music.wikisort.org - Composition"The Robots" (German: "Die Roboter") is a single by German electronic-music 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. However, the songs as they appear on the single were edited into shorter versions.
Song by Kraftwerk
This article is about the Kraftwerk single. For the English punk band sometimes called The Robots, see And None of Them Knew They were Robots.
For other uses, see Robot (disambiguation).
"The Robots" |
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 Cover for the original German release |
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A-side | "Die Roboter" (German title) |
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B-side | "Spacelab" |
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Released | May 1978 |
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Genre | Synth-pop |
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Length | 4:20 (single edit) 3:42 (UK single edit) 6:11 (album version) |
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Label | Kling Klang (EMI) 1C-006-32941 (Ger) Capitol CL15981 (UK) |
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Songwriter(s) | Ralf Hütter, Florian Schneider, Karl Bartos |
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Producer(s) | Ralf Hütter, Florian Schneider |
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"Showroom Dummies" (1977) |
"The Robots" (1978) |
"Das Model" (1978) |
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Composition
Lyrically, the song discusses the role of robots as subservient workers to humans. The Russian lines "Я твой слуга" (Ya tvoy slugá, "I am your servant") and "Я твой работник" (Ya tvoy rabótnik, "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 latter line references the russian origins 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, November 22nd 2007.[2]
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]
Track listing
- 1978 7-inch single
Side oneTitle |
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1. | "Die Roboter" | 4:20 |
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Side twoTitle |
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2. | "Spacelab" | 3:34 |
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Charts
Chart (1978) |
Peak position |
US Hot Dance Club Play (Billboard)[citation needed] |
39 |
West Germany (Media Control Charts)[citation needed] |
18 |
1991 re-issue
"The Robots" |
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A-side | "Die Roboter" (German title) |
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B-side | "Robotnik/Robotronik" |
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Released | May 1991 |
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Genre | Electronic |
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Length | 3:47 (single edit) 8:58 (album version) |
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Label | Kling Klang, EMI |
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Songwriter(s) | Ralf Hütter, Florian Schneider, Karl Bartos |
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Producer(s) | Ralf Hütter, Florian Schneider |
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In 1991, a re-recorded and re-arranged version of the song was issued as a single from the band's album The Mix.
Track listing
- 1991 7-inch single
Side oneTitle |
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1. | "The Robots" (single edit) | 3:43 |
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Side twoTitle |
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2. | "Robotronik" (single version) | 3:46 |
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- 1991 12-inch single
Side oneTitle |
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1. | "Robotnik" (Kling Klang Mix) | 7:41 |
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Side twoTitle |
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2. | "Die Roboter" (single edit) | 3:43 |
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3. | "Robotronik" (Kling Klang Mix) | 4:51 |
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- 1991 CD single
Title |
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1. | "Die Roboter" (single edit) | 3:43 |
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2. | "Robotnik" (Kling Klang Mix) | 7:41 |
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3. | "Robotronik" (Kling Klang Mix) | 4:51 |
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- Cassette single
Side oneTitle |
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1. | "The Robots" (single edit) | |
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2. | "Robotronik" (single version) | |
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Charts
Chart (1991) |
Peak position |
Ireland (IRMA)[citation needed] |
26 |
UK Singles (OCC)[citation needed] |
20 |
UK Dance (Music Week)[10] |
32 |
US Hot Dance Club Play (Billboard)[citation needed] |
42 |
US Hot Dance Singles Sales (Billboard)[citation needed] |
42 |
References
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- Ralf Hütter
- Fritz Hilpert
- Henning Schmitz
- Falk Grieffenhagen
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Studio albums | |
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Live albums | |
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Compilations | |
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Box sets | |
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Singles | |
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Videography | |
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Related | Articles |
- Discography
- Conny Plank
- Kling Klang Studio
- Tone Float
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Artists | |
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Category
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Authority control  | |
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На других языках
- [en] The Robots
[ru] The Robots
«The Robots» (в нем. оригинале — «Die Roboter») — песня немецкой группы Kraftwerk. Была издана как сингл в 1978 году.
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