Coin-Operated Boy

Album: The Dresden Dolls (2004)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Amanda Palmer, who was the lead singer and songwriter for The Dresden Dolls, wrote this tune about the benefits of an animatronic lover. In our interview with Amanda Palmer, she explained how the song came together: "I've got this funny little concept, and this funny little hook, and I'm just gonna sit here and bang it out, and not expect that anything's ever gonna come of it. In fact, Brian (Viglione, her Dresden Dolls partner) and I almost didn't work on that song, because we thought it was too silly. But we did. And interestingly, I think those songs are sometimes the ones that take root, because if you have the balls to take an idea like that and then actually see it through, orchestrate it, and then bring it in front of people… not everyone goes through all the steps that it takes to take some ironic little joke and then turn it into a full production."
  • Other songs that deal with human/robot bonding: "The Girl and the Robot" by Royksopp, "Electric Barbarella" by Duran Duran, and "Are 'Friends' Electric?" by Gary Numan.

Comments: 1

  • Cat from CtIt's about dildos, "coin operated boy"+"he is just a toy"+ "Made of Plastic and elastic" = a dildo and there's so many other examples too.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Lou Gramm - "Waiting For A Girl Like You"

Lou Gramm - "Waiting For A Girl Like You"They're Playing My Song

Gramm co-wrote this gorgeous ballad and delivered an inspired vocal, but the song was the beginning of the end of his time with Foreigner.

U2 Lyrics

U2 LyricsMusic Quiz

How well do you know the lyrics of U2?

Second Wind Songs

Second Wind SongsSong Writing

Some songs get a second life when they find a new audience through a movie, commercial, TV show, or even the Internet.

Joe Jackson

Joe JacksonSongwriter Interviews

Joe talks about the challenges of of making a Duke Ellington tribute album, and tells the stories behind some of his hits.

Matthew Wilder - "Break My Stride"

Matthew Wilder - "Break My Stride"They're Playing My Song

Wilder's hit "Break My Stride" had an unlikely inspiration: a famous record mogul who rejected it.

Queen

QueenFact or Fiction

Scaramouch, a hoople and a superhero soundtrack - see if you can spot the real Queen stories.