for granted in today's soundscape, but were created by Kraftwerk and only later appropriated and digested by others. For this reason, Kraftwerk are considered one of the most influential and pivotal bands of all time. Yet "Radio-Activity" (the album) was poorly received by both the critics and the public at the time, simply because it was so novel that it couldn't be understood. It was also difficult to listen (not unpleasant, though, just a bit strange), contrasting with the easy merry, listen of both their previous "Autobahn" (their first commercial success and a historic album) and later albums like "Trans Europe Express". It took time before people realised that if Kraftwerk created a whole new thing in music, "Radio-Activity" was the complete instructions manual for it. Today, "Radio-Activity" is widely considered a masterpiece, and I strongly recommend a private listen of the whole album - all at once, from start to finish. Probably, you won't like it on first listen. But trust me, it will disturb you, and it will grow on you until you're in a combination of love and awe.

sorry if you had see Kraftwerk live you would know this song as they play it at every concert not always in full. But once you've heard it you don't forget there tracks and I've see them 5 times all over Europe. a great band.

"Stop radio activity" - does that mean no more ham radio? 😁

the MORSE code in teh song actually spells RADIOACTIVITY .. 8)

I like how after words: "death and skin cancer" crowd start cheering.

I think the old version is better, I bought it on vinyl long before there were CDs and especially in the original German. Unfortunately, all the English versions came later and I don't like them at all.

Kraftwerk is a german band. Kraftwerk means power plant. Then let's talk about german power plants. After the Fukushima accident, Germany closed its nuclear power plants under political pressure from the ecologists who were part of the ruling coalition. But many coal-fired power plants had to be reopened. Since France is downwind from Germany, it has had to suffer serious health consequences. Pollution from coal-fired power plants is seriously affecting the health of children and the elderly in France. The fine particles emitted by these plants, particularly PM 2.5, are particularly dangerous. They penetrate deep into the respiratory system, increasing the risk of respiratory and cardiovascular disease. Children, with their developing respiratory systems, and the elderly, already vulnerable, are most at risk. Pollution from German coal-fired power plants has a significant impact on health in France. In 2013, it caused around 490 premature deaths in France. The fine particles emitted by these plants cross borders and are responsible for respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. In France, of the 1,380 premature deaths linked to pollution from European coal-fired power plants, the majority are attributed to German and Polish plants. This health risk did not previously exist with German nuclear power plants. German political alliances to retain power by pandering to ideologues are killing people beyond the country's borders. But the environmentalists got what they wanted, so it doesn't matter. Meanwhile, they sing.