"Strict Machine" is an electronic dance song written by British

electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electro ...

duo

Goldfrapp Goldfrapp are an English electronic music duo from London, formed in 1999. The duo consists of Alison Goldfrapp (vocals, synthesiser) and Will Gregory (synthesiser). Despite favourable reviews and a short-listing for the Mercury Prize, their ...

and Nick Batt for Goldfrapp's second studio album, '' Black Cherry'' (2003). It was produced by Goldfrapp and describes laboratory rats in

neuroscience Neuroscience is the science, scientific study of the nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system), its functions and disorders. It is a Multidisciplinary approach, multidisciplinary science that combines physiology, an ...

experiments.

Alison Goldfrapp Alison Elizabeth Margaret Goldfrapp (born 13 May 1966) is an English musician and record producer, known as the vocalist of English electronic music duo Goldfrapp. Early life Goldfrapp was born on 13 May 1966, in Enfield, London, the youngest ...

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 Gwendoline Tracey Philippa Christie (born 28 October 1978) is an English actress who is best known for portraying Brienne of Tarth in the HBO fantasy-drama series '' Game of Thrones'' (2012–2019). She is also widely known for her role the Firs ...

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 on 21 July 2003. It received a positive reception from music

critic A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as art, literature, music, cinema, theater, fashion, architecture, and food. Critics may also take as their subject social or gover ...

s and became the band's second single to appear in the top 30 on

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. On 10 May 2004, the song was re-issued and became Goldfrapp's first top-20 single in the UK. In the United States, "Strict Machine" was released to success on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

'' dance charts, where it reached the top position on the

Dance Club Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

chart and number three on the

Hot Dance Singles Sales In the issue dated March 16, 1985, ''Billboard'' magazine debuted its first chart devoted exclusively to 12-inch Singles Sales. The 50-position weekly ranking joined ''Billboard''s established Club Songs chart, reduced to the same 50 positions, ...

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 ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television ...

that the song was "a future S&M club anthem if ever there was one". Dorian Lynskey of ''

Blender A blender (sometimes called a mixer or liquidiser in British English) is a kitchen and laboratory appliance used to mix, crush, purée or emulsify food and other substances. A stationary blender consists of a blender container with a rotating me ...

'' magazine also linked "Strict Machine"'s lyrics to sadomasochism, and he compared it to

Donna Summer LaDonna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the " Queen of Disco", while her musi ...

's 1977

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric p ...

single " I Feel Love". In his review for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...

'',

Alexis Petridis Alexis Petridis ( el, Αλέξης Πετρίδης; born 13 September 1971) is a British journalist, head rock and pop critic for the UK newspaper ''The Guardian'', as well as a regular contributor to the magazine '' GQ''. In addition to his mus ...

likened the song's "tubthumping drums" to

Gary Glitter Paul Francis Gadd (born 8 May 1944), best known by his stage name Gary Glitter, is an English former singer, songwriter, and record producer. He achieved success during the glam rock era of the 1970s and 1980s, and his career ended after he ...

, 1980s

arena rock Arena rock (also known as AOR, melodic rock, stadium rock, anthem rock, pomp rock, corporate rock and dad rock; ; ) is a style of rock music that originated in the mid-1970s. As hard rock bands and those playing a softer yet strident kind of po ...

, 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 ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog. Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...

listed "Strict Machine" in their Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s at number 379.

Chart performance

The song became Goldfrapp's second top-30 single when it debuted at number twenty-five on the

singles chart A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, often in combination. These include rec ...

, and spent a total of six weeks in the top 75. Following the song's re-release in May 2004, it surpassed its previous chart position in the UK by re-charting at number 20, becoming Goldfrapp's first top-20 single. The song was also successful outside the UK. It reached number twenty-six in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

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 Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

, 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 Twist may refer to: In arts and entertainment Film, television, and stage * ''Twist'' (2003 film), a 2003 independent film loosely based on Charles Dickens's novel ''Oliver Twist'' * ''Twist'' (2021 film), a 2021 modern rendition of ''Olive ...

" and " Black Cherry" on the dance charts, "Strict Machine" was released in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. It became their first release to reach the top of the ''

Hot Dance Club Play Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as th ...

chart, where it remained for one week. It also performed well on the

chart, where it reached number three. The single sold over 170,000 copies worldwide.

Music video

The song's

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devic ...

, 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 Jonas Odell (born 10 November 1962 in Stockholm) is a Swedish music video and film director and founder of FilmTecknarna. Odell, who specializes in a mix of animation and live action, has directed a number of short films, music videos and commerci ...

. 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 Stockholm () is the capital and largest city of Sweden as well as the largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people live in the municipality, with 1.6 million in the urban area, and 2.4 million in the metropo ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...

Formats and track listings

These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Strict Machine". * CD single 1 (UK) #"Strict Machine" (Single Mix) – 3:45 #"White Soft Rope" – 4:30 #"Hairy Trees" (Live in London)* – 6:48 * CD single 2 (UK) #"Strict Machine" ( Ewan Pearson Instrumental Remix) – 5:53 #"Strict Machine" (Rowan's Remix) – 6:03 #"Train" (Ewan Pearson Dub) – 7:46 * DVD single (UK) #"Strict Machine" (Ewan's Stripped Machine Remix) – 8:33 #"Deep Honey" (Live in London)* – 4:45 #" Lovely Head" (Live in London) (Video)** – 4:01 * CD single 1 (UK) (2004) #"Strict Machine" (Single Mix) – 3:42 #"Strict Machine" (

Benny Benassi Marco "Benny" Benassi (; born 13 July 1967) is an Italian DJ, record producer and remixer. He is widely seen as a pioneer of electro house, a genre brought into the mainstream by his 2002 summer club hit " Satisfaction". He started his career ...

Sfaction Edit) – 3:29 * CD single 2 (UK) (2004) #"Strict Machine" (Paris Loaded) – 3:39 #"Strict Machine" (We Are Glitter) – 6:28 #"Strict Machine" (Benny Benassi Sfaction Extended Mix) – 6:50 #"Strict Machine" (Benny Benassi Dub) – 6:26 * DVD single (UK) (2004) #"Strict Machine" ( Calderone + Suryanto Mix Edit) (Audio) — 8:09 #"Sartorius" (Live)*** – 4:52 #"Deer Stop" (Live)** – 4:18 * Digital single 1 #"Strict Machine" (Single Mix) – 3:42 #"White Soft Rope" – 4:30 #"Hairy Trees" (Live in London)* – 6:48 #"Strict Machine" (Ewan Pearson Instrumental Remix) – 5:52 #"Strict Machine" (Rowan's Mix) – 6:07 #"Train" (Ewan Pearson Dub) – 7:42 #"Strict Machine" (Ewan's Stripped Machine Mix) – 8:27 #"Deep Honey" (Live in London)* – 4:41 #"Strict Machine" (Peter Rauhofer UK Mix) – 5:42 #"Strict Machine" (Peter Rauhofer NYC Mix) – 8:31 #"Strict Machine" (Ewan Pearson Extended Vocal) – 8:46 * Digital single 2 #"Strict Machine" (Single Mix) – 3:42 #"Strict Machine" (Benny Benassi Sfaction Edit) – 3:29 #"Strict Machine" (Paris Loaded) – 3:38 #"Strict Machine" (We Are Glitter) – 6:29 #"Strict Machine" (Benny Benassi Sfaction Extended Mix) – 6:50 #"Strict Machine" (Benny Benassi Dub) – 6:25 #"Strict Machine" (Calderone and Suryanto Mix) – 12:02 * *Recorded at

ULU An ulu ( iu, ᐅᓗ, plural: ''uluit'', 'woman's knife') is an all-purpose knife traditionally used by Inuit, Iñupiat, Yupik, and Aleut women. It is utilized in applications as diverse as skinning and cleaning animals, cutting a child's hair, cu ...

, 6 March 2003. * **Filmed at Shepherd's Bush Empire, 4 December 2001. * ***Filmed at

La Route du Rock LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...

, 11 August 2001.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Covers

U.K. garage trio Band of Skulls performed a folk version of the song for Australia's

Triple J Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greater emphasis on broad ...

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 "Can the Can" is the second solo single by American singer-songwriter Suzi Quatro and her first to reach number one in the UK, spending a single week at the top of the chart in June 1973. It also reached number one on the European and Australi ...

", in order to show the similarity of the two tunes. Jon O'Brien of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

wrote that Quatro's "Strict Machine" is

"a guitar-chugging mash-up of Goldfrapp's electro-pop reinvention in "Strict Machine"; ithher 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".

References

External links

Goldfrapp's official website
{{Authority control 2003 singles 2003 songs 2004 singles Goldfrapp songs Mute Records singles Songs about BDSM Songs written by Alison Goldfrapp Songs written by Will Gregory Suzi Quatro songs