Robots

This tune is one of Dan Mangan's most beloved songs that first garnered him radio attention in Canada when it was released in 2009. It finds him reflecting on being isolated and separated from the world and urging himself not to waste the days away. But don't, don't, don't Don't let them go Don't, don't, don't, don't Don't let them go to waste The fire in my eye Is fleeting now Your robot heart is bleeding

In the liner notes for Mangan's sophomore album Nice, Nice, Very Nice, he wrote about this song: "My cell phone died and I went for five days without a mobile before a new one arrived in the mail. The first day was terrifying – the other four were glorious." The lyrics to the ending could be relating to Mangan's phone dying: And I've spent half of my life In the customer service line Flaws in the design A sign of the times And that little voice In the back of your mind Just wants you to know Just hopes you know Robots need love too They want to be loved by you

In 2009, Mangan spoke to Exclaim! about the unexpected success of this song: "I had a friend text me the other day and tell me that he was driving along the #1 highway and someone had written on the back of a dirty car: 'Robots need love, too.' It's amazing when something gets beyond the periphery of people you know and the places that you've played and all of a sudden it's not owned by you. There are many aspects of my life for which I feel incredibly blessed and fortunate, and I think stumbling upon that song is one of them. I don't know where that came from but to the cosmos, thank you." He continues about the tune's catchiness. "I find that I've been apologizing to people," he said. "I keep hearing, 'it's been in my head for two weeks!' and I'm like, 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry!' There's almost something chromatic about that melody. It sort of sounds like eight billion other songs but then again, it doesn't sound like any song at all. I think I just stumbled upon a weird melody hook that feels really familiar. And it's instantly repeatable. I've been doing the live sing-along thing at shows now for a little while and if an audience is engaged enough to participate in that then it's amazing how quickly they get it. It's bizarrely memorable." He goes on about the quirky but thought-provoking lyrics in it. "The lyrics are kind of absurd, when you think about it," he said. "And then I have a hard time deciphering between is it kitschy or is it more artistic than that? I'm always so cautious of being too aware of myself and taking myself too seriously and that was something after the last record that I really learned: that I needed to be a little less serious with the songs and a little bit more playful. And I think that writing 'Robots' was an exercise in me trying to look outside the box a little in that regard."