Cyborg 101 : Bonecage

I'm quite fond of a parody song. I'm also quite fond of Duran Duran and have been wondering if their late 90s single Electric Barbarella counts as robot song or not... although admittedly, I haven't studied the lyrics for a definite robo-reference. I'm more of a Rio / Seven & the Ragged Tiger era Duranee and Hungry Like the Wolf was one of my favourites. Here, it's been reworked as an homage to the classic cyber-thriller Terminator and although a bit underwhelming... it is bang on topic so here it is, Bonecage's Terminator/Hungry Like the Wolf parody, Cyborg 101.



I won't leave it quite so long before my next post... but I've said that before, so who knows?
In the mean time, keep on robot-rocking!

Sleigh Ride : C3PO & R2D2

It's Christmas day and what better way to celebrate than inviting friends and family round, exchange gifts, share stories, drink until you're sleepy, eat until you fart and maybe shed a solitary tear as you recall just how much more fun Christmas day was when you were younger. Well don't despair you miserable sodbots because today you've got six robot songs to unwrap!

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away, some feckwit decided to let R2D2 and C3PO record a Christmas album. Did they even have Christmas a long time ago in a galaxy far far away??? I think not, but the idea of a Star Wars Christmas album may well be considered one of George Lucas's many clangers, along with Ewoks (sorry girls), The f*cking Phantom Menace and the rest of the fecking prequels can sith off too!!  In many ways this robot song is a clanger, but it also has a certain charm too... and it is better than The Phantom f*cking Menace.

Merry Merry Christmas : C3PO & R2D2

Putting the robotic bleeps and beats behind us, I'll end the 101 Songs About Robots Xmas Special with another gem from the Star Wars Christmas album.


Have a great Christmas everyone! And remember, when robots rule the world, Christmas will be a thing of the past, so enjoy it whilst you can. I'll be back in the new year with even more robot songs for your listening pleasure. A big thank you goes out to all those who've suggested robot songs, and please, keep your robot song suggestions coming!!

Our Toys are Good to Go! : The CE-E Robot

This isn't a song about a robot... it's a song by a robot.

In fact it's best described as a Public Information Film and it's perfect for this time of year. I'm sure lots of you are immersed in buying your kidbots far too many Christmas prezzies, but I sincerely hope that you're also paying attention to the current safety standards. "What safety standards?" I hear you holler. Well, the CE-E robot explains it far more eloquently than I can.




If that was a proper Public Information Film from the 70s... it wouldn't be quite so entertaining. Instead of a little robot dancing and singing, it'd have some scary celebrity narrating over some deeply depressing background music accompanying images of children stabbing each other in the face with the nails that hold their dolls together, or puncturing their sibling's lungs with a knock-off Action Man bolt thrower, or scattering bits of a former toddler all over the carpet and curtains with a cheap copy of a Fisher Price lawn mower... I was so busy dancing to the CE-E Robot song that I don't think the message really got through ...why can't they make Public Information Films like they used to?

Play safe & stay safe... I'll be back on Xmas day with a 101 Songs About Robots Christmas Special!

Robot Hell - Futurama

I almost forgot about this one.   Phew... turama!!

update: it appears that the miserable sods over at Fox have had my video blocked... and then weeks later it's been unblocked again... make yer minds up!




Tomorrow I'll provide the antidote to this cyber-satanic celebration with some god bothering rap-hop!

Irumbile oru Irudhaiyam : A R Rahman

Today's robot song is taken from one of the most successful Indian movies of all time. Enthiran (AKA Robot, AKA Robo) was filmed in Tamil (AKA foreign) and dubbed into Hindi (also foreign) and Telugu (very foreign). The film and its soundtrack garnered worldwide critical acclaim, topped tons of charts and made sh!t loads of money.

Obviously it's a science fiction film with a plot that revolves around a scientist, his fiancée, and a robot called Chitti, whom the scientist created in his own image. Things backfire when Chitti, programmed to interpret and exhibit human emotions, falls in love with the scientist's fiancée, then, after numerous song and dance routines, tries to destroy the world too!

The film's soundtrack, by A H Rahman, features a number of robot songs, most of which will be posted in due course. I've been changing my mind on an almost daily basis as to which song I should post first, and eventually I settled on this one... Irumbile oru Irudhaiyam, from Enthiran; the Tamil version.

Metal Mickey : ITV Theme

Metal Mickey was a hugely successful British sitcom that originally aired between 1980 and 1983. However the show's success wasn't down to it being particularly funny or groundbreaking, in fact it was absolute cobblers!!!  No, the success of Metal Mickey was entirely down to there being bugger all on the other side. Produced and directed my ex-Monkee Micky Dolenz, the Metal Mickey TV show launched the career of no one... but none of that matters because here on 101 Songs About Robots, it's all about the music!

*the sound quality's a bit low on this video so you might want to turn it up a tad, or turn it down a lot ;)



I've no idea who the writing credits should go to, nor do I know who provided their vocal talents... I'd be surprised if anyone involved with the show even puts it on their CV!

Bertha : BBC TV Theme

I remember thoroughly enjoying watching Bertha when I was younger, however on realising that it was first broadcast in 1985, I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that I'll have been 15 or 16 years old at the time! Still, one is never too old to appreciate the charm of stop motion animation... that's my excuse anyway,  and I'm sticking to it!

The series was produced by Woodland Animations, narrated by Roy Kinnear, with the music and lyrics written by Bryan Daly. Bertha's theme song is sung by Guy Fletcher, who co-wrote The Hollies 1970 hit I Can't Tell The Bottom From The Top and Cliff Richard's 1973 Eurovision Song Contest entry Power To All Our Friends. But enough inane trivia, it's the song that matters, and here it is...

The Humans Are Dead : Flight of the Conchords

All the way from New Zealand on the other side of the world, and almost as famous as that other band from New Zealand, it's Flight of the Conchords with their ode to robots... The Humans Are Dead.

[PARENTAL ADVISORY : EXPLICIT-ISH LYRIC]


This song also featured on the Flight of the Conchords' TV show which, to be honest, wasn't as good as their live stuff... hence posting them performing the song live and not a clip from the TV show.

We Are The Robots : Enon

This is the last of this chunk of robot songs for children, and once again it's taken from the kid's TV show Yo Gabba Gabba. Performed by Enon, it's We Are The Robots.




Tomorrow I'll be focusing on robot songs for grown ups... which may require a little parental advisory!

Robo Dancing : Money Mark

Today's robot song is called Robo Dancing... and yes, it's another one for the kidbots.



OK, it's not the best robot song ever, and it's not even that great for children's music... but this is Money Mark! Yes, the same guy whose worked with The Beastie Boys, the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Linkin Park and many more. Not only that, but this performance is from the kid's TV show Yo Gabba Gabba, co-created by The Aquabats frontman and superhero Christian Jacobs!!

Over the years Yo Gabba Gabba has featured a host of artists including Ladytron, The Killers, Jimmy Eat World, The Aquabats, Devo, My Chemical Romance, Weezer, MGMT, Jack Black, The Flaming Lips, The Ting Tings, Weird Al Yankovic, Peter, Bjorn & John, to name but a few... it's a shame they all didn't sing songs about robots.

Robot No.1 : Hi-5

Hi-5 are primarily an Australian children's music group who front a TV show of the same name. The success and popularity of Hi-5 resulted in American and UK versions of the group and show, but all credits have to go to the Aussies. Originally broadcast in the distant future (the year 2000) on an episode themed around machines is Robot No.1 ...but this video is from a 2011 remake.




It's great to see so many youngsters being programmed prepared for life in a world controlled by robots.

Marvin I Love You : Marvin The Paranoid Android

Alongside a fruitful yet ultimately depressing career in TV and Radio, Marvin the Paranoid Android also had a thoroughly fruitless stint as a pop-performer which depressed almost everyone. There's a time and a place for novelty songs but there's no time and no place for this clanger (except here of course!). Taken from Marvin's 2nd single, 'The Double B-Side' is Marvin I Love You, which features Kim Wong-O'Brien as the voice of a love letter found deep in Marvin's data banks. Being a B-side to a B-side, I hope your expectations are suitably low...



There are three further songs recorded by Marvin The Paranoid Android, namely Marvin, Metal Man and Reasons to be Miserable, which may well be posted here on 101 Songs About Robots the next time I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel.

Cyborg 009 : Italian Anime Theme

I've no idea who's performing this theme song, nor am I entirely certain which particular version of Cyborg 009 it's from, apart from the fact it's from the Italian airing. According to wikipedia, Cyborg 009 first aired in 1966, but this theme sounds more recent than that. The 1979/1980 anime TV series was popular in Italy, so it could be the theme from that, or possibly from a 1980 movie version of the series. There was also another remake of the TV series in 2001, and another film in 2012, and with little information to go on, I'm not sure what the actual year of this theme song should be. I'm guessing 1979 or 1980, but it could well be from 2001*... if anyone can shed light on this, I'd be grateful.

Anyway, enough of my inane ramblings, here's the song...





*from the info on Wikipedia and from what i can gather from the title sequence in the video, it is from 2001... but I've still no idea who the artist is. Clearly I need all the help I can get, so please don't be shy :)

Six Million Dollar Man : Dusty Springfield

Here's an odd little curio... and it's certainly not a high point in the late great Dusty Springfield's career. This ill fated attempt at giving The Six Million Dollar Man a theme song featured in two of the three TV movies which aired in late 1973, a few months prior to the weekly show that had its début in early '74.

As mentioned, it's not exactly one of Dusty's best recordings and not surprisingly, was dropped in favour of the far superior instrumental theme we all know and love. Here it is...

If I Only Had a Heart : The Tin Man

Quite possibly the oldest* of all robot songs and celebrating its 75th Anniversary is If I Only Had a Heart from The Wizard of Oz. The pedants out there might argue that the tin man is not a robot, but a mere tin man. However since I've already included the wonderful Country Robot by The Incredible Moses Leroy, then there's got to be a place for Tin Man's If I Only Had a Heart...



*If any readers can point me in the direction of an even older song about a robot, please don't be shy :)

The Robot Song : Dooby Wop & the Polkadots

It's about time I posted something for the kiddies... because kiddies love playing at robots. This is not the only kid's song I'll be posting, and it's certainly not the best... but it's plenty of fun. Why not cover yourself in tinfoil, stick a colander on your head and dance along... there's no upper age limit!

Eighth Day : Hazel O'Connor

I loved this song when I was a kid, but didn't really pick up on its robotic connection until a couple of weeks ago. Taken from the film Breaking Glass and released in 1980 (the year the future began), the song Eighth Day presents another of those dystopic scenarios in which man makes machine then machine breaks man. However the film itself is not about robots. It's about a pop stars sudden rise to fame and her inability to cope with it. It'll seem quite dated these days I guess but worth a re-watch one day. Anyway, enough about the film and on with the song...