I absolutely loved this song growing up I was like 13 in 1983 and we thought this was the shizznit lol.. same as always a Happy fan from sunny California, Dannie W ❣️🤗
"I am the modREN Man!" Loved that 'art nouveau' pronunciation from the 1920s. "Domo arigato, Mr. Gromyko" is what we sang during the Cold War when Andrei Gromyko was Premier of USSR prior to Mr. Gorbachev. This song turned off a lot of Styx fans, and marked their rapid decline - but I always liked it (too far ahead of it's time).
I couldn't stand 'Mr Roboto' at the time, but when playing it to my children a few years ago and after not having heard it in eons, not only did _they_ like the song but also myself! 😄
Unfortunately, more than anything else, the entire 'Kilroy Was Here' album was a breaking point for the band in a lot of ways. I loved the album, and I have always felt that the story the album tells, along with the 'Paradise Theater' album, could have been combined to create a massive stage musical, with a few handpicked songs from other Styx albums. The video itself was part of a larger short film...and the "Mr. Roboto" mask was created by legendary special effects master Stan Winston. As a kid...this was one of my favorites, and I would go nuts when MTV would play it, because as much of a music nut as I am...I was also huge into anything sci-fi.
@@floorticket True...but I hadn't been a part of the fandom for very long when KWH dropped. It was only later that I started deep diving in the Styx waters...so to speak. I still love a lot of KWH.
I heard Dennis in an interview that Paramount offered them millions of dollars for the right to the concept so they could make it into a full movie but the band turned it down because they didn't want to do anything at the time that could further label them "Corporate Rock."
To say I loved Styx back in the day would have been an understatement. I had every album they'd put out and I played the Grand Illusion 8-track till the glue that held it together melted. When this album came out, it missed the mark for me, I did not care for it. I did like this song somewhat but it just felt empty to me. It did have a huge impact on culture though. About a decade ago, we were out camping. That night as we gathered around the camp fire, someone read a Japanese story to a rather large crowd of us. As the end of it, he finished by saying, "Domo arigato" and bowed. The whole crowd without missing a beat whispered almost under their breath, "Mr. Roboto". Everyone bust out laughing, it surprised everyone that anyone else had said it. However 30+ people whispering something in unison will be audible ... or so we learned that night.
Great reaction! Remember loving this song as a kid. Seemed more like a fun, novelty song then. Now 40yrs later, kinda crazy how relevant and prophetic it was
This song is super catchy, although the lyrics are kinda silly. The other band members disliked the direction Dennis Deyoung was taking their music and he was kicked out of band.
It was catchy but didnt make it to the top for obvious reasons..hardly any human touch like you wanted ..this wont be a great future just synthesizers…
40 years old 🎂 Written by and sung by Dennis DeYoung. He said this is the song that led to the breakup of Styx. The next year,1984, he released a solo album. But Styx was reunited in 1990. Glen Burtnik substituted for Tommy Shaw, who was in Damn Yankees. GB quit. He wrote a song with Patty Smythe. In 1995, TS returned. Suggested videos 📹: 1 Styx performs Love at First Sight 2 Dennis DeLong sings Harvest Moon 🎑 3 Damn Yankees perform High Enough. 4 Patty Smythe and Don Henley sing Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough.
I love this song, but it's probably one of the most polarizing songs in music history, and it pretty much ruined Styx's career despite it being a big hit. A lot of longtime fans were like, WTF?!
It really didn't ruin their career at all. It's only one song and besides, it's not that much more synth pop than Tommy's "Too Much Time on My Hands" which was a big hit too. It is more futuristic and theatrical with conceptual lyrics, perhaps that's why it's more contentious. There's nothing wrong with it unless one perceives different as a negative. Of course, many longtime fans don't like change but then "Babe" was another big hit with the masses. The disgruntled fans got over that with 'Paradise Theatre' selling by the truckloads. That's my point, it's only one song. Don't like it? Forget about it! Styx as usual switches it up and releases "Don't Let it End" which is yet another hit a few months later. The only ones who view "Mr. Roboto" as lasting damage are longtime fans set in their ways. Talk about WTF? Imagine if Rush's "New World Man" were as big a hit, instead of conveniently ignoring the fact that it was the album's highest charting song, many so-called fans would likely single it out too and heap derision upon it ala "Mr. Roboto." One things for sure, Tommy didn't take to "Music Time!"
@@bookhouseboy280 Rush fans love New World Man. I don't see the analogy, but that's fine. Like I said, I love the song but it did turn a lot of fans off with its odd subject matter and creepy video.
@@j.jennings1722 Rush fans don't love it enough because it rarely if ever gets requested on reaction channels like Subdivisions and, to a lesser extent, Analogue Kid do, and yet it's their highest charting single. Like Mr. Roboto, it's a different approach for Rush that divides fans and I'll leave it at that. A lot of Styx fans were turned off but many like you and I appreciate it. I never even saw the video back in the day, just enjoyed the quirkiness of the song. Too different for some but then I appreciate bands like Styx and Rush who take risks and change things up.
This song and James Clavell’s novel “Shogun” taught me all the Japanese I’ll ever need. This album and ELO’s “Time” both went in a similar direction; both becoming more relevant now than when they were released. Both are concept albums about the future.
Styx was on a roll, when this album came out. They'd dropped The Grand Illusion, Pieces of Eight, Cornerstone, and Paradise Theatre. Cornerstone was very good, and the other three were magnificent. This one had its moments, but I think I was like a lot of fans who felt like this one missed the mark. Shaw left the band right after the tour, pursuing a solo career and nice run with Damn Yankees. He and James Young are back together and touring and recording really good music under the Styx name, but they've made clear that founder Dennis De Young is no longer welcome. Sad deal, all around.
@@trishc3099 I did, and I'd much rather go see Dennis perform Styx songs with his solo band, than the rest of mediocre musicians who call themselves Styx. Because face it, Shaw, James, etc. don't nearly have as much talent as Dennis has.
@surfeit5910 While I disagree that they don't have as much talent, I'll agree that Dennis is incredibly talented. He's not the one I've gone to see every time I've been to a Styx concert though (I've lost track at this point). Without Tommy and JY, they just wouldn't be Styx, and I honestly haven't missed Dennis since he left. Lawrence Gowan fills Dennis' shoes quite nicely.
@@trishc3099 In a 2018 appearance on The Big Interview (Via ABC News Radio), Styx members James Young, Tommy Shaw and Lawrence Gowan noted that their problems with Dennis DeYoung stemmed from the singer's refusal to tour at a time when the band wasn't selling albums, and had to rely on live show revenue. To be fair, DeYoung quoted medical reasons for his reluctance to hit the road, so he wasn't just feeling lazy. Young says things came to a head when the band started considering a replacement for DeYoung, with the man himself stepping onstage whenever he felt up to it. Unfortunately, the idea proved unpopular with DeYoung. "He said, 'I don't want you to do that,'" Young says. "And I said, 'Well, we're going with you or without you.'" The band eventually went with the "without DeYoung" option, and DeYoung proceeded to sue them for the band's name. The case was settled out of court.
Mr. Ro-bot-o. :) I had tickets for the Kilroy Was Here concert and when a friend bailed I invited my brother. Within the first few bars of the first song, he said, "I know this song!" He just didn't know who sang it. That night was SO much fun. Sadly, the band broke up over creative differences the next year. Dennis DeYoung went solo and has some great songs himself. Desert Moon is a favorite.
I like the song. However, I am a Dennis fan. This song did well in the charts whether or not you like it. Dennis was too smart to be in Styx. Dennis still sings well!
@@SueKay-rq1lr I'm a big Dennis fan, I am not a Tommy fan. Dennis married his high school sweetheart, Tommy's been married 3x. Kinda tells you something. 😄
@@MikeOstrowski-iq8wf Yeah, well that's a little harsh, somebody mentioned the song Castle Walls, I haven't heard that song since I had this album when I was a teen, I just listened to it a few minutes ago on RU-vid and it's awesome.
I was at the Texxas Jam in 1983 when they played this live and while a lot of Styx fans like to gloss it over, it was a race to get out of the stadium. It was a nightmare. 🤣 We're talking Ted Nugent and Sammy Hagar doing Whole Lotta Love with Sammy climbing the rigging on the stage along with Triumph and Uriah Heep. Tommy Shaw said he feared for his life and I believe him. 😂
That's so cool!!!! My cousin went to that show! I was too young at the time. My first Texxas Jam was Van Halen w/Sammy, Dio, Loverboy, Krokus and Keel in 1986.
This rock opera show was not meant for stadiums full of drunks at a festival all day, but for the theater. I wished that at such venues they just played their more rockin' songs. I saw this show in an indoor colliseum, and enjoyed it a lot; but I did wish it was a smaller venue and I was closer to the stage. Styx was too popular then and the business side won out over the artistic.
@@castlew4162 there is something for everyone. I understand people liking different things. I saw Styx more than once and they were great on the Grand Illusion tour. Personally, I wouldn't enjoy Kilroy if it was done in my living room but that's just me. But it was a stupid thing to do at a major, all day rock festival where Ted Nugent, Sammy Hagar, Triumph and Uriah Heep were playing and I wasn't drunk.
There are those (MOST, if not ALL) who are smarter than I that say this song was the death of Styx. I actually liked this song, but got a little tired of it when it was on heavy rotation on MTV and then from my little radio I kept in my office. Still, seeing the video all these years later? I don't think this song got enough love from the fans. Was this Styx jumping the shark? Jury is still out on this one.
They (Styx) did a stage production of this album. I saw it in 1983 at the Berkeley Community Theatre. It was incredible! I was in the second row center stage, I’ll never forget it. One of the best live performances I’ve ever seen.
You had better luck than I did. Saw them 3 times and they had issues every time. First time, Tommy's guitar fried, second time (Paradise Theater) they were filming for a video release and they last all sound 3 times in the opening song. Third time was Kilroy and the video broke twice. But still a great show every time.
I think you are right. A little more guitar would have been a welcome contrast. Love this band but this album was so completely different that any other they recorded.
It’s probably their most theatrical recording they’ve ever done…This feels like it could’ve been a Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Queen, Meatloaf recording.
I remember me and my buddies listen this song and watching the videoclip for the first time and asking: Are you sure that this is Styx? Who is that guy? He doesn't look like Dennis De Young. Where have the long brown hair and mustache gone? Is it a robot or human or both? When the robot finally uncover its mask... we will see the real Dennis De Young? I'm sure I saw Tommy Shaw there but where was the guitar solo? What a surprise it was.
This was an odd song and lots of people liked it. I was very much a New Wave person at the time and this song, coming from a Rock group, seemed odd. I think a lot of their own Rock fans felt the same way. There was still a very hard divide between Classic Rock fans and Disco/Dance/New Wave that carried over from the 70s, especially among the older (30+ age) fans. It wasn't that I didn't like the song. I also didn't like it. It was just "meh". It sounded like an attempt to remain relevant at a time when music was changing that didn't seem "true" to the band. Styx had a large adult contemporary fan base and "adult contemporary", now called "Yacht Rock", was still a huge radio and sales category in its own right. Styx pretty much died after this despite two Top 10 hits that year.
This rock opera show was not meant for stadiums full of drunks at a festival all day, but for the theater. I wished that at such venues they just played their more rockin' songs. I saw this show in an indoor colliseum, and enjoyed it a lot; but I did wish it was a smaller venue and I was closer to the stage. Styx was too popular then and the business side won out over the artistic. Funny thing now is that the current Styx lineup has now embraced this song and its fans and is performing it at their live concerts.
Thank you for playing Styx,❤ could you please play Blue collar man ? You will love it😊 Love your show, your so cute when you try singing the songs,love all your reactions!🥰 Keep on Rocking!!🤘🫶✌️
The Killroy theme is subject to endless interpretation. The "Killroy was here" meme began in WWII , possibly picked up by soldiers who saw chalk messages marked on ships by a British shipyard inspector named Killroy. Much of the academic discussion is over the significance of the name and why it became so deeply embedded. One theory is that it echoes "Kill Roi", kill the king. In that sense, it might be seen to warn of robot rebellion, or AI danger, not that that would have been known when the song was done.
Pretty much so over-the-top that it wrecked the band. (Tommy Shaw really didn't like the project, and he had a drug addiction he was fighting, so he quit after the tour. The band waited for him to return, but he formed Damn Yankees instead.) That said, it is still so much fun. And don't wait another 10 months, please! (Completely off the wall suggestions: "Quick is the Beat of My Heart", "A Day", "The Grove of Eglantine", "Golden Lark". All from their first four albums on a tiny local label, which are largely forgotten, but have a lot of excellent music on them. JMO.)
Ah yes..the song that broke Styx. Back then Tommy Shaw refused to play this live even after they booted Dennis DeYoung. There are recent videos here on YT of Styx performing this song live.
This album was Styx's answer to accusations of backward masking on "Snowblind" from their previous album and the out of control accusations from the "Parents Music Resource Center", some self-appointed people that wanted to censor music or at least have music with backward masking, sexually explicit lyrics, excessive violence in lyrics or songs glorifying the use of drugs labeled. Styx maintained that "Snowblind" had no backward masking, but the accusations persisted. Other artists were also brought into this controversy. In response, this album imagines a world where rock music has been banned, and is under the oversight of the "Majority for Musical Morality" or "MMM". Robert Orrin Charles Kilroy (portrayed by DeYoung) is falsely accused of killing an MMM protester and is imprisoned. Jonathan Chance (portrayed by Tommy Shaw) helps Kilroy to realize that there is a resistance out in the world and inspires him to escape. That is what you see in the "Mr. Roboto" video. There is a longer video of the entire concert called "Caught in the Act", which shows the whole story, including a pre-concert film. In the story, Dr. Righteous (portrayed by James "JY" Young) is the leader of the MMM. Interestingly, because of the accusations of backward masking, Styx decided to do intentional backward masking on one song on this album. The song is "Heavy Metal Poisoning" and when the backward portion is heard in reverse it says "annuit coeptis novus ordo seclorum", which translated from Latin is "He has favored our undertakings and a new order of the ages". It is the words found on the Great Seal of the United States, which you can find on the back of every dollar bill.
This song/album is what caused STYX to part ways with Dennis DeYoung mostly because he wanted to get theatrical with everything. Both JY and Tommy Shaw hated this song but still have to play it during concerts to avoid riots. I saw this concert in Bezerkely and they started and ended with this presentation..
Styx was a rock band that straddled the gap between Straight ahead radio rock and fantasy progressive rock. Then, they do a musical stageplay rock opera somewhat based on Goerge Orwell's 1984 but with disco beats and pop showtune sounds, some synthy stuff, less rock, though the drums still come through. It's always hard to put out something different, as in those days most people only heard the radio hits, and this was a hit but not for their core audience which was album oriented rock fans and prog rock record buyers. Pink Floyd had hit it superstar big with "The Wall" and the subsequent theatrical tour in 1980, so it seemed like "Kilroy Was Here" about a future where rock'nroll was banned was a worthwhile thing. Their previous album "Paradise Theater" was such a big hit they thought this would be their launch into "The Wall" territory of fame and commercial success. Oops. The whole thing was inspired by a couple of TV preachers targeting the band as hiding "Satanic messages" backwards on their vinyl -- the villain of the musical is the leader of the "Majority for Musical Morality", an obvious dig to the Moral Majority that was trying to get albums banned and fueled the Satanic Panic of the mid 80s that went all the way to Washington DC and was on the news every night. Al Gore lost the presidency because the rock generation at that time associated him and his wife with the PMRC, and the efforts to ban rock music, which was always a crap idea. So there was that backdrop environment that this was launched into. Also 1983 was a huge year for hard rock albums, "Hair Bands", many biggest ever like Def Leppard, Quiet Riot, Van Halen, ZZ Top, Ozzy Ozborne. Pop was even bigger with Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Men At Work, Wham, Donna Summer, and even Yes had a top ten pop hit with "Owner of a Lonely Heart". Styx put out something that was a hybrid mix of showtunes, rock, pop, and weird concept, and it just both did not hit what rock fans were into then, and got lost in embarrassment of riches of the music industry blowing up 10x. Some dud albums are minor dips in the road for big bands, this one was a cold icy pit that broke the band, and they had only minor hits after that until 1990 with "Show Me The Way", a pop ballad/hymn with Christian overtones, that turns into a pop rock anthem midway, that hit #3 on the Hot 100 charts. The band refuses to this day to play songs from this album. A Volkswagen commercial in 2004 for the Super Bowl brought the song back tho, as a guy doing the robot in his VW car. I guess VW is going to do it again in 2023 for an electric car commercial.
Great song and story. It is pronounced Robot-o. Dennis was way ahead of his time predicting how much technology has controlled our society. The band manner ostracized him by getting away from their rock style! It broke the band into pieces with Dennis eventually leaving!
THIS IS THE SONG AND ALBUM ( KILROY WAS HERE ) THAT BROKE THE BAND UP SALVO! ☹ THIS KILLED THE BAND 😮 TOMMY SHAW WAS GONE AND HEADED TO PLAY WITH ( TED NUGENT ) THE DAMN YANKEES THIS SONG ITSELF DID VERY WELL ALL IN ALL! 😊
The current lineup of STYX, which includes Tommy, JY and Chuck (who still plays occasional gigs) finally plays this song in their live shows (they did not for ~ 20 yrs touring w/o Dennis) - finally the fans won out. They really juiced-it up and it rocks! - here is a relatively recent example (2021) - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-_UKRQGbU2hk.html
It's a catchy song, if not a bit cheesy. But this is where Styx lost their mojo, the reaction to this album wasn't very positive, and they basically took about a 12 year break afterwards ( if you don't count the first reunion in 1990 without Tommy Shaw). Kilroy was mostly DeYoung's baby, while JY and Shaw were not as enthusiastic about it.
I like this song. Dennis is an awesome singer and songwriter. It has a very good meaning if you listen. Intelligent writing is lost in a mindless world.
I disagree….. Styx still rocking out today. Seeing them for the 8th since the 70’s next month Hampton Beach Casino N.H. Saw them last year at Mansfield Ma. and this was in the finally Brought the house down 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 I admit 70’s Styx was better. But it’s all good ❤️
@@MikeOstrowski-iq8wf When they kicked Dennis out of the band, only way to put it, they refused to play Mr. Roboto for a long time. But fans were demanding it and they caved. Considering that it went to #3, it was a fan favorite for the most part.
This really wasn't a vanity project by DeYoung. He was pissed off that Styx was being accused of backward masking on the song "Snowblind" from the "Paradise Theater" album. They maintain that there was no backward masking. But the PMRC (Parents Music Resource Center) persisted and initially pushed to have songs (by Styx and a bunch of other artists) with backward masking, sexually explicit lyrics, and / or lyrics glorifying violence or drugs banned, but when faced with pushback, they settled for having warning labels placed on albums. This entire album was an illustration of what the world would be like if groups like the PMRC was to be allowed free reign over what artists can produce and what we can hear.
This album had plenty of rock songs, but Dennis definitely was influenced to make it a concept album by the current hysteria at that time about rock leading kids to suicide or devil worship. He also, as a keyboard/synth player, was interested in the New Wave synth pop and incorporating some elements in Styx songs so they stayed relevant. Instead, Tommy Shaw and James Young were intent on staying only rock while the Panozzo brothers backed Dennis, and the band split up. Currently, Tommy and JY are touring as Styx without a single founding member playing with them and playing the same old songs, basically living off nostalgia - but without Dennis DeYoung's unique voice, they don't sound the same. Dennis is still writing songs in a variety of styles, including a few musicals, selling albums and touring on the strength of his eclectic style while saluting his friends, the Panozzos, who are gone now. I can only mourn what might have been if they had worked and compromised together to push Styx forward into new sounds, because the most legendary musicians either evolve, like the Beatles, or are left to become a relic of greatness from a specific time in history, like Led Zeppelin.
To fans of Styx from their early days when they played a harder edged rock, this track (and the whole album IMO) were an embarrassment. It took what they had done up to this point and almost made a comic book out of it and many of us hated this with a passion and I still do. Instead of being futuristic and techno-progressive it just sounded stupid to me. Just my take...but I'm certainly not alone, most critics were really negative about this.
your RX is totally on-point. at the time this came out, most styx fans were a bit unimpressed since it wasn't as 'hard rock' as some of their other stuff. but still is a catchy tune, i've actually come to like it more as time goes on than at first. still not as good as Renegade, Come Sail Away, Lady. But hey, still good!
