The great debate

[jwgh]

After last night's RISA 'songwriters in the round' thingie, I had a discussion with Chris and Bridget about the theme for next month in which I said that I didn't see what the big problem was with having robots as a theme, since I myself have written two songs about robots and I could pretty easily think of two other songs, not written by me, that are about robots: 'Yoshimi vs. the Pink Robots' and 'Iron Man'.

This led to a brief debate as to whether 'Iron Man' is about a robot or not. I say that he is, at least for the purposes of a songwriting contest, because he's made of steel and goes around killing all humans and all. Chris wasn't so sure, though, noting that while he was turned to steel (in the great magnetic field) it wasn't like he was manufactured; if you disassembled him you wouldn't find circuit boards or anything.

(Later, I thought of They Might Be Giant's 'Robot Parade', which I really should have thought of immediately.)

So what do you think? Should 'Iron Man' be considered a song about robots or not? Also, are there other songs about robots (other than ones I have written and the three mentioned above) out there?

Let the debate begin!

Comments

[pentomino.livejournal.com]

Turned to steel from iron, maybe?

[dawn-guy.livejournal.com]

'Killer Robots from Venus' (http://www.letssingit.com/?/arrogant-worms-killer-robots-from-venus-75z5gh7.html) by the Arrogant Worms, from their album Russell's Shorts. Sorry, I can't trivially find a tab on line.

[cgoldfish.livejournal.com]

mr. roboto?

[mishapville.livejournal.com]

monkey vs. robot!

[donutgirl.livejournal.com]

The Terrible Secret of Space?

I was going to nominate mr. roboto, but Carrie beat me.

[ceruleanst.livejournal.com]

The Marvin singles, and just about everything by Servotron.

[rgovrebo.livejournal.com]

Hawkwind has a song 'Robot', and an 'Angela Android' - the latter from the _Take Me To Your Leader_ album which has a release date of today!

They probably have a few more, though, being SF-oriented...

[doctroid.livejournal.com]

Sometime Interröbang Cartelian Major Zed did "I'm Just a Robot", which I think is pretty great.

Also, Sometime Interröbang Cartelian Major Zed would be a good band name, but isn't.

[doctroid.livejournal.com]

Oh, and Alan Sherman got there before practically everyone else with "Eight Foot Two, Solid Blue".

[donutgirl.livejournal.com]

I totally thought that song was about an alien. But last time I heard it, I was maybe seven years old, so I might not be the best judge.

[doctroid.livejournal.com]

Last time I heard it I was about 11, and my memory is kind of hazy... but now I've found the lyrics online. They confirm my recollection that the song was about an alien... robot. Or at least, a mechanical alien:

Last night I met a man from Mars, and he was very sad.
He said, "Won't you help me find my girl friend, please?"
So I asked him, "What does she look like?",
And the man from Mars said, she's
Eight foot two, solid blue,
Five transistors in each shoe,
Has anybody seen my gal?
Lucite nose, rust-proof toes,
And when her antenna glows,
She's the cutest Martian gal.
You know she promised me, recently,
She wouldn't stray,
But came the dawn, she was gone
Eighteen billion miles away.
Her steering wheel has sex appeal,
Her evening gown is stainless steel,
Has anybody seen my gal?
How I miss all the bliss
Of her sweet hydraulic kiss,
Has anybody seen my gal?
Lovely shape, custom built,
Squeeze her wrong and she says "tilt",
Has anybody seen my gal?
She does the cutest tricks, with her six stereo ears.
When she walks by, spacemen cry,
'Specially when she shifts her gears.
If she's found, rush like mad,
Put her on a launching pad,
Down at Cape Canaveral,
And shoot me back my cutie,
My supersonic beauty,
Send me back my Martian gal.

[donutgirl.livejournal.com]

okay, now it sounds like it's about a spaceship. But it's definitely ambiguous.

[sunburn.livejournal.com]

I had "The Best of Allan Sherman" on vinyl, and now I have supposedly the same on CD, though there are a few song differences, and I've always throught that "Eight foot two, solid blue" was a robot song.

In retrospect, certain elements to remind me of a certain Planet Express ship.

[urbeatle.livejournal.com]

and on the same album, "Automation".

There's an RCA 503
Standing next to me, dear, where you used to be
Doesn't have your smile
Doesn't have your shape,
Just a bunch of punch cards and light bulbs and tape, dear

[junquegrrl.livejournal.com]

Duran Duran's "Electric Barbarella"

[urbeatle.livejournal.com]

Devo did "Mechanical Man". well, either Devo or the Smart Patrol, which was members of Devo. the cd I have of this song is a mix of Devo and Smart Patrol stuff.

Zappa did "Blow Job", which is about sex with a robot, although for that song, he referred to him as a cyborg. the between-songs narration of Joe's Garage makes it clear it's a robot, though.

I think Gary Numan did a robot song, but I dunno what it is. both Numan and Devo performed as robots, if that's any help.

[paracelsvs.livejournal.com]

Kraftwerk's The Robots, duh.

Arling and Cameron's Dirty Robot.

Goldfrapp's Strict Machine, kinda sorta. Robots used as metaphor counts, right?

Buffalo Daughter's Robot Sings isn't really about robots AT ALL!

You'd think Ladytron would have a song about robots, but even with all that technological imagery, I can't recall anything about robots specifically.

[saucypunk.livejournal.com]

Freezepop has a song called Robotron 2000 which has the added appeal of being about falling in love with a robot.

reaching, I know

[sunburn.livejournal.com]

TMBG's "The Statue Got Me High" features a beam-weapon-equipped statue: "The statue made me fry/the statue made me fry/the monument of granite sent a beam into my eye" and one that apparently can lift with great strength: "It took my hand/it killed me/and it threw me to the sky." And that's to say nothing of its apparent psycho-active propertes.

But it is granite, so I guess not so much robot as.. I dunno, not a golem really. I dunno what.