First of all, the song is not called “Zombie Nation.” The actual name is Kernkraft 400 by the German techno “band” (really only one guy, Florian Senfter) that goes by the name of, you guessed it, Zombie Nation.
With that initial misconception cleared up for many of you, Kernkraft 400, meaning “Atomic Energy 400” in German is widely known across the globe. It topped several European music charts in its debut in 1999 where it was extremely popular in European dance clubs.
A few years later, the version we’re all familiar with, the appropriately named “Sport Chant Remix” made its way to the U.S. where it immediately gained notoriety as an immensely effective way of pumping up fans. It has since spread to nearly every sports stadium/arena and the rest is history.
But wait, there’s more! The song’s genesis nine years ago contains a certain point of intrigue from an unexpected place. The incredible popularity of the hypnotic tune begs the question of how a lone German guy, for the first track of his first album, could create one of the most resonating techno songs ever. The truth is, he didn’t. Senfter completely transplanted the tune from the 1984 Commodore 64 game, Lazy Jones. The original track is called "Stardust" and was composed by famed video game music maestro, David Whittaker.
Who knew? One of the greatest techno and stadium songs traces back its origins to an ancient video game.
