The Robots

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" (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 (1978). However, the songs as they appear on the single were edited into shorter versions. It charted at number 25 on Germany, number 39 on US Dance Club Songs Chart, and number 21 on Austria.

"The Robots"
Cover for the original German release
Single by Kraftwerk
from the album The Man-Machine
A-side	"Die Roboter" (German title)
B-side	"Spacelab"
Released	May 1978
Genre	Synth-pop
Length	4:20 (single edit) 3:42 (UK single edit) 6:11 (album version)
Label	Kling Klang (EMI) 1C-006-32941 (Ger) Capitol CL15981 (UK)
Songwriter(s)	Ralf Hütter, Florian Schneider, Karl Bartos
Producer(s)	Ralf Hütter, Florian Schneider
Kraftwerk singles chronology
"Showroom Dummies" (1977) "The Robots" (1978) "Das Model" (1978)

Composition

Lyrically, the song discusses the role of robots as subservient workers to humans. The Russian lines "Я твой слуга / Я твой работник" (Ya tvoy sluga / Ya tvoy rabotnik, "I am your servant / 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 line references the Slavic 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, 22 November 2007.^[2]

Live performances

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] The song was being widely used as a curtain raiser song in many movie theaters across South India.^[10]

Track listing

1978 7-inch single

Side one

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Die Roboter"	4:20

Side two

No.	Title	Length
2.	"Spacelab"	3:34

1991 re-issue

"The Robots"
Single by Kraftwerk
from the album The Mix
A-side	"Die Roboter" (German title)
B-side	"Robotnik/Robotronik"
Released	May 1991
Genre	Electronic
Length	3:47 (single edit) 8:58 (album version)
Label	Kling Klang, EMI
Songwriter(s)	Ralf Hütter, Florian Schneider, Karl Bartos
Producer(s)	Ralf Hütter, Florian Schneider
Kraftwerk singles chronology
"The Telephone Call" (1987) "The Robots" (1991) "Radioactivity (1991 re-release)" (1991)

In 1991, a re-recorded and re-arranged version of "The Robots" was issued as a single from the band's tenth album, The Mix (1991). It charted in several European countries, reaching number 52 on the Eurochart Hot 100. A new music video was also produced to promote the single.

Critical reception

David Stubbs from Melody Maker named "The Robots" Single of the Week, stating that the remix "is still outstanding — unspoilt by a slight House adaption, it's a perfect example of Kraftwerk's exact science and deadpan wit. The first, and still the best."^[11] Pan-European magazine Music & Media wrote, "The pioneers of synthesizer pop live up to their reputation. Hi-tech for EHR."^[12] Sherman from NME said, "Whilst "The Robots" takes on a much richer feel than before, the Vocoder fed line of We are the robots [is] gouging deeper than ever into the memory".^[13]

Track listing

1991 7-inch single

Side one

No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Robots" (single edit)	3:43

Side two

No.	Title	Length
2.	"Robotronik" (single version)	3:46

1991 12-inch single

Side one

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Robotnik" (Kling Klang Mix)	7:41

Side two

No.	Title	Length
2.	"Die Roboter" (single edit)	3:43
3.	"Robotronik" (Kling Klang Mix)	4:51

1991 CD single

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Die Roboter" (single edit)	3:43
2.	"Robotnik" (Kling Klang Mix)	7:41
3.	"Robotronik" (Kling Klang Mix)	4:51

Cassette single

Side one

No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Robots" (single edit)
2.	"Robotronik" (single version)

Charts

Chart (1991)	Peak position
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)^[14]	52
Ireland (IRMA)^[15]	26
UK Singles (OCC)^[16]	20
UK Dance (Music Week)^[17]	32
US Hot Dance Club Play (Billboard)^[citation needed]	42
US Hot Dance Singles Sales (Billboard)^[citation needed]	42

References

1. . SYNTHESIS. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 September 2008.
2. "Kraftwerk: We Are the Robots". BBC. Retrieved 17 September 2008.
3. Strauss, Neil (15 June 1997). "Call Them the Beatles Of Electronic Dance Music". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 September 2008.
4. Strauss, Neil (11 June 1998). "ARTS ABROAD; Hardly a Pocket Calculator: Kraftwerk's Studio Goes on Tour". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 September 2008.
5. Ratliff, Ben (15 June 1998). "POP REVIEW; It's a Techno World, With Nothing to Fear From Gears and Switches". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 September 2008.
6. Pareles, Jon (3 June 2005). "The Live Concert Experience, as Mechanized as Possible". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 September 2008.
7. "Still Krafty after all these years". Irish Independent. 15 September 2008. Retrieved 16 September 2008.
8. Zlatopolsky, Ashley (6 May 2020). "Kraftwerk's 10 Best Songs: Staff Picks". Billboard. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
9. Simpson, Dave (7 May 2020). "Kraftwerk: their 30 greatest songs, ranked!". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
10. Aanavandi (5 November 2019). "Original Version of Thrissur Ragam Theatre Curtain Rising Music - Aanavandi Travel Blog". Retrieved 14 September 2023.
11. Stubbs, David (25 May 1991). "Singles". Melody Maker. p. 33. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
12. "Review: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. 8 June 1991. p. 12. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
13. Sherman (15 June 1991). "Sure Beats Werking". NME. p. 39. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
14. "Eurochart Hot 100" (PDF). Music & Media. 22 June 1991. p. 21. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
15. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – The Robots". Irish Singles Chart.
16. "Kraftwerk: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
17. "Top 60 Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 1 June 1991. p. 22. Retrieved 27 September 2020.