Styx’s “Mr. Roboto” Lyrics Meaning
“Mr. Roboto” is part of a concept album titled “Kilroy Was Here”, with “Kilroy” being its main protagonist.
That’s why at the end of the song we have Dennis DeYoung exclaiming “I’m Kilroy”, as he is portraying said character. As the story goes, what the narrative contained in this track centers on is Kilroy hiding and making his escape inside a type of robot known as a “Roboto” which is utilized inside of a prison he’s interned in.
The said facility is designated specifically to intern what have been termed “rock and roll misfits”, as rock music has been outlawed by the powers that be, or something like that.
A Song set in the Future
As can be deemed from the above description, “Mr. Roboto”, which was dropped during the early 1980s, is set in a fictional future. Furthermore, it possesses political undertones indicative of its day when certain acts, including Styx, were under scrutiny by some powerful entities which did, to some degree, result in censorship.
So in the grand scheme of things, the fictional aspect of the featured narrative isn’t really of importance.
What is pertinent is certain wording Dennis utilizes in the process and how they speak to real life as we know it, in a manner of interpretation.
For instance, it’s pretty obvious that there is an anti-technology stance present here. That’s not to speculate that the Styx boys are luddites or anything like that. But it is obvious that DeYoung perceives the advent of ever-advancing technologies as having a less than ideal effect on the “modern man”. Or as inferred, we have become sort of a synthesis between human and machine.
How such is manifested is not specified. But what’s implied in that regard is that people have become less sensitive and more secluded, not by choice but again due to the power/prevalence of technology. Or as insinuated in the second verse, it’s as if now computers do the thinking for us.
Too much Technology!
Now before proceeding let us reiterate that this song came out way in 1983 – before the likes of the internet (as we know it), Alexa, Tesla, so on and so forth. This harps back to the times when Japan was unanimously considered to be the most-technological country on Earth.
Songs with ideas such as these are common nowadays. By this juncture in history many studies have been conducted concerning the detrimental effects of being technology dependent, and we’re now living in a world where some people are literally afraid of computers so to speak.
But for Styx to have relayed this message some 40 years ago shows they had some sound insight into where modern society was headed.
“The problem’s plain to see
Too much technology
Machines to save our lives
Machines dehumanize”
But to reiterate, the more serious parts of this song are not speaking to a topic like the dangers of AI. Instead, the perceived threat implied here is that the more we interact with the likes of computers and robots, the less human we become, in a manner of speaking. Or let’s say that in the process of relying on technology we start to forget what it is that makes us human beings to begin with, such as making decisions for ourselves. Or as Dennis puts it, “we all need control”.
In Conclusion
So conclusively, there are parts of “Mr. Roboto” that may not appeal to every listener, i.e. those who are not into the entire “Kilroy Was Here” storyline. But that noted, this song, in a lot of ways, was before its time.
Or in any event, DeYoung was able to perceive – even given the technology of the early 1980s – that regularly interacting with computers and robots can have a dehumanizing and freedom-inhibiting effect. Simply put, he was four decades ahead of the people you see today lamenting how Americans for instance are becoming increasingly dependent on computers making decisions for them.
And these days, some futurists even argue, just as Styx more or less did in 1983, that there may come a day when we have no choice but to obey machines.
When did Styx release “Mr. Roboto”?
In February 1983, “Mr. Roboto” was released as a single. That same month on the 22nd, the track’s parent album (a.k.a Styx’s eleventh album), “Kilroy Was Here” was commercially released. This project was backed by Pumpkin Studios.
“Mr. Roboto” was in fact, the first single released from this album.
Credits
Styx’s lead vocalist, keyboardist and songwriter, Dennis DeYoung, wrote this track. At the time “Mr. Roboto” came out, the band consisted of the following musicians:
- Dennis DeYoung
- John Panozzo
- Chuck Panozzo
- James Young
- Tommy Shaw
Chart Success
“Mr. Roboto” topped the Canadian charts, and peaked at #3 in United States.
| Country | Position |
| United States | #3 |
| Canada | #1 |
So far, “Mr. Roboto” has sold more than 2 million units in the United States. It has therefore accordingly been certified Platinum.
Famous Usage of “Mr. Roboto”
“Mr. Roboto” has been a popular song choice in pop culture. Over the years, it has been featured in a ton of advertisements, movies and TV shows. Some of these famous appearances include:
- 1999: Volkswagen commercial, starring Tony Hale (1999) .
- “The Simpsons” – Season 13, episode 14 (2001)
- “Shrek: Far Far Away Idol” (2004)
- “How I Met Your Mother” – Season 1, episode 9 (2005)
- A tribute band performed a cover of this track on “The Perfect Man” (2005)
- “Chuck” – Season 2, episode 22 (2008)
- “Mr. Robot” – Season 4, episode 12 (2019)
Who has covered this Song?
In 2014, American musical comedy-drama series, “Glee” covered “Mr. Roboto” by mashing it up with One Republic’s “Counting Stars”.
The Protomen featured their version in their 2015 album, “The Cover Up: Original Soundtrack From the Motion Picture”.
POLYSICS released their Japanese version in 2002.
