The Boomers generation received a bit of bad press lately. The media's primary narrative of Baby Boomers is about aging, and about becoming a burden to the next generation(s). Well, yes, but we (Boomers) created the world we are living in now, for good or for bad, and we also paved the way in entertainment, culture and music. And we still have a role to play.
Let’s look at the music created by ‘Kraftwerk’. Over 40 years ago, the German ultra-modern electronic band released a forward pointing record with the title ‘The Robots’. As stated by the band: "We live in a computer world, so we made a song about it”. In fact, they recorded many more songs, featuring topics such as home computers and digital communication. Anyhow, despite the theme of futurism, the production of their albums was completely analogue, and did not involve any computer technology.
In ‘The Robots’, we hear lyrics such as ‘We're charging our battery - and now we're full of energy’ and ‘We are programmed just to do - anything you want us to’. What we are now facing from the results of ongoing technical developments, human skills are indeed being replaced by bots and machines. Another one of Kraftwerk’s songs, ‘Computer Love’ (‘I don't know what to do - I need a rendezvous’), is a prophetic song about finding love via the computer. It was released in 1981, long before the existence of dating apps and cybersex.
Looking at the present day, their futuristic tunes have never been so relevant; you can even order humanised sex dolls. Is this the final answer for all interpersonal challenges and derealisation? As every version of reality is possible nowadays, our ‘Booming’ heroine has just got herself a brand-new toy. Her long-lasting desire came true, finally. Bless them both; now plug it in!
Note: no AI involved in this picture, this content is a real piece of handcrafted art, trust me!
For those who want to know more: a radio documentary about Kraftwerk is soon coming to BBC Ratio 3. It is called ‘Music for Motorways: Autobahn at 50’ (50!). Broadcast time: 1st November 2024, 10pm (and on BBC Sounds thereafter).