Worst song about robots

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

I'm going to pick Michael Kamen's "Rockin' in the Orbit" from the Iron Giant soundtrack, but surely there are lots of bad songs about robots?

― Aaron A., Thursday, 21 April 2005 22:32 (twenty years ago)

and wasn't Michael Kamen the name of the guy Tim Robbins killed in The Player?

― Aaron A., Thursday, 21 April 2005 22:33 (twenty years ago)

nb this thread is inspired by Jel's assertion that "Paranoid Android" is the worst song about robots on Taking Sides: "Bohemian Rhapsody" vs "Paranoid Android"

― Aaron A., Thursday, 21 April 2005 22:35 (twenty years ago)

"Mr. Roboto"

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 21 April 2005 22:42 (twenty years ago)

Mogwai - "Robot Chant"

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Thursday, 21 April 2005 22:49 (twenty years ago)

Fuck, someone already used "Mr. Roboto".

Nevermind...

I'm starting a "best song about robots" thread to see how many songs will end up on both lists.

― John Justen (johnjusten), Friday, 22 April 2005 02:50 (twenty years ago)

Surely this is a trick question?

― Jordan (Jordan), Friday, 22 April 2005 02:51 (twenty years ago)

Does not compute.

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Friday, 22 April 2005 02:52 (twenty years ago)

"No Compute" is not about robots, it's about something else.

Another vote for "Mr. Roboto."

― Ken L (Ken L), Friday, 22 April 2005 02:58 (twenty years ago)

Daft Punk, "Robot Rock"

― jaymc (jaymc), Friday, 22 April 2005 03:04 (twenty years ago)

Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots

― Sasha (sgh), Friday, 22 April 2005 04:40 (twenty years ago)

"Domo Arigato..." was the first thing that came to mind. Hard to believe I liked that song once.

― The Silent Disco of Glastonbury (Bimble...), Friday, 22 April 2005 04:42 (twenty years ago)

I still don't see how a song about robots can have any negative qualities. Robots, people. ROBOTS.

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Friday, 22 April 2005 05:06 (twenty years ago)

I know mainly two songs about robots, and both Flaming Lips and Kraftwerk were do soooo NOT belong in this thread.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 22 April 2005 09:17 (twenty years ago)

There are no bad songs about robots

― Dadaismus (Dada), Friday, 22 April 2005 09:20 (twenty years ago)

My Dad had a tape of Elton John's Jump Up that he used to play in the car. Had a really dumb song on it called 'I Am Your Robot' that I'd rather not think about too much.

Hey, didn't Metal Mickey make a record?

― NickB (NickB), Friday, 22 April 2005 09:29 (twenty years ago)

Was Suede's 'Metal Mickey' about a robot?

― NickB (NickB), Friday, 22 April 2005 09:29 (twenty years ago)

There's that shit Granddaddy track about an alcoholic robot. It's pretty poor.

― alext (alext), Friday, 22 April 2005 10:09 (twenty years ago)

There has never been such a thing as a shit Grandaddy track anyway

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 22 April 2005 10:25 (twenty years ago)

What's that, you say? A river? In Egypt?!

― The Irrelevant Man (Negativa) (Barima), Friday, 22 April 2005 10:26 (twenty years ago)

Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots

Urge to kill... RISING!!!

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Friday, 22 April 2005 10:36 (twenty years ago)

There's that shit Granddaddy track about an alcoholic robot. It's pretty poor.
-- alext (alext.il...), April 22nd, 2005.

That song is a little tongue-in-cheek, I feel. I love it (if only I could remember what it was called..).

― hobart paving (hobart paving), Friday, 22 April 2005 10:39 (twenty years ago)

El DeBarge - "Who's Johnny?"

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Friday, 22 April 2005 13:03 (twenty years ago)

http://www.decepticon-matrix.com/tftmsoundtrackcd1.jpg

― Rand D. Butterstein, Friday, 22 April 2005 14:20 (twenty years ago)

Howard Jones : Automaton?

(http://lyrics.duble.com/lyrics/H/howard-jones-lyrics/howard-jones-automaton-lyrics.htm)

(And yes, I loved this when I was 14, eek!)

― phil jones (interstar), Friday, 22 April 2005 14:25 (twenty years ago)

Hey, the Transformers soundtrack at least had "Dare to Be Stupid" in its favor. Or maybe that's not on the soundtrack, in which case BURN IT.

But "Paranoid Android"? The fuck? Not even about robots, aside from being named after Marvin...and a whole lot more tolerable once you see how very, very tongue-in-cheek it is. Anyone who accuse Radiohead of having no sense of humor are way off base.

― Telephonething, Friday, 22 April 2005 15:03 (twenty years ago)

That song is a little tongue-in-cheek, I feel. I love it (if only I could remember what it was called..).

I mentioned it on the best robot songs thread! It's "Jed the Humanoid."

― jaymc (jaymc), Friday, 22 April 2005 15:07 (twenty years ago)

"(Somebody Bring Me a Flower) I'm a Robot" by Ken Russell's Junker, but it's actually good. It was co-written with his then-3-yr-old son.

Somebody bring me a flower I’m a robot
Somebody bring me a flower I’m a robot, yeah
I’m all metal and plastic, wires and elastic
Somebody bring me a flower I’m a robot

Jesus Christ he told the robots to play some music
The robots played their music with a stick, stick, yeah hmmm
Robot sang about how Jesus gone so long
All the other robots loved that song

Somebody bring me a flower I’m a robot
Somebody bring me a flower I’m a robot
I’m all metal and plastic, wires and elastic
Somebody bring me a flower I’m a robot

I’m a robot, I’m not a Power Ranger
I’m a robot, feel like a coat hanger
I’m a robot, I’m not a country singer
I’m a ro-o-bot. . . (two, three, four)

Somebody bring me a flower I’m a robot
Somebody bring me a flower I’m a robot
I’m all metal and plastic, wires and elastic
Somebody bring me a flower I’m a robot

Somebody bring me a flower I’m a robot
Somebody bring me a flower I’m a ro-o-bot

― Huk-L, Friday, 22 April 2005 15:09 (twenty years ago)

Marvin the Paranoid Android's, "Marvin, I Love You" (MP3 at bottom of page)

― Andy Baio, Friday, 22 April 2005 15:59 (twenty years ago)

Have you ever noticed that Marvin, while totally depressed, depressive and depressing, never actually *is* paranoid.

― phil jones (interstar), Friday, 22 April 2005 16:25 (twenty years ago)

Andy Baio, thank you. I've been searching for those since I heard about them years and years ago as a wee sprout (well, 13 or so), but they were impossible to find...

― Telephonething, Friday, 22 April 2005 16:37 (twenty years ago)

i took my ilx name from that grandaddy song - i love "The Sophtware Slump", bring on the hate!

― jed_ (jed), Friday, 22 April 2005 16:37 (twenty years ago)

OMG!!! Andy, wow! Those Marvin songs are up there with Shatner's finest.

― phil jones (interstar), Friday, 22 April 2005 17:46 (twenty years ago)

"It's "Jed the Humanoid." - Let's not forget "Jed's Poem" now..

― Yngwie AlmsteenMay (sgertz), Friday, 22 April 2005 18:31 (twenty years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.