Indestructible (Robyn song)

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"Indestructible"
Single by Robyn
from the album Body Talk
Released1 November 2010 (2010-11-01)
RecordedApmamman Studios
(Stockholm, Sweden)
Genre
Length3:40
LabelKonichiwa
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Klas Åhlund
Robyn singles chronology
"Hang with Me"
(2010) 		"Indestructible"
(2010) 		"Cardiac Arrest"
(2011)
Music video
"Indestructible" on
YouTube

"Indestructible" is a song by Swedish recording artist Robyn, taken from her seventh studio album Body Talk (2010). The song was written by Robyn and Klas Åhlund, and produced by Åhlund. It was released as the lead single from Body Talk on 1 November 2010 in Sweden and one day later in the United States. The song was previously heard, in an acoustic form, as the final track on Body Talk Pt. 2, released in September 2010. The song was one of the first to be recorded for the Body Talk series, but Robyn saved it for later to give it a chance of becoming a single.

According to Robyn, "Indestructible" describes how meeting new people and falling in love can be scary and fun at the same time. The song is a

UK Dance Chart
.

The accompanying music video was directed by Max Vitali and Nils Ljunggren. It shows scenes of couples having sex, and cutscenes of Robyn wearing a special designed dress featuring tubes with colored liquid. Robyn wanted to make the video to show the truth about sex. The dress was designed by Lucy McRae, who specializes in "body architecture". An advanced machine was built to control the flow of the liquid and a kilometre of tubes were used. The video received positive reviews from critics, who called it honest and intriguing. Robyn performed the song at the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize Concert.

Background

"Indestructible" was written by Robyn and

Stockholm, Sweden. The strings in the song were arranged by Carl Bagge, and played by various cello and violin players.[1] The song alongside "Hang with Me" were among the first songs to be recorded for the Body Talk series, and Robyn said that she saved them for a later release because "[she] knew they would be singles, or could be singles, and [she] wanted them to get that chance."[2] Robyn described the song to The Macomb Daily as "a love song ... about what you can do in a club".[3] In an interview with MTV News, she elaborated on the song's theme and message, saying, "I think 'Indestructible' is a song that talks about what happens when you meet new people and fall in love, and how that can be scary and fun at the same time."[4]

An acoustic version of the song was featured on Body Talk Pt. 2, released in September 2010. The uptempo version was announced as the first single from Body Talk on 12 October 2010, and the single artwork was released on the same date.[5] The song premiered online on 14 October 2010, via Robyn's SoundCloud account.[6] The single was initially planned to be released on 17 November 2010 in Sweden,[6] but it was changed to 1 November 2010.[7] It was released in the United States on 2 November 2010.[8] A CD single was released in Germany on 18 February 2011.[9]

Composition

"Indestructible"
A 21-second sample of "Indestructible", featuring its strobe-like chorus and string sounds.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"Indestructible" is an uptempo ballad that uses

Pitchfork noted the "human quality" of Robyn's voice on the track, writing that it is "cloaked in waves of arpeggiated synth".[11]

The lyrics speak of a love connection,[12] where the protagonist makes bad decisions; "I never was smart with love, I let the bad ones in and the good ones go".[10] In the chorus, Robyn sings "I'm gonna love you like I've never been hurt before/I'm gonna love you like I'm indestructible."[14] Fraser McAlpine of BBC Music noted that Robyn sings "tough and knowing" and "pessimistically optimistic" lines, but manages to make it sound romantic for the listener.[10] Emma Gaedekke of Billboard commented on the lyrical content, saying, "Robyn's heartfelt vocal turn prevents the backing music from overwhelming her story of a love connection found at the tail-end of heartbreak."[12]

Critical reception

The song was met with critical acclaim. Nick Levine of

Pitchfork wrote a positive review of the song, saying that the drum machines on the track contrast well with the qualities of her voice. Lambert wrote, "“Indestructible” encapsulates the kind of freedom Robyn sings about; freedom from reductionist categories, unfair expectations, and life's daily indignities."[11]

Paul Davey of Drowned in Sound wrote that the song "sits comfortably alongside" previous singles "Hang with Me" and "Dancing on My Own". Davey referred "Indestructible" to as "an example of a pop-innovator at the top of her game".[18] Jonathan Keefe of Slant Magazine praised the song's production and named it one of Robyn's best singles. Keefe also named it the standout among the new songs on Body Talk.[14] Christian Hoard of Rolling Stone gave it three and a half out of five stars, and wrote that "[Robyn] sings an uncommonly elegant Europop melody".[13] Evan Sawdey of PopMatters compared the song negatively to the acoustic version, believing it was a bad choice to "swap out strings for synths". He wrote, "Robyn's voice gets lost amidst the laser lights, and its impact just isn't as strong". Sawdey, however, considered it "great [for] the dance floor".[15]

Chart performance

On the issue dated 17 September 2010 of the Sverigetopplistan chart, the acoustic version of "Indestructible" debuted and peaked at number fifty-four due to strong digital downloads.[19] The original version of the song debuted at number nine on the issue dated 12 November 2010, becoming Robyn's ninth top ten hit in the country. Three weeks later, it peaked at number four.[20] It was the thirtieth best-selling song of 2010 in Sweden.[21] In Denmark, the song debuted at number thirty-eight on the chart issue dated 12 November 2010, but fell off the chart next week. On 3 December 2010, it re-entered at number twenty-four and peaked at number thirteen on 21 January 2011. After thirteen non-consecutive weeks, the song fell off the chart dated 4 March 2011.[22] On 20 October 2011 the song was certified gold by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) for sales of 15,000 digital units in Denmark.[23]

"Indestructible" managed to chart at number 171 on the

Ultratip airplay chart.[26] In Germany, the song debuted at number fifty-six,[27] immediately becoming Robyn's highest-charting single in the country since "With Every Heartbeat" in 2007.[28]

Music video

A woman with platinum blonde hair is standing alone in front of a wall, wearing a dress with plastic tubes, filled with red and blue liquid, wrapped around her body.
Robyn wearing the "tube dress" in the music video for "Indestructible"

The music video for "Indestructible" was directed by Max Vitali and Nils Ljunggren. Vitali had previously worked with Robyn on the music videos for "Hang with Me" and "Dancing on My Own".[29] For the video, Australian artist Lucy McRae, who makes "body architecture", designed a special "tube dress" for Robyn to wear. McRae also designed the outfits Robyn wore on the Body Talk album covers.[4] The dress for the video was made up of plastic pipes that were periodically filled with colored fluids and wrapped around Robyn's body. Robyn recalled that the machine that kept the liquid flowing was "very complicated".[4] It was powered by drills and required "a whole lot of complex machinery to function". The machine was built by McRae, who had to do it quickly because of the video's budget.[4] McRae said, "Me and the dream team had never done anything like this before, the whole project was happening for the first time. The machine was super loud."[30] The shooting stopped four times due to leaks, and the team had to mop and re-set the technology. The shooting took twenty hours, and by 3 a.m. McRae said that Robyn was wrapped "in a kilometre of tubing draped over her head and body". She praised Robyn's stamina throughout the shoot, saying that "there were chaotic moments that could have been potentially disastrous and the entire time Robyn was working with us, smiling, moving when the tubes were stuck and just super happy we were making it happen."[30]

Due to the complex technology used to for the video, Robyn believed "It looked like 'MacGyver' on the set." She said that the video "[is] very much about [...] giving almost a physical experience of what it feels like to be on a dance floor or fall in love, whether it's blood or endorphins or other body fluids." She wanted to make a video about sex, but said that "in a way that wasn't so clichéd. [...] And [the video] is made to give you a picture of what sex really is, which I think is something that's very hard to do, because sex is everywhere all the time, but very rarely is it made out to be something real."[4] The video begins with a reversed scene of a young couple having sex.[31] In cutscenes, Robyn appears with a tube dress with clear liquid flowing through it. When the young woman begins to switch her sex partners, the liquid in the tubes wrapped around Robyn begins to alter colors and flow more quickly.[32] The video ends with Robyn standing alone with black liquid in the tubes.[33]

The music video premiered via Robyn's official

Caprica”." Katz compared Robyn's outfit to Rebecca Horn's "Overflowing Blood Machine".[34] DJ Ron Slomowicz of About.com called the video "creepy and confusing" and said, "Overall, it is a scintillating if not entirely clear video."[16]

Live performances

On 3 November 2010, Robyn performed the song alongside several other songs on the Myspace Secret Shows in London.

TV4. The song was mixed with the acoustic version for this performance.[38] She also performed the song during the Body Talk Tour.[39]

Formats and track listings

Credits and personnel

Source[1]

Charts and certifications

Release history

List of release dates, showing country, formats released, and record label
Country Release date Format(s) Label
Sweden[7] 1 November 2010 Digital download Konichiwa Records
United States[8] 2 November 2010 Interscope Records
Australia[48] 12 November 2010 Konichiwa Records
United Kingdom[40] 5 December 2010 Digital EP Universal Music
France[49] 13 December 2010
Netherlands[50] 28 January 2011
Germany[9] 18 February 2011 CD single Ministry of Sound
Various[42] 1 July 2016 Remix digital single Konichiwa

References

  1. ^ a b Body Talk (booklet). Robyn. Konichiwa Records. 2010.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. ^ Graff, Gary (2010-02-14). "Robyn to Continue Working in Mini-Album Format". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2011-05-26.
  3. Journal Register Company
    . Retrieved 2011-06-03.
  4. ^
    MTV Networks
    . Retrieved 2010-11-20.
  5. ^ Levine, Nick (2010-10-12). "Robyn announces new single details". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
  6. ^
    Pitchfork Media
    . Retrieved 2011-02-12.
  7. ^
    Apple, Inc
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  8. ^ a b c "Robyn – Indestructible MP3 downloads". us.7digital. Archived from the original on 2011-01-12. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
  9. ^
    Amazon.de
    (in German). Retrieved 2011-02-03.
  10. ^ a b c d e McAlpine, Fraser (2010-11-27). "Chart Blog: Robyn – 'Indestructible'". BBC Music. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
  11. ^
    Pitchfork Media
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  12. ^ a b c d e Gaedeke, Emma (2010-11-15). "Robyn, "Indestructible"". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2010-11-20.
  13. ^
    Wenner Media. Archived from the original
    on November 19, 2010. Retrieved 2010-11-20.
  14. ^ a b c Keefe, Jonathan (2010-11-21). "Robyn: Body Talk". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
  15. ^ a b Sawdey, Evan. "Robyn: Body Talk". PopMatters. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
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  17. ^ Levine, Nick (24 November 2010). "Music – Single Review – Robyn: 'Indestructible'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2011-06-05.
  18. ^ Davey, Paul (2010-11-25). "Robyn - Body Talk". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 2010-11-29. Retrieved 2011-06-11.
  19. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Singles Top 60 – 2010-09-17". Singles Top 60. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
  20. ^ a b "Robyn – Indestructible". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
  21. ^ a b "Årslista Singlar – 2010". Sverigetopplistan (in Swedish). Grammofon Leverantörernas Förening. Archived from the original on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2011-02-19.
  22. ^ a b "Robyn – Indestructible". Tracklisten. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
  23. ^ a b "Danish single certifications – Robyn – Indestructible". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
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  25. ^ a b "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
  26. ^ a b "Robyn – Indestructible" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
  27. ^ a b "Robyn – Indestructible (2track)" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
  28. Media Control Charts
    (in German). PhonoNet GmbH. Retrieved 2011-03-06.
  29. ^ "Robyn – "Indestructible" Video". Stereogum. Buzzmedia. 2010-10-28. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
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  32. ^ a b c Vick, Megan (2010-10-28). "Robyn Goes R-Rated for New 'Indestructible' Video". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
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  34. MTV Networks
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  35. ^ "Watch: Robyn's Entire Secret UK MySpace Show". The Round Table. 2010-12-01. Retrieved 2011-02-19.
  36. ^ "BBC Music Showcase – Robyn – Indestructible". BBC Music. British Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 2012-07-19. Retrieved 2011-02-05.
  37. Wenner Media
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  38. ^ Sundell, Camilla (2010-12-13). "Robyn sjunger på galan". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 2010-12-17. Retrieved 2011-02-05.
  39. ^ Mason, Kerri (2010-11-09). "Robyn Revs Up Miami's Fillmore". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
  40. ^ a b "Robyn – Indestructible MP3 downloads". 7digital. Archived from the original on 2010-12-25. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
  41. ^ "Robyn – Indestructible MP3 Single-Download". de.7digital (in German). Archived from the original on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2011-02-21.
  42. ^ a b "Indestructible (The Black Madonna)". Amazon Music. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
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  44. ^ "Robyn: Indestructible" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 2018-04-22.
  45. ^ "Jaaroverzicht Dance 2011". Ultratop (in Dutch). Retrieved 2012-01-05.
  46. ^ "Årslista Singlar – År 2011" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
  47. ^ "Danish single certifications – Robyn – Indestructible". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  48. Apple, Inc
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  49. ^ "Robyn – Indestructible Téléchargements MP3". fr.7digital (in French). Archived from the original on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2011-02-21.
  50. ^ "Robyn – Indestructible MP3 music downloads". nl.7digital (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2011-02-21.

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