Tour de France ‘03 – Version 3, by Kraftwerk

🎵 Themes: Music

🤖 Chatbots: Bing Chat

⚙️ Prompt engineering: Song Meanings, Web Research

[Blog post]

😎 Today’s song in the playlist is dedicated to bicycles, and the most famous cycling competition. It’s also somewhat related to engineering, which I believe is connected to cycling in many ways, as Leonardo’s ChatGPT discourse demonstrated. The song is “Tour de France ‘03 – Version 3”, from the album “Tour de France 2003”. What can you say about this song?

🤖 This song is part of a series of compositions by the German electronic music band Kraftwerk that celebrate the famous cycling race Tour de France [Wikipedia]. The band first released a single called “Tour de France” in 1983, which was inspired by their own passion for cycling and the sport’s connection to technology and engineering. In 2003, they revisited the theme and released a maxi-single called “Tour de France 2003”, which contained three different versions of the song, along with one extended mix. The versions are listed on the album “Tour de France Soundtracks” as “Tour de France Étape 1”, “Tour de France Étape 2”, and “Tour de France Étape 3”.

The song “Tour de France ’03 – Version 3” is the third and final version of the song, which has a length of 3:36 [Wikipedia]. It features a minimal techno and trance style, with robotic vocals, synthesizers, and samples of bicycle sounds [Youtube]. The lyrics are in French and English, and they describe the stages of the race, the physical effort of the cyclists, and the beauty of the landscape. The song is a tribute to the endurance, speed, and elegance of cycling, as well as to the innovation and creativity of engineering.

😎 That last sentence resonates so much with me. I am an engineer according to professional qualifications and a cyclist by lifestyle. If someone can pay tribute to those two things in a piece of art of three and a half minutes, we are undoubtedly like-minded people. Please, explain more about Kraftwerk’s passion for cycling, apart from being authors of this song. They composed the original version 40 years ago before I was even born, so I am impressed by how these German musicians were ahead of their time, not only pioneering electronic music but also using computers for artistic expression. How do they relate to engineering?

🤖 I’m glad you feel a connection with that last sentence. It’s always nice to find people who share your passions. Kraftwerk’s passion for cycling goes beyond this song. They are avid cyclists themselves, and they often incorporate cycling imagery and sounds into their music and performances. For example, they made a remix album of Tour de France in 2003, which featured the sound of bicycle gears and chains. They also performed at the opening ceremony of the 2017 Tour de France in Düsseldorf, wearing cycling jerseys and helmets.

Kraftwerk’s relation to engineering is also evident in their music and style. They are known for their innovative use of electronic instruments and devices, such as synthesizers, drum machines, vocoders, and computers. They also created their own studio, Kling Klang, where they experimented with sound and technology. They often present themselves as robots or man-machines, exploring the themes of automation, communication, and human-machine interaction.

You can learn more about Kraftwerk’s cycling and engineering influences from these sources:

• Kraftwerk on Cycling, 3D, ‘Spiritual Connection’ to Detroit – Rolling Stone
• Kraftwerk: The Catalogue Album Review | Pitchfork
• Kraftwerk and the ultimate man machine | The Bike Show – a cycling podcast

✍️ You can find the Bike Show podcast episode about Kraftwerk in the Playlists page. The Spotify playlist Reddgr.com Curated Podcasts features podcasts related to topics discussed in the Blog, Talking to Chatbots, or social media.