Sad Machine

Song title
"Sad Machine"
AVANNA, Porter Robinson
Porter Robinson (music, lyrics)
SoundCloud YouTube

Background

“I wanted something that felt distantly sad, a little cute, surreal, hopeful, and maybe somehow evocative of fiction?”
—Porter Robinson FADER

"Sad Machine" is the second single and second song on Porter Robinson's album Worlds, released by the label Astralwerks. It features a duet between him (marking his vocal debut) and the Vocaloid AVANNA, making "Sad Machine" one of the first times a notable producer outside the Vocaloid community used a Vocaloid for more than just sound effects. Robinson based the song off the idea of a duet between a lonely robot girl and a human boy who finds her. The song was the last one written for the album, the release date of which was announced by newsletter subsequent to the song's release.

"Sad Machine" received mostly positive reviews from the media. Dancing Astronaut summed up the track as "a mirthful indie dance song with a fantastical atmosphere", claiming that "by the time the fleeting arps and pads descend into silence, we’re left breathless and starry-eyed by the beauty of the composition.". LessThan3 described it as "a soft, dreamy affair". Daily Beat felt the single was overhyped and couldn't live up to the unreal expectations surrounding it, but nevertheless arrived at the conclusion that "Sad Machine is a beautiful tune, with a simplistic catchy drop and includes cool/eery vocaloid generated vocals."

In a podcast, Porter Robinson described his intention with AVANNA as being to try to make her sound as robotic as possible, using Melodyne and other editing techniques.

On May 27, 2014, the SoundCloud upload of "Sad Machine" reached one million views. It was the first original song prominently featuring an English-language Vocaloid, on any media host, to achieve the feat.

During a virtual music festival hosted on May 9, 2020, "Tell Your World" was featured as a mashup in a set by kz with Porter Robinson's "Sad Machine". The event was called "Secret Sky" and had various EDM producers raising money for charity.

Succeeding versions

Lyrics Video

Featuring	AVANNA, Porter Robinson
Producers	Porter Robinson
Categories	Lyrics Video
Description	This version is about 1:32 shorter than the SoundCloud upload.

Anamaguchi Remix

Featuring	AVANNA, Porter Robinson
Producers	Anamanaguchi
Categories	Arrangement

Lyrics

Singer + Color
Porter	Both
AVANNA

Is anyone there?
Oh, hi!

♬

Who survived? Somebody new?
Anyone else but you?
On a lonely night, was a blinding light
A hundred leaders would be borne of you

And though I know, since you’ve awakened her again
She depends on you, she depends on you
She'll go alone, and never speak of this again
We depend on you, we depend on you

And though I know, since you’ve awakened her again
She depends on you, she depends on you
She'll go alone, and never speak of this again
We depend on you, we depend on you!

♬

Hi!

♬

I don’t know much about your life beyond these walls
The fleeting sense of love within these God-forsaken halls
And you can hear it in his voice, in every call
This girl who's slept a hundred years had something after all

♬

And though I know since you’ve awakened her again
She depends on you, she depends on you
I'll go alone, and never speak of you again
We depend on you, we depend on you

And though I know, since you've awakened her again
She depends on you, she depends on you
She'll go alone, and never speak of this again
We depend on you, we depend on you

And though I know, since you've awakened her again
She depends on you, she depends on you
She'll go alone, and never speak of this again
We depend on you, we depend—I'll depend on you

♬

Hi!

♬

Derivatives

• Human covers
• Arrangements
• Fanmade PVs

Kandy Cos

Featuring	AVANNA, Porter Robinson
Producers	Kandy Cos (dance), AdelaideBliss (choreographer)
Categories	Dance Cover
Description	Kandy Cos' movements was used as a motion commission for VOCAMERICA.

Brent Street 2015 Fulltime Lyrical "Sad Machine"

Featuring	AVANNA, Porter Robinson
Producers	Cassandra Bartho (choreographer)
Categories	Dance Cover
Description	Contains an edit of Mat Zo & Porter Robinson's "Easy".

Didrick & Ember Island's Cover

Featuring	Ember Island
Producers	Didrick
Categories	Human Cover; Arrangement

Yuu's Arrangement

Featuring	KAITO V3 English, Yuu
Producers	Yuu (cover, video)
Categories	VOCALOID Cover; Arrangement; Human Cover

dj-Jo Remix

Featuring	Hatsune Miku V3 English, dj-Jo
Producers	dj-Jo (arrangement), Vi (illust)
Categories	VOCALOID Cover; Arrangement

Cordaello Remix

Featuring	SONiKA
Producers	Cordaello (cover, VSQx, arrangement), Z-utto (illust), Franafee (mixing)
Categories	VOCALOID Cover; Arrangement

Cecconi14's Piano Arrangement

Featuring	AVANNA, Porter Robinson
Producers	Cecconi14
Categories	Arrangement

Amyte's Piano Arrangement

Producers	Amyte
Categories	Arrangement

Boney's Live Cover

Producers	Alexander Bone (sax, keyboards, EWI, synths), Kieran Johnson (drums), Ed Lancaster (bass)
Categories	Arrangement

Omlet Remix (Happy Machine)

Producers	Omlet
Categories	Arrangement

Sad Machine/Porter Robinson [Music Box]

Producers	R3 Music Box
Categories	Arrangement

Nightcore

Featuring	AVANNA, Porter Robinson
Producers	Roshi Nightcore
Categories	Arrangement

Shinigami Remix

Featuring	AVANNA, Porter Robinson
Producers	DJ Shinigami
Categories	Arrangement

RC's Shelter and Sad Machine Mashup

Featuring	AVANNA, Porter Robinson, Madeon
Producers	RC
Categories	Arrangement

MMD VOCAMERICA

Featuring	AVANNA, Porter Robinson
Producers	BigYellowAlien, Kandy Cos (cover), AdelaideBliss (choreographer)
Categories	Dance Cover
Description	A motion commission for VOCAMERICA.

Other media appearances

Concerts

This song has been featured in the "Porter Robinson - Worlds Tour" since August 2014, from North America to Europe.

Media

This song has been added to the track listings at various Starbucks Coffee locations. And it made a television debut in September 2014 on the season premiere of NBC’s Last Call with Carson Daly.

Gallery

Official newsletter

External links

Official

• Tweet about song's release
• Spotify
• iTunes US
• Amazon MP3
• Album preorder

Unofficial

• VOCALOID Database

• UTAITE Database
• 萌娘百科: Moegirlpedia
• ニコニコ動画: niconico video
• VOCALOID Lyrics Wiki
• Musicbrainz (work)
• Musicbrainz (recording)
• Wikipedia