"The Robots" (German: "Die Roboter") is a single by German electronic group Kraftwerk, which was released in 1978. The single and its B-side, "Spacelab", both appeared on the band's seventh album, The Man-Machine (1978). However, the songs as they appear on the single were edited into shorter versions. It charted at number 25 on Germany, number 39 on US Dance Club Songs Chart, and number 23 on Austria.
Composition
Lyrically, the song discusses the role of robots as subservient workers to humans. The Russian lines "Я твой слуга / Я твой работник" (Ya tvoy sluga / Ya tvoy rabotnik, "I am your servant / I am your worker") (also on the rear sleeve of the album) during the intro and again during its repetition at the bridge are spoken in a pitched down voice, the main lyrics ("We're charging our batteries and now we're full of energy...") are "sung" through a vocoder; the line references the Slavicorigins of the word 'robot'.
The song's refrain became a major identifying symbol for the band, and has been frequently referenced: Wolfgang Flür, a member of Kraftwerk at the time of the single's release, later wrote the book "Kraftwerk: ich war ein Roboter" (Kraftwerk: I Was a Robot in English).[1] The lyrics were also referenced in the title of a BBC Radio 4 documentary Kraftwerk: We Are the Robots, broadcast for the first time on Thursday, 22 November 2007.[2]
Live performances
The band's performance of the song has varied significantly over time: For example, one report of a performance in 1997 describes "four legless robot bodies [being] lowered from a lighting rig and programmed to make mechanical movements to the music",[3] another from the following year describes the spectacle as "robot torsos and heads [being] suspended in the air, slowly twisting and waving as the music plays on",[4] and yet another describes witnessing on-screen "plastic-head representations of the band, stuck on dull gray torsos with mechanical arms and metal-rod legs". The lyrics "We are the robots" flash up on this screen, followed by the line "We are programmed / just to do / anything you want us to." The screen then lifts to reveal the band following their transformation into robots. But they are said not to move "in the popping spurts that robots are famous for; they swiveled and moved their arms slowly, thoughtfully, humanly, as if practicing t'ai chi".[5] It has also been said that these "robots" give a far more lifelike performance than the band themselves.[6] There was, however, "an air of farce" at one show in Ireland in 2008 when a curtain refused to close, disrupting the transformation of the band into robots. Stagehands had to intervene and close the curtain themselves, after which the sequence could continue.[7]
Reception
"The Robots" is widely regarded as one of Kraftwerk's best songs. In 2020, Billboard and The Guardian ranked the song number two and number six, respectively, on their lists of the greatest Kraftwerk songs.[8][9] The song was being widely used as a curtain raiser song in many movie theaters across South India.[10]
In 1991, a re-recorded and re-arranged version of "The Robots" was issued as a single from the band's tenth album, The Mix (1991). It charted in several European countries, reaching number 52 on the Eurochart Hot 100. A new music video was also produced to promote the single.
Critical reception
David Stubbs from Melody Maker named "The Robots" Single of the Week, stating that the remix "is still outstanding — unspoilt by a slight House adaption, it's a perfect example of Kraftwerk's exact science and deadpan wit. The first, and still the best."[11] Pan-European magazine Music & Media wrote, "The pioneers of synthesizer pop live up to their reputation. Hi-tech for EHR."[12] Sherman from NME said, "Whilst "The Robots" takes on a much richer feel than before, the Vocoder fed line of We are the robots [is] gouging deeper than ever into the memory".[13]
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