Sad Machine

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"Sad Machine"
Single by Porter Robinson
from the album Worlds
ReleasedMay 13, 2014
Recorded2014
GenreSynth-pop
Length5:51
LabelAstralwerks
Songwriter(s)Porter Robinson
Producer(s)Porter Robinson
Porter Robinson singles chronology
"Sea of Voices"
(2014) 		"Sad Machine"
(2014) 		"Lionhearted"
(2014)

"Sad Machine" is a song recorded by American electronic music producer Porter Robinson. It was released on May 13, 2014 as the second single from his debut studio album, Worlds (2014). Robinson had the concept of a duet between a robot and a human — these vocals are provided by a Vocaloid voice and Robinson himself, respectively. He wanted the song to contain elements of fiction and nostalgia. Critics noted inspirations from synth-pop, Passion Pit, and M83. "Sad Machine" charted on Billboard's Dance/Electronic Songs and received a gold certification in the United States.

Composition

"I just thought the notion of a human and robot duet was something that was really beautiful and touching to me. And that vibe really evoked the whole feeling of fantasy and fiction and escapism that I wanted the album to have."

 — Robinson in an interview with Cuepoint.[1]

"Sad Machine" was the last song Robinson wrote for his debut studio album, Worlds. He said it's his favorite song from the album.[2] Robinson described the tone of the song to be "[f]ragile and vulnerable [...] but wistful and nostalgic." The track is 88.5 beats per minute, half of 177, the latter of which Robinson wished to imply with the lead synth in the beginning of the song. He wished for the listener to anticipate a drum and bass beat and become caught off guard when the song revealed its actual tempo.[3]

"Sad Machine"
On "Sad Machine", Robinson duets with
Avanna, a Vocaloid
voice.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Robinson described the track as a "duet between a lonely robot girl and the human boy." He wished to create something that felt "distantly sad, a little cute, surreal, hopeful, and maybe somehow evocative of fiction?".

Avanna to provide the lead vocals for the song.[1][5] The male vocals on the track are provided by Robinson himself, marking the first of Robinson's own tracks that he uses his own vocals on.[4][a] Larry Fitzmaurice of Pitchfork described Robinson's voice as high-range and described its use as the lead vocal as "quite [effective]".[6] The track has "cheap little general-midi interludes" reminiscent of Nintendo 64 and old computer games, which are nostalgic to Robinson, helping "Sad Machine" to feel "fantastical and fictional" in his view.[4]

Tatiana Cirisano of

Consequence of Sound's Derek Staples comparing it to their album Manners.[9] Las Vegas Weekly's Mike Prevatt identified inspirations from M83 and Sigur Rós.[10] Chris DeVille of Stereogum wrote that the song "splits the difference between M83's astral splendor and Passion Pit's hyperactive synth-pop".[11]

Release and reception

Originally, "Flicker" would be the album's second single, after "Sea of Voices". However, he then wrote "Sad Machine" and decided to change the song three days before it came out, as he "knew [...] [it] needed to be the next [song] that was put out". According to Robinson, this caused "mayhem" at the label because "it is a fucking nightmare to get something like that done".[12] The track was premiered by The Fader on May 12, 2014, and released officially a day later, with Robinson revealing Worlds' release date.[4][13] A lyric video was released on the 21st.[14] A remix by Deon Custom appeared on Worlds Remixed (2015).[15]

Duncan Cooper of

AXS said that the track goes to the "dreamier side of electronic music", describing it as "[h]eroic and awe-inspiring".[16] Rupert Howe of Q highlighted it in his review of Worlds, along with "Divinity" and "Goodbye to a World".[17] Samuel Tolzmann wrote to Spectrum Culture that, while the single was "pleasant", it lacked cohesion.[18]

Billboard's Matt Medved considered it the third best electronic or dance song of 2014 and "one of the year's most unique releases".[19] In 2015, Spin named it the 40th greatest electronic dance music (EDM) anthem of the first half of the 2010s, with Harley Brown describing as "[o]ne of the most soulful electronic tracks ever", containing "tinkling, cloud-like melodies [that are] beautiful and sad and soaring", as well as being "more unforgettable" when compared to other songs by Robinson.[20] In 2017, Billboard named "Sad Machine" the second best track off Robinson's discography, with Cirisano describing it as "stunning".[7] The same year, Vice named it the seventh best EDM song of all time; Colin Joyce said that the track "shows part of what makes Robinson so great: he can anthropomorphize machines, lending feeling to heaps of metal and silicon".[21] "Sad Machine" charted on Billboard's Dance/Electronic Songs at number 29[22] and received a gold certification in the United States.[23]

Charts

Chart performance for "Sad Machine"
Chart (2014) Peak
position
US Hot Dance/Electronic Songs (Billboard)[22] 29

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[23] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Version Region Date Format(s) Label
Original Worldwide May 13, 2014
Astralwerks
Deon Custom Remix October 15, 2015

Notes

  1. ^ In the past, he had provided backing vocals for Zedd's single "Clarity".[1]

References

  1. ^
    Cuepoint. Archived
    from the original on August 3, 2017. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  2. ^ Masley, Ed (September 10, 2014). "Interview: Porter Robinson on the making of Worlds". The Arizona Republic. Archived from the original on February 13, 2024. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  3. ^ "Sad Machine - Commentary" Archived March 16, 2024, at the Wayback Machine. Worlds Commentary. Porter Robinson. 2014. Spotify. Sample Sized.
  4. ^ a b c d e Medved, Matt (May 13, 2014). "Porter Robinson Drops 'Sad Machine' Single, Reveals Release Date for Worlds Album". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 25, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  5. ^ Brown, Harley (June 30, 2014). "'I Expected a Backlash': Porter Robinson Talks 'Virtual' Music, Denouncing EDM, and Online Games". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 14, 2024. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Fitzmaurice, Larry (August 11, 2014). "Porter Robinson: Worlds". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on August 14, 2014. Retrieved August 17, 2014.
  7. ^ a b Cirisano, Tatiana (July 6, 2017). "Porter Robinson's 10 Best Songs: Critic's Picks". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  8. ^ Kellman, Andy. "Worlds – Porter Robinson". AllMusic. Archived from the original on August 11, 2014. Retrieved August 17, 2014.
  9. Consequence of Sound. Archived
    from the original on August 15, 2014. Retrieved August 17, 2014.
  10. ^ Prevatt, Mike (September 3, 2014). "CD Review: Porter Robinson's Worlds". Las Vegas Weekly. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  11. ^ "The 5 Best Songs of the Week". Stereogum. May 16, 2014. Archived from the original on April 2, 2024. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
  12. ^ Greene, Scott (October 31, 2014). "Your EDM Exclusive Interview: Porter Robinson On Worlds". Your EDM. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  13. ^ a b Cooper, Duncan (May 12, 2014). "Hear Porter Robinson, Post-EDM's Greatest Hope, Duet with a Robot on 'Sad Machine'". The Fader. Archived from the original on February 28, 2024. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  14. ^ Porter Robinson - Sad Machine (Official Lyric Video). PorterRobinsonVEVO. May 21, 2024. Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved February 15, 2024 – via YouTube.
  15. ^ Middleton, Ryan (October 5, 2015). "Porter Robinson Worlds Remixed Released: Odesza, Mat Zo, Sleepy Tom Featured". Music Times. Archived from the original on September 20, 2016. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  16. AXS. Archived from the original
    on August 16, 2014. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  17. ^ Howe, Rupert (September 2014). "Porter Robinson: Worlds". Q (338): 112.
  18. ^ Tolzmann, Samuel (September 3, 2014). "Porter Robinson: Worlds - Album Review". Spectrum Culture. Archived from the original on October 10, 2023. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  19. ^ Medved, Matt (December 11, 2014). "The 10 Best Electronic/Dance Songs of 2014". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 30, 2024. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
  20. ^ "These Will Be the Years: The 100 Greatest EDM Anthems of the '10s". Spin. May 28, 2015. Archived from the original on September 29, 2022. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  21. ^ "The 101 Best EDM Songs of All Time". Vice. July 12, 2017. Archived from the original on November 22, 2022. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  22. ^ a b "Porter Robinson Chart History (Hot Dance/Electronic Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  23. ^ a b "American single certifications – Porter Robinson – Sad Machine". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 18, 2021.

External links

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