A sony by STYX.
In the song, the singer talks about he's grateful robots 'do the jobs no body wants to' but in turn, hints about how they
may take over and 'dehuminize'
people and how things are done. Even said 'the problems plain to see/ too much technology/ machines to save out lives/ machines dehumaize'
May also be as the singer is talking about how he is a bit like a robot and so is everyone. That he 'wears a mask' and by end the mask should be thrown away so 'everyone can see my true identity'
May be used as nickname for someone robotic meaning they do menial jobs over and over and
don't really complain or moan and are overused for it;
may suck at other jobs.
WIKIPEDIA SAYS:
The song's chorus features the line, "Dōmo arigatō, Mr. Roboto", which has become a catch phrase. Dōmo arigatō is one of several Japanese phrases that translate to English as "thank you very much".
The Japanese lyrics at the beginning of the song are as follows:
どうもありがとうミスターロボット (Dōmo arigatō misutā Robotto)
また会う日まで (Mata au
hi made)
どうもありがとうミスターロボット (Dōmo arigatō misutā Robotto)
秘密を知りたい (Himitsu wo shiritai)
The lyrics translate into English as follows:
Thank you very much, Mr. Roboto
Until we meet again
Thank you very much, Mr. Roboto
I want to know your secret
The song tells part of the fictitious story of Robert Orin Charles Kilroy (
ROCK), in the rock opera Kilroy Was Here. The song is performed by Kilroy (as played by keyboardist Dennis DeYoung), a rock and roll performer who was placed in a futuristic
prison for "rock and roll misfits" by the anti-
rock-and-roll group the Majority for Musical Morality (MMM) and its founder Dr. Everett Righteous (played by guitarist James Young). The Roboto is a model robot which does menial jobs in the
prison. Kilroy escapes the
prison by overtaking a Roboto prison guard and hiding inside the emptied-out metal shell. When Jonathan Chance finally meets Kilroy, at the very end of the song, Kilroy says,
Kilroy! I am Kilroy!
ending the song.
This song also represents the use of technology and robots in the 1980's.
The robot-like catch phrase was created with a vocoder.
The song heavily features the Oberheim OB-XA and PPG Wave synthesizers.
Stan Winston designed the Roboto costume and mask, which is displayed prominently on the cover of Kilroy Was Here. The track was released as the first single from the album at the last minute instead of "
Don't Let It End" at the request of A&M Records.
The song appears several times in the Japanese drama "Densha Otoko"
Barenaked Ladies used the line Domō Arigatō Mr. Roboto near the end of the song 'The King of Bedside Manor,' a track on their first album, Gordon
