"The Race" is the first single

Single (music)

In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...

 from Yello

Yello

Yello is a Swiss electronica band consisting of Dieter Meier and Boris Blank. They are probably best known for their singles "The Race" and "Oh Yeah", which feature a mix of electronic music and manipulated vocals, as does most of their music....

's 1988 album Flag

Flag (Yello album)

Flag is Yello's sixth original album, released in 1988 and featuring the eight-minute tour-de-force, "The Race", the single of which reached number 7 in the UK singles chart in August of that year. An early cut of the album was used as the soundtrack for the film Nuns on the Run.-Track listing:*All...

.

Release history

In 1988 the single was released in 7", 12" and CD formats throughout the world, and additionally as a cassette single in other places. The limited edition single contained a remix by Paul Dakeyne. the following year, the track was remixed again by Carl Segal and released as a couple of promotional-only 12" singles, coupled with Emilio Pasquez's versions of "Blazing Saddles".

The song was also used prominently in the 1990 comedy film Nuns on the Run

Nuns on the Run

Nuns on the Run is a 1990 British comedy film starring Eric Idle and Robbie Coltrane, also featuring Camille Coduri and Janet Suzman. It was written and directed by Jonathan Lynn and produced by HandMade Films. Many of the outdoor scenes were shot in Chiswick...

, which starred Robbie Coltrane and Eric Idle.

In 1992, "The Race" was released as a single a second time, to coincide with the greatest hits collection, Essential.

"The Race" appeared in remix form again in 1999 for the Eccentrix Remixes compilation, following the release of their Pocket Universe

Pocket Universe

Pocket Universe is the ninth studio album by the band Yello, released in 1997 .-Track listing:All songs by Blank/Meier unless otherwise noted.#"Solar Driftwood" – 1:51#"Celsius" – 5:59#"More" – 6:39#"On Track" – 5:33...

album.

In 2003, the Tomcraft

Tomcraft

Tomcraft is a German DJ and producer. He is specialized in progressive house and progressive trance and is better known for having created the tracks "Loneliness" and "Prosac", working alongside Eniac....

 remixes of "The Race" appeared on the single for "Planet Dada", released from their album, The Eye.

Finally, in 2007, a brand new version of the track was created by the band in order to promote DHL and Formula 1 racing. Called "The Race II", the digital single was made available free for download over the internet, and released as a promo CD single.

Promotional video

A stock footage

Stock footage

Stock footage, and similarly, archive footage, library pictures and file footage are film or video footage that may or may not be custom shot for use in a specific film or television program. Stock footage is of beneficial use to filmmakers as it is sometimes less expensive than shooting new...

 infused video was also created for the song, displaying an abstract race. It was directed by Dieter Meier

Dieter Meier

Dieter Meier is a Swiss musician and conceptual artist who is best known for the electronic music group Yello he formed with music producer Boris Blank...

. This video was released on the CD-Video format.

Yello have also been known to sponsor remixes of their work. For example in 1989 RockAmerica

Rockamerica

RockAmerica is a music video subscription service for professional disc jockeys based in New York City, New York. Founded in 1980 by Ed Steinberg, it was the first company to offer music videos on a subscription basis, and provided a vital channel before the establishment of MTV and other...

 created a video remix contest on behalf of Yello named The Race (Video Remix Contest)in which participants had to video mix the hit recording The Race. The competition winners Jeff Consiglio and Vincent Zegna remixed the track and video taking the main award and having the video released through RockAmerica.

Chart performance

The song entered the UK Singles Chart

UK Singles Chart

The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

 at #31 and by its fifth week, it had peaked at #7. It is their biggest hit in the UK.

Country	Peak position
The Netherlands Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting...	20
United Kingdom UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...	7