How The Beach Boys Influenced Kraftwerk’s “Autobahn”
This is the unlikely story of how the sun-soaked sounds of The Beach Boys struck a cord with the cold, electronic stoicism in post-war Germany and influenced Kraftwerk’s breakout hit “Autobahn.”
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WATCH NEXT:
✓ New Order and the Story of “Blue Monday” https://youtu.be/QGGgblDDKfM
✓ How the Fall of Mercer Arts Led to CBGB’s https://youtu.be/GxkZ8dQp51E
✓ The Kinks’ Inside Joke Behind “David Watts” https://youtu.be/jgZBhvMcOsE
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Poetic Wax is a weekly music history YouTube series and podcast hosted by Andrew (Andy) Fenstermaker.
CHAPTERS:
0:00 Kraftwerk’s Autobahn Turns 50
1:05 The Lead-Up to Autobahn
4:11 The Beach Boys Connection
6:52 The Making of Autobahn
9:18 Autobahn’s Break into the Mainstream
10:47 The Legacy and Influence of Autobahn
12:54 How The Beach Boys & Kraftwerk Collided
#kraftwerk #autobahn #krautrock #musichistory #musicstory #musicstorytelling #albumhistory #labumdocumentary #thebeachboys #beachboys #vinylcommunity #vinylrecords #vinylcollection #andyfenstermaker #fensepost #vinylchannel #poeticwax
@AndyFenstermaker
December 15, 2025 at 3:46 am
Next, dig into the story behind "Blue Monday" by New Order: https://youtu.be/QGGgblDDKfM
@Schiff252
December 15, 2025 at 3:46 am
@11:17 Relegated maybe?
@kandiah9
December 15, 2025 at 3:46 am
Excellent context 🙏🏽
@penepleto1210
December 15, 2025 at 3:46 am
I love the fact that only two years later, The Beach Boys would drop an arguably even more unapologetically electronic album with Love You (1977), where every single instrument is a synthesizer played by Brian Wilson.
Edit: the original comment said "two days later" by mistake, it should've always been "two years later".
@borntoclimb7116
December 15, 2025 at 3:46 am
Keaftwerk are one of the greatest groups
@AntoineGrangier
December 15, 2025 at 3:46 am
yes to the whole content. No to the moustache and tattoos.
@paulsenkans3401
December 15, 2025 at 3:46 am
Thanks for the link to the Beach Boys influence on Kraftwerk. I always thought "fun fun fun" was what was sung in Autobahn.
@MichaelHemotoxin
December 15, 2025 at 3:46 am
When I went to Germany and saw the Autobahn sign on the freeway it was really hard for me not to immediately think of Kraftwerk every time I saw it.
@tristan_840
December 15, 2025 at 3:46 am
You just earned a subscriber here 🙋
@eancurtis9333
December 15, 2025 at 3:46 am
Why is that shocking ? The beach boys are sick and ya its so obvious fun fun fun ….
@ademcfade
December 15, 2025 at 3:46 am
Shocking?
Really….
@johnwilding4664
December 15, 2025 at 3:46 am
Dear Andy:
Very interesting and you have done some great insights.
In a million years, I never would have made this connection, but absolutely right on.
Just saw Kraftwerk for my fourth time this past Saturday at Massey Hall-excellent show.
Here is a suggestion: why not do an analysis on Tangerine Dream and compare and contrast with Kraftwerk.
Yours truyl,
John Wilding
@Micha-y2c
December 15, 2025 at 3:46 am
Kraftwerk hat mit den Beach Boys nicht das Geringste zu tun. Es ist ein schlichter Zufall, daß "fun" und "fahrn" für Ohren, die kein deutsch verstehen, ähnlich klingen. US Amerikaner sind sowieso für andere Kulturen komplette Blinde😂
@pcno2832
December 15, 2025 at 3:46 am
Hearing it on the radio, I always thought the words actually were "Fun, fun, fun, on the Autobahn" ; they might as well have been.
@benitolazio8193
December 15, 2025 at 3:46 am
Detroit invented nothing , you can't discover a new music in 1988 when it existed in 1975!
@markboon341
December 15, 2025 at 3:46 am
I would like a deep dive into the BBC Radiophonic workshop, primarily the original Doctor Who theme tune. Please ❤ way ahead of it's time.
@boysiesolem4752
December 15, 2025 at 3:46 am
I stumbled onto your channel today. I subscribed & have become a fan. I also have a huge record collection 🎵I🙃that started in 1964 at age 4 with Meet The Beatles 🎶 cheers from Houston ✌️
@ultraparadoxical7610
December 15, 2025 at 3:46 am
I watched your piece on Can and now this. Good stuff!
@bobsbigboy_
December 15, 2025 at 3:46 am
you should cover the beach boys later period from Smile up to Surfs up
@bobsbigboy_
December 15, 2025 at 3:46 am
the smile sessions is the greatest album ever made
@KRAFTWERK2K6
December 15, 2025 at 3:46 am
The idea for the car sounds passing by, that was done with Synthesizers, was actually the idea of producer Conrad "Conny" Plank. Because Kraftwerk recorded their first albums at Conny Plank's Studio. Autobahn was the last album recorded and mixed at Conny's studio before Kraftwerk then did everything themself at their newly created Kling Klang Studio. Conny helped a lot of the so called "Krautrock" bands in the early-mid 70s and his sound can be heard in SO many productions of that time since he was a very passionate sound engineer who loved experimenting with new tech and even had set up his studio for doing Quadrophonic Mixes, via sound-fader Joysticks. Sadly after his early death in 1987 his family could no longer run his studio for much longer and was forced to sell off all the tech of it. His influence on the early era of Kraftwerk is VERY important and he basically helped them finding their sound.
@TyroneEpps
December 15, 2025 at 3:46 am
Excellent
@FloweredUp-n4t
December 15, 2025 at 3:46 am
Not being a smart arse but shouldn'tit be "Kraftwerk Zwei"?
@FloweredUp-n4t
December 15, 2025 at 3:46 am
To be fair I figured this out about 30+ years ago. But it's nice to see someone covering it.
@BadCooper
December 15, 2025 at 3:46 am
I was just looking around if anyone had ever made a video about Kraftwerk. Glad Ive found this!
@colinwilson4609
December 15, 2025 at 3:46 am
Barbara Ann.
Comments are closed.