# The Robots

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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](/source/And_None_of_Them_Knew_They_were_Robots).

For other uses, see [Robot (disambiguation)](/source/Robot_(disambiguation)).

"**The Robots**" (German: *"**Die Roboter**"*) is a single by German [electronic](/source/Electronic_music) group [Kraftwerk](/source/Kraftwerk), which was released in 1978. The single and its [B-side](/source/A-side_and_B-side), "Spacelab", both appeared on the band's seventh album, *[The Man-Machine](/source/The_Man-Machine)* (1978). However, the songs as they appear on the single were edited into shorter versions. It charted at number 25 in West Germany, number 39 on the US *[Billboard](/source/Billboard_(magazine))* [Dance Club Songs](/source/Dance_Club_Songs) chart, and number 23 in Austria.

## Composition

Lyrically, the song discusses the role of [robots](/source/Robot) as subservient workers to humans. The [Russian](/source/Russian_language) 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](/source/Bridge_(music)) are spoken in a pitched-down voice; the line references the [Slavic](/source/Slavic_languages) [origins of the word *robot*](/source/Robot#Etymology). The main lyrics ("We're charging our batteries, and now we're full of energy...") were produced by [vocal synthesis](/source/Vocal_synthesis) and processed through a [vocoder](/source/Vocoder).

The song's refrain became a major identifying symbol for the band, and has been frequently referenced: [Wolfgang Flür](/source/Wolfgang_Fl%C3%BCr), 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](/source/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](/source/Tai_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](/source/Billboard_(magazine))* and *[The Guardian](/source/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](/source/Curtain_raiser_song) in many movie theaters across [South India](/source/South_India).[10]

## Track listing

**1978 7-inch single**

## 1991 re-issue

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](/source/The_Mix_(Kraftwerk_album))* (1991). It charted in several European countries, reaching number 52 on the [Eurochart Hot 100](/source/Eurochart_Hot_100). A new music video was also produced to promote the single.

### Critical reception

[David Stubbs](/source/David_Stubbs) from *[Melody Maker](/source/Melody_Maker)* named "The Robots" Single of the Week, stating that the remix "is still outstanding — unspoilt by a slight [house](/source/House_music) adaption, it's a perfect example of [Kraftwerk](/source/Kraftwerk)'s exact science and deadpan wit. The first, and still the best."[11] Pan-European magazine *[Music & Media](/source/Music_%26_Media)* wrote, "The pioneers of [synthesizer pop](/source/Synth-pop) live up to their reputation. Hi-tech for [EHR](/source/European_Hit_Radio)."[12] Sherman from *[NME](/source/New_Musical_Express)* 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**

**1991 12-inch single**

**1991 CD single**

**Cassette single**

### Charts

Chart (1991) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[14] 161 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[15] 52 Israel (Israeli Singles Chart)[16] 24 Luxembourg (Radio Luxembourg)[17] 13 UK Airplay (Music Week)[18] 60 UK Dance (Music Week)[19] 32 UK Club Chart (Record Mirror)[20] 76 US Hot Dance Club Play (Billboard)[citation needed] 42 US Hot Dance Singles Sales (Billboard)[citation needed] 42

## References

1. ["Kraftwerk: I Was a Robot – Reviewed by Troy Southgate"](http://www.rosenoire.org/reviews/fluh-robot.php). SYNTHESIS. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20111015041006/http://www.rosenoire.org/reviews/fluh-robot.php) 15 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 18 September 2008.

1. ["Kraftwerk: We Are the Robots"](https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/pip/xmwmq/). [BBC](/source/BBC). Retrieved 17 September 2008.

1. Strauss, Neil (15 June 1997). ["Call Them the Beatles Of Electronic Dance Music"](https://www.nytimes.com/1997/06/15/arts/call-them-the-beatles-of-electronic-dance-music.html?scp=2&sec=&spon=&sq=kraftwerk%2520the%2520robots&st=cse). *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)*. Retrieved 17 September 2008.

1. Strauss, Neil (11 June 1998). ["ARTS ABROAD; Hardly a Pocket Calculator: Kraftwerk's Studio Goes on Tour"](https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C02E7D7133AF932A25755C0A96E958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=2). *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)*. Retrieved 17 September 2008.

1. Ratliff, Ben (15 June 1998). ["POP REVIEW; It's a Techno World, With Nothing to Fear From Gears and Switches"](https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D06E0DE143DF936A25755C0A96E958260&scp=6&sq=kraftwerk%20the%20robots&st=cse). *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)*. Retrieved 18 September 2008.

1. Pareles, Jon (3 June 2005). ["The Live Concert Experience, as Mechanized as Possible"](https://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/03/arts/music/03kraf.html?_r=1&oref=slogin). *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)*. Retrieved 17 September 2008.

1. ["Still Krafty after all these years"](http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/still-krafty-after-all-these-years-1475485.html). *[Irish Independent](/source/Irish_Independent)*. 15 September 2008. Retrieved 16 September 2008.

1. Zlatopolsky, Ashley (May 6, 2020). ["Kraftwerk's 10 Best Songs: Staff Picks"](https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/kraftwerk-best-songs-florian-schneider-top-10-9372449/). *[Billboard](/source/Billboard_(magazine))*. Retrieved April 24, 2022.

1. Simpson, Dave (May 7, 2020). ["Kraftwerk: their 30 greatest songs, ranked!"](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/may/07/kraftwerk-their-30-greatest-songs-ranked). *[The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian)*. Retrieved April 24, 2022.

1. Aanavandi (2019-11-05). ["Original Version of Thrissur Ragam Theatre Curtain Rising Music - Aanavandi Travel Blog"](https://www.aanavandi.com/blog/original-version-of-thrissur-ragam-theatre-curtain-rising-music/). Retrieved 2023-09-14.

1. Stubbs, David (25 May 1991). ["Singles"](https://www.flickr.com/photos/nothingelseon/52363304458/). *[Melody Maker](/source/Melody_Maker)*. p. 33. Retrieved 29 April 2023.

1. ["Review: Singles"](https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1991/MM-1991-06-08.pdf). *[Music & Media](/source/Music_%26_Media)*. Vol. 8, no. 23. 8 June 1991. p. 12. Retrieved 14 December 2022.

1. Sherman (15 June 1991). ["Sure Beats Werking"](https://www.flickr.com/photos/nothingelseon/52379229986/). *[NME](/source/New_Musical_Express)*. p. 39. Retrieved 29 April 2023.

1. ["Kraftwerk chart history, received from ARIA on 8 October 2021"](https://i.imgur.com/wtYPyff.jpeg). Imgur.com. Retrieved 20 June 2024. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart. This only contains chart peaks from the ARIA-produced chart (June 1988 onwards) era.

1. ["Eurochart Hot 100"](https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1991/MM-1991-06-22.pdf). *[Music & Media](/source/Music_%26_Media)*. Vol. 8, no. 25. 22 June 1991. p. 21. Retrieved 14 December 2022.

1. [Israeli Singles Chart. 30 June 1991.](https://pizmonet.co.il/wiki/30.6.1991)

1. [Radio Luxembourg Singles. 9 June 1991.](http://www.umdmusic.com/default.asp?Lang=English&Chart=F&ChDate=19910616&ChMode=P)

1. ["Playlist Chart"](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1991/MW-1991-06-22.pdf). *[Music Week](/source/Music_Week)*. 22 June 1991. p. 14. Retrieved 17 October 2025.

1. ["Top 60 Dance Singles"](https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1991/MW-1991-06-01.pdf). *[Music Week](/source/Music_Week)*. 1 June 1991. p. 22. Retrieved 27 September 2020.

1. ["The Record Mirror Club Chart"](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1991/MW-1991-05-18.pdf). *[Music Week](/source/Music_Week), in [Record Mirror](/source/Record_Mirror) (Dance Update Supplemental Insert)*. 18 May 1991. p. 8. Retrieved 7 September 2025.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [The Robots](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Robots) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Robots?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.