# Songs for Robots? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 16, 2005, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-for-robots/312768 "2005-07-16T04:37:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-for-robots/312768/41 "2005-07-18T12:53:31Z")
Is this coincidence, or did you know about Forrest J. Ackerman’s record **Music for Robots**? He used to advertise it in the back pagfes of **Famous Monsters opf Filmland** and his other Warren magazines. Evidently they’re going to re-release it: [http://www.percepto.com/news.html](http://www.percepto.com/news.html) Undoubtedly where the weblog referred to above got its name from. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-for-robots/312768/42 "2005-07-18T13:47:02Z")
Kraftwerk’s entire “Man-Machine” album, featuring “We Are The Robots”. ---
**Author:** ![Ichbin\_Dubist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/51bf81/32.png) [@Ichbin\_Dubist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ichbin_Dubist)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-for-robots/312768/43 "2005-07-18T14:21:36Z")
A great tune: James Kochalka Superstar, Monkey Versus Robot. There’s also (I see on the Google search page) a [www.monkeyvsrobot.net](http://www.monkeyvsrobot.net) and [www.monkeyvsrobot.org](http://www.monkeyvsrobot.org); [www.monkeyvsrobot.com](http://www.monkeyvsrobot.com) seems to be selling furniture, but I’m too afraid to click. _No!_, They Might Be Giants’ kids’ record, has a song called “Robot Parade”: “In a future time /Children will work together / To build a giant cyborg.” When she hears this song my daughter practically rubs her hands together gleefully waiting for the day. Frank Zappa’s _Joe’s Garage_ has “Sy Borg,” a song about sex with a sort of robotic hooker that looks like a metal pig. Zappa fans may delineate further. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-for-robots/312768/44 "2005-07-19T06:25:27Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Is this coincidence, or did you know about Forrest J. Ackerman’s record **Music for Robots**? Just a coincidence, I’m afraid. And thanks for the suggestions so far, all! I’ve got a few items ready for my iTunes wishlist. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2005, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-for-robots/312768/45 "2005-07-20T05:02:33Z")
Robots on Parade They Might Be Giants. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2005, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-for-robots/312768/46 "2005-07-20T05:19:07Z")
Wow, 45 posts and nobody mentions my song [**Robobarbarosa In Wicked City**](http://www.mp3.com.au/track.asp?id=17306)? I gotta talk to my agent… note to self: get agent ---
**Author:** ![Tentacle\_Monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@Tentacle\_Monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tentacle_Monster)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2005, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-for-robots/312768/47 "2005-07-20T05:34:52Z")
> [@Monstre](#): > > Robots would probably dance to just about anything by **Devo**. Incidentally, Jon Stewart’s _America: The Book_, Devo is the favorite punk band in a Constitutional Robocracy. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2005, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-for-robots/312768/48 "2005-07-20T15:48:53Z")
> [@Tentacle Monster](#): > > Incidentally, Jon Stewart’s _America: The Book_, Devo is the favorite punk band in a Constitutional Robocracy. Despite this line from “Freedom of Choice”?.. _A man is real, not made of steel!_ ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2005, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-for-robots/312768/49 "2005-07-20T15:53:33Z")
About time somebody mentioned Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man”. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2005, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-for-robots/312768/50 "2005-07-20T16:05:47Z")
> [@spoke-](#): > > Despite this line from “Freedom of Choice”?.. > > _A man is real, > not made of steel!_ Oops. I meant "this line from ‘Gates of Steel.’ " ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2005, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-for-robots/312768/51 "2005-07-20T16:46:51Z")
**Sample and Hold** by Neil Young. This is from his _Trans_ project of computerized music in 1982. From the same batch, consider **We R In Control** and **Computer Cowboy.** “I need a unit to sample and hold But not the angry one. A new design, new design” ---
**Author:** ![TheBoneyKingofNowhere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@TheBoneyKingofNowhere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheBoneyKingofNowhere)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2005, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-for-robots/312768/52 "2005-07-20T17:09:06Z")
A couple of these already posted but: 1. _Fitter, Happier_, **Radiohead** (_all_ the lyrics are w/ the robot voice) 2. _Paranoid Android_, **Radiohead** (in the first segment, listen to the Android voice repeating “I may / be paranoid / but / not an / android”) 3. _Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots_, **The Flaming Lips** “she won’t let those, Robots defeat me, Yoshimi” 4. _One More Robot / Sympathy 3000_, **The Flaming Lips** 5. _Giant Robot Birdhead_, \*\* Aquabats\*\* (such a fun song, this one is) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-for-robots/312768.md?page=2)