"Mr. Roboto" is a song written by Dennis DeYoung and performed by the band Styx on their 1983 concept album Kilroy Was Here. It reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving the band their first notable hit since "Too Much Time on My Hands" in 1981. A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... Styx is an American rock band that has been popular since the 1970s, with such hits as Come Sail Away, Babe, Lady, Suite Madame Blue, Mr. ... Kilroy Was Here is a rock opera/concept album by the rock band Styx. ... See also: 1983 in music (UK) Musical groups established in 1983 Record labels established in 1983 // Michael Jacksons Thriller, the most successful album not only of 1983, but of all time, was released in 1982 and began its epic domination of the music charts the following year, 1983. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is about the genre. ... In the music industry, a record label can be a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... A&M redirects here. ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. ... — Dennis DeYoung (born February 18, 1947 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American singer, songwriter, keyboard player and producer best known for being a founding member of the rock band Styx, a tenure which lasted from 1962 to 1999. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Styx is an American rock band that has been popular since the 1970s, with such hits as Come Sail Away, Babe, Lady, Suite Madame Blue, Mr. ... Styx is an American rock band that has been popular since the 1970s, with such hits as Come Sail Away, Babe, Lady, Suite Madame Blue, Mr. ... A.D. 1928 / Rockin the Paradise is the fourth single release from Styxs 1981 triple-platinum album Paradise Theater. ... Dont Let It End is the third track on the 1983 album Kilroy Was Here, by Styx. ... The term Mr. ... — Dennis DeYoung (born February 18, 1947 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American singer, songwriter, keyboard player and producer best known for being a founding member of the rock band Styx, a tenure which lasted from 1962 to 1999. ... Styx is an American rock band that has been popular since the 1970s, with such hits as Come Sail Away, Babe, Lady, Suite Madame Blue, Mr. ... See also: 1983 in music (UK) Musical groups established in 1983 Record labels established in 1983 // Michael Jacksons Thriller, the most successful album not only of 1983, but of all time, was released in 1982 and began its epic domination of the music charts the following year, 1983. ... In popular music, a concept album is an album which is unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical (Shuker 2002, p. ... Kilroy Was Here is a rock opera/concept album by the rock band Styx. ... “Hot 100” redirects here. ... Too Much Time on My Hands is the second single release from Styxs 1981 triple-platinum album Paradise Theater. ... AUGUST 25 1981 US Marine Sean Vance is Born on the 25th of August {ear nav|1981}} Year 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Gregorian calendar). ...

Description and background

The song's chorus features the line, "Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto", which has become an unlikely catch phrase. Domo arigato is one of several Japanese phrases that translate to English as "thank you very much". A catch phrase is a phrase or expression that is popularized, usually through repeated use, by a real person or fictional character. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Thank You may mean: Look up thank you in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

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 (Domo arigatō Mr. Roboto)

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 (Domo arigatō Mr. Roboto)

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. The Whos Tommy, the first album explicitly billed as a rock opera A rock opera is a rock music album or stage production that resembles the form of an opera. ... Kilroy Was Here is a rock opera/concept album by the rock band Styx. ... — Dennis DeYoung (born February 18, 1947 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American singer, songwriter, keyboard player and producer best known for being a founding member of the rock band Styx, a tenure which lasted from 1962 to 1999. ... James J.Y. Young (born 14 November 1949, on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois) is a guitarist and member of the rock band, Styx. ...

The robot-like catch phrase was created with a vocoder. A catch phrase is a phrase or expression that is popularized, usually through repeated use, by a real person or fictional character. ... A vocoder (name derived from voice encoder, formerly also called voder) is a speech analyzer and synthesizer. ...

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. Stan Winston (born April 7, 1946, in Richmond, Virginia), is an Academy Award winning special effects and makeup artist, and film director. ... Kilroy Was Here is a rock opera/concept album by the rock band Styx. ... Dont Let It End is the third track on the 1983 album Kilroy Was Here, by Styx. ...

Video

The song's video, directed by director Brian Gibson depicts Jonathan Chance (played by guitarist Tommy Shaw) walking in Rock Museum to meet Kilroy and a robot approaches. After this, it morphs into five robots moving and dancing. Shortly thereafter, the robots transform into the members of Styx and including a clean-shaven Dennis DeYoung (he shaved his trademark moustache off at the conclusion of the Paradise Theater tour in 1982 and has remained clean-shaven to this day). The video then alternates between the band playing the song on a stage and scenes from the Kilroy Was Here backdrop film. Then, the member of Styx morph back into the robots and DeYoung confronting the robots before collapsing after screaming in the ear of one of the robots. Then DeYoung awakens to see he is being experimented on and runs off. Then, we cut back to the ending of the first scene of the video and Jonathan Chance climbs on to the stage and before the robot reveals his mask to be Kilroy, another shot of the robot with lights on was used to end the clip. Brian Gibson (September 22, 1944 _ January 4, 2004) was a film director. ... Thomas Roland Tommy Shaw (born September 11, 1953) is an American guitarist, best known for his work with the rock band Styx. ... — Dennis DeYoung (born February 18, 1947 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American singer, songwriter, keyboard player and producer best known for being a founding member of the rock band Styx, a tenure which lasted from 1962 to 1999. ...

See also

• Robot (dance)

The robot (or mannequin) is an illusionary dance style - often confused with popping - that attempts to imitate a dancing robot or mannequin. ...

External links

• Lyrics at Styx's official site
• StyxCollector.com: Center For Roboto Research And Preservation