Mr. Roboto - Description and Background

Description and Background

The song's chorus features the line, "Dōmo arigatō, Mr. Roboto", which has become a catchphrase.

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. Robot

Until the day (we) meet again

Thank you very much, Mr. Robot

I want to know your secret

The song tells part of the 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 of robot which does menial jobs in the prison. Kilroy escapes the prison by overpowering a Roboto prison guard and hiding inside its emptied-out metal shell. When Jonathan Chance finally meets Kilroy, at the very end of the song, Kilroy unmasks and says, I'm Kilroy! Kilroy!, ending the song.

The robot-like catchphrase 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 the album 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.