music.wikisort.org - Composition

"Like a Motorway" is a 1994 song by British pop group Saint Etienne. The song combines the melody from the nineteenth century folk song "Silver Dagger" with a driving techno beat influenced by Kraftwerk and Snap!.^{[citation needed]} It describes a friend whose lover has mysteriously vanished.[2]

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"Like a Motorway"
Single by Saint Etienne
from the album Tiger Bay
B-side	"Sushi Rider" "You Know I'll Miss You When You're Gone"
Released	16 May 1994 (1994-05-16)[1]
Genre	Techno folk
Length	3:38
Label	Heavenly (HVN 40)
Songwriter(s)	Bob Stanley Pete Wiggs
Producer(s)	Saint Etienne
Saint Etienne singles chronology
"Pale Movie" (1994) "Like a Motorway" (1994) "Hug My Soul" (1994)
Music video
"Like a Motorway" on YouTube

"Like a Motorway" appears on the album Tiger Bay. It was released as a single in May 1994,[3] and reached #47 on the UK Singles Chart. The US release of Tiger Bay also features an "alternate version" with more complex percussion and electric guitar stings. It also appears on the original soundtrack for the 1994 film, Speed, although the single is never heard in the actual film itself.[4]

The cover art for the single features an abandoned car overgrown with foliage. The video consists of a long, slow zoom in Sarah Cracknell as she sings against a black background, intercut with occasional rapid shots of Pete Wiggs and Bob Stanley in a car.

Critical reception

Dave Thompson from AllMusic described the song as "mysteriously Kraftwerk-ian".[5] Another editor, Tim Sendra said it is "one of Saint Etienne's best songs".[6] Larry Flick from Billboard commented that it "has a nice sing-along chorus. Sarah Cracknell uses her girlish, light voice well, and has grown into a polished front person..."[7] He also noted its "gauzy softness" and added, "DJs will dig the rhythm foundation with its rapid, Giorgio Moroder-esque pattern, though single is also the act's best bet to date for a top 40 breakthrough."[8] Jim Wirth from NME called it "teutonic".[9]

Track listing

All tracks written and composed by Stanley and Wiggs; except where indicated.

Charts

Chart (1994)	Peak position
UK Singles (OCC)	47
UK Dance (Music Week)[10]	13

References

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