Strict Machine


"Strict Machine" is an electronic dance song written by British group Goldfrapp and Nick Batt for their second studio album Black Cherry. It was produced by Goldfrapp and describes laboratory rats in neuroscience experiments. Alison Goldfrapp read in a newspaper about experiments in which scientists stimulated rats' brains so that the rats would feel joy when following commands. She was inspired to write "Strict Machine" based on images of the experiment and "more human aspects of machines and sex and control". Actress Gwendoline Christie features on the record sleeve disguised in a rabbit mask.
Wonderful Electric, Goldfrapp's concert tour DVD in support of Black Cherry, was named after lyrics in the song.

Release and reception

The song was released as the album's second single in July 2003. It received a positive reception from music critics and became the band's second single to appear in the top thirty on singles charts in the United Kingdom. In May 2004, the song was re-issued and became Goldfrapp's first top twenty single in the UK. In the United States, "Strict Machine" was released to success on the Billboard dance charts, where it reached the top position on the Dance Club chart and number three on the Hot Dance Singles Sales chart. The song won the dance award at the 49th Ivor Novello Awards.

Critical reception

"Strict Machine" received positive reviews from music critics. In a review for the NME, Peter Robinson called it "a solid gold, honest-to-goodness hit record which should be Number One immediately." Andy Hermann wrote for PopMatters that the song was "a future S&M club anthem if ever there was one". Dorian Lynskey of Blender magazine also linked "Strict Machine"'s lyrics to sadomasochism, and he compared it to Donna Summer's 1977 disco single "I Feel Love". In his review for The Guardian, Alexis Petridis likened the song's "tubthumping drums" to Gary Glitter, 1980s arena rock, and hardstep, adding that "the end result is not only fantastic, but quiveringly sexy to boot".
In August 2009, American music web site Pitchfork Media listed "Strict Machine" in their Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s at number 379.

Chart performance

On 21 July 2003, "Strict Machine" was released in the United Kingdom. The song became Goldfrapp's second top thirty single when it debuted at number twenty-five on the singles chart, and spent a total of six weeks in the top seventy-five. The song was re-released on 10 May 2004 and surpassed its previous chart position in the UK by recharting at number twenty, becoming Goldfrapp's first top twenty single.
The song was also successful outside the UK. It reached number twenty-six in Canada and became Goldfrapp's first single release to chart in the country. Although the single sold considerably, "Strict Machine" did not chart on the Canadian BDS Airplay chart, receiving most of its sales from its fans in the dance clubs. In Australia, the song peaked at number fifty-four and would remain as Goldfrapp's only single to chart in the country until the release of "Ooh La La" in 2005.
After the favourable reception of "Twist" and "Black Cherry" on the dance charts, "Strict Machine" was released in the United States. It became their first release to reach the top of the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart, where it remained for one week. It also performed well on the Hot Dance Singles Sales chart, where it reached number three. The single sold over 170,000 copies worldwide.

Music video

The song's music video, a mixture of graphic and live action segments, builds upon the art direction featured on the band's album and single covers. Throughout the video, Alison Goldfrapp is surrounded by black and white animated backgrounds, Siberian Husky-headed dancers, and colourful butterflies. The video uses kaleidoscopic layouts and dense graphic designs.
The music video was directed by Jonas Odell. The settings' architecture is inspired by the work of Archigram. Goldfrapp and her back-up dancers were filmed in London against a bluescreen. The animated sequences were done by Odell's Filmtecknarna studio in Stockholm, Sweden.

Formats and track listings

These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Strict Machine".
  1. "Strict Machine" — 3:45
  2. "White Soft Rope" — 4:30
  3. "Hairy Trees" * — 6:48
  4. "Deep Honey" * — 4:45
  5. "Strict Machine" — 5:53
  6. "Strict Machine" — 6:03
  7. "Train" — 7:46
  1. "Strict Machine" — 3:45
  2. "White Soft Rope" — 4:30
  3. "Hairy Trees" * — 6:48
  1. "Strict Machine" — 5:53
  2. "Strict Machine" — 6:03
  3. "Train" — 7:46
  1. "Strict Machine" — 8:33
  2. "Deep Honey" * — 4:45
  3. "Lovely Head" ** — 4:01
  1. "Strict Machine" — 12:02
  2. "Strict Machine" — 8:33
  3. "Strict Machine" — 5:42
  4. "Strict Machine" — 8:31
  5. "Strict Machine" — 3:45
  6. "Strict Machine" — 6:53
  7. "Strict Machine" — 8:46
  1. "Strict Machine" — 3:42
  2. "White Soft Rope" — 4:30
  3. "Hairy Trees" * — 6:48
  4. "Strict Machine" — 5:52
  5. "Strict Machine" — 6:07
  6. "Train" — 7:42
  7. "Strict Machine" — 8:27
  8. "Deep Honey" * — 4:41
  9. "Strict Machine" — 5:42
  10. "Strict Machine" — 8:31
  11. "Strict Machine" — 8:46
  1. "Strict Machine" — 3:42
  2. "Strict Machine" — 3:29
  3. "Strict Machine" — 3:38
  4. "Strict Machine" — 6:29
  5. "Strict Machine" — 6:50
  6. "Strict Machine" — 6:25
  7. "Strict Machine" — 12:02
  1. "Strict Machine" — 3:42
  2. "Strict Machine" — 3:29
  1. "Strict Machine" — 3:39
  2. "Strict Machine" — 6:28
  3. "Strict Machine" — 6:50
  4. "Strict Machine" — 6:26
  1. "Strict Machine" — 8:09
  2. "Sartorius" *** — 4:52
  3. "Deer Stop" ** — 4:18
  1. "Strict Machine" — 6:50
  2. "Strict Machine" — 6:28
  3. "Strict Machine" — 3:42
  1. "Strict Machine" — 3:45
  2. "White Soft Rope" — 4:30
  3. "Hairy Trees" * — 6:48
  4. "Strict Machine" — 6:07
  5. "Strict Machine" — 12:02
  6. "Strict Machine" — 8:31
  7. "Strict Machine" — 5:42
  8. "Strict Machine" — 6:53
  9. "Strict Machine" — 8:31
1 2004 reissue

Covers

U.K. garage trio Band of Skulls performed a folk version of the song for Australia's Triple J radio station.
Suzi Quatro covered the track for her 2011 album, In the Spotlight. The lyrics of Quatro's version of the song contain two extra lines from her number one hit "Can the Can", in order to show the similarity of the two tunes. Jon O'Brien of AllMusic wrote that Quatro's "Strict Machine" is
"a guitar-chugging mash-up of Goldfrapp's electro-pop reinvention in "Strict Machine"; her own 1973 U.K. chart-topper "Can the Can," cleverly referencing the subtle similarities between the two;...".

On 16 November 2011 the music video for Quatro's "Strict Machine" was released via the SUZI QUATRO OFFICIAL YouTube channel. It was produced by Victory Tischler-Blue, formerly Vicky Blue of The Runaways, and includes the extra two lines from "Can the Can".