I heard "Mr. Roboto" on the radio today for the first time in several years, and immediately thought of the Alanis Morissette song.
Both songs express fervent gratitude to inanimate objects. Both namecheck Asia. Both feature plinky keyboards and overwrought vocals. (Though the overwroughtness is delivered in "rock opera belting" fashion by Styx and "overemoting" fashion by Alanis.) Both mostly critically disliked but quite catchy. Thoughts?
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Monday, 25 February 2008 15:42 (eighteen years ago)
No contest. This is not even a real question.
― contenderizer, Monday, 25 February 2008 15:44 (eighteen years ago)
I love Mr. Roboto. My fave is techno remix MV vs. Styx "Mr. Roboto"
― Bimble, Monday, 25 February 2008 15:47 (eighteen years ago)
So which side do you take?
I'm in sympathy with both these songs, but I'll take "Thank U" here -- because while I kind of like Styx's overwrought rock opera belting, I think the belting on "Mr. Roboto" is only a shadow of that on "Rocking the Paradise," "Too Much Time on My Hands," "Come Sail Away," etc. While "Thank U" feels to me like an indication of an interesting direction AM could have, but didn't set off in from Jagged Little Pill.
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Monday, 25 February 2008 15:51 (eighteen years ago)
yr parenthesized "eephus!" makes me think you've arrived from ilx past
― The Reverend, Monday, 25 February 2008 16:51 (eighteen years ago)
Mr. Roboto is a legitimate archeological curiosity. It speaks, endearingly, of an era that's sometimes hard to get one's brane around. It's about a robot named Killroy, who may or may not speak Japanese.
There is nothing contiguous to Alanis Morissette in this or any other universe that even comes close.
― contenderizer, Monday, 25 February 2008 17:00 (eighteen years ago)
'Mr. Roboto' is FUPPING UBER-AWES, my friends. If you will excuse my nonsensical exuberance.
― emil.y, Monday, 25 February 2008 17:21 (eighteen years ago)
^^^
― contenderizer, Monday, 25 February 2008 17:26 (eighteen years ago)
^^^^^^
― Daniel, Esq., Monday, 25 February 2008 17:59 (eighteen years ago)
"Mr. Roboto" is in the American Musical tradition and "Thank U" is in the American Confessional tradition. I'm going with Alanis.
― Eazy, Monday, 25 February 2008 18:10 (eighteen years ago)