Styx -- Mr. Roboto

 

I remember seeing the music video for Styx's "Mr. Roboto" as a teen on Canada's premier music program "The New Music" and there was some narration about a rock opera ("Kilroy was Here") that was being produced at the time featuring the band and other actors. Never heard any more from it, but the chief song "Mr. Roboto" has been the main aspect that has survived all these years, and apparently the lyric by vocalist Dennis DeYoung, "Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto" is now part of the English vernacular. When one would use it in polite conversation is beyond me, however.

Still, the technopop/technorock "Mr. Roboto" caught my ears and at the time, I was keenly attuned to anything that had synthesizers connected to it, and of course, there was my whole fascination with Japan, so you can imagine how hyped I was at hearing Japanese being sung in an American rock song. At the time though, I could only understand that lyric of "Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto" and it wouldn't be until some time later, I finally figured out what the other Japanese was (domo arigato, four years of university Japanese language training). 

"Mr. Roboto" hit No. 1 in Canada and No. 3 in the United States.

So, what was hitting the top of the charts at around the time "Mr. Roboto" was released on February 11th 1983? Well, we've got the Top 3 of the February 14th 1983 Oricon singles chart.

1. Seiko Matsuda -- Himitsu no Hanazono （秘密の花園）

2. Masahiko Kondo -- Midnight Station（ミッドナイト・ステーション）

3. Eisaku Ohkawa -- Sazanka no Yado （さざんかの宿）