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Röyksopp - The Girl And The Robot

Music Video | Norway | 2009
ArtistRöyksopp
DirectorMichael Baldwin
SynopsisNot lip-synching singer Robyn is seen relaxing and longing in a bedroom while a red robot is doing gardening and general chores.
NoteThe gardening robot can be read as a reference to the 1972 sci-fi feature film Silent Running.
SingerRobyn

Wiki

Synopsis

Robyn plays a lonely woman who purchases a humanoid robot as a romantic partner. While she waits at home, the robot works in a greenhouse, tending plants with mechanical precision. Their relationship gradually reveals an emotional mismatch: she longs for affection and companionship, while he remains absorbed in his programmed duties. Royksopp appear as dubious robot salesmen, framing the romance as a doomed transaction from the outset. The video uses parallel movements, match cuts, and dissolves to connect the woman's isolation with the robot's repetitive routine.

Factoids & Trivia

  • The video was filmed in London on April 27, 2009, and released online on May 21, 2009.
  • Robyn does not lip-sync in the video. The creative idea was to make her vocal feel internal, as though her thoughts are being heard rather than performed directly to camera.
  • Royksopp's Svein Berge and Torbjorn Brundtland make a rare on-screen appearance as sleazy robot salesmen. It was reportedly their first appearance in one of the duo's own videos.
  • The robot was built from scratch for the production rather than created primarily through digital effects. Model maker Jack Kirby worked on the suit and construction over an intensive ten-day period.
  • The greenhouse setting was chosen to introduce a fertility metaphor: the robot can nurture plant life, but cannot provide the emotional or physical relationship the girl wants.
  • Much of the robot's movement was designed to echo Robyn's actions, even though the characters occupy separate spaces. The production achieved this through match cuts and dissolves rather than relying heavily on special effects.
  • The song appears on Royksopp's 2009 album "Junior" and features Robyn as vocalist and co-writer.

Lyrics

I go mental every time you leave for work
You never seem to know when to stop
I never know when you'll return
I'm in love with a robot

In the night, call you up and
Wanna know when you're coming home
Don't deny me, call me back
I'm so alone

In the night, wait up for you
Even though you don't want me to
Go to bed, leave the lights on
What's the use
...
© Röyksopp - The Girl And The Robot. This is an excerpt, provided as citation under fair-use.
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