Coin Operated Boy [Single, Import]

The Dresden Dolls | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 21, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Single, Import
• Label: Roadrunner
• ASIN: B0006TN9FI
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #684,124 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Coin Operated Boy (Boy Edit)

2. Coin Operated Boy (Live At Tt The Bears)

3. Baby One More Time (Live At Avalon Boston Mass)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars He is plastic and elastic, October 4, 2005

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Coin Operated Boy (Audio CD)

"Made of plastic and elastic/he is rugged and long-lasting/who could ever ever ask for more?/Love without complications galore!/Many shapes and weights to choose from/I will never leave my bedroom..."

Starting to get the picture?

"Coin Operated Boy" is the funniest, tenderest ode to a sex toy that I have ever heard. At first the song is a charming little ditty, exulting over the coin-operated boy's benefits ("Made of plastic and elastic/he is rugged and long-lasting!") and "love without complications galore." Apparently he's better than the real thing.

But soon the song reveals a girl burned by past love, living in a "plastic fantasy," and lonely as well. By the end, she seems to have figured out that the sweet coin-operated boy is what she wants, peacefully singing: "coin operated boy/with his pretty coin operated voice/saying that he loves me/that he's thinking of me/straight and to the point/that is why I want... a coin operated boy."

No, don't expect leering jokes in this. Like most excellent songs, it evokes all sorts of emotions. It's also pretty witty as well, with innocent-sounding innuendo ("I can even take him in the bath!") and double entendres ("But I turn him on and he comes to life/automatic joy...") woven into the lyrics. It takes some skill to do that properly.

The original version is a pretty-sounding little toy piano ditty, which blossoms briefly into a sweeping, yearning ballad in the middle. And after that is a live version, which retains the same sort of barely-restrained energy and sexiness that the original song had.

The crowning touch is from their Avalon performance, during which the Dresden Dolls dressed up as Sonny and Cher, then did a peculiar onstage striptease that revealed matching lace panties, stockings, garters and Xs over their nipples, much to the delight of the audience. Very wild, raunchy, but hilarious.

The climax of the performance was when they dressed up as Britney Spears -- yes, Brian wear this stuff too -- complete with long blonde wig and bras. Amanda belts out an intense, pleasing, almost wild-sounding cover of "Baby One More Time." And yes, it sounds infinitely better coming from her lips than from Britney's.

Innocently sexy and hilariously offbeat, "Coin Operated Boy" is probably the best song that the Dresden Dolls have yet produced. That is why I want a coin operated boy...

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must have for The Dresdon Dolls Fans!, August 4, 2005

By 

Cindy "There's a fine line between Visionary ... (San Francisco Bay Area) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Coin Operated Boy (Audio CD)

Wonderful cd single with two versions of the classic Coin-Operated Boy. The first is the shorter video version and the second is an exciting live version with the wonderful duo in an excited and playful mood. The last song is Baby One More Time the popular Britney Spears break through hit. The dolls do the song justice with lots of excitement and enthusaism! Much better than Britney's version. Britney is good but she is corporate grown, the Dresden Dolls are the real thing! They have passion excitement, enthusaism, blood sweat, and tears-they are a fine example of genuine real music, another excellant band is The White Stripes! I love the live songs I play them over and over!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Coin-Operated boy, October 2, 2006

By 

Tiffany M. Tucker (Chicago, Il) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Coin Operated Boy (Audio CD)

Before I get into a full analysis of the coin operated boy single I would first like to say the Dresden dolls are one of the most new and innovative bands ever. I am disgusted with the fact that in American society anything that is new and slightly different
Is shun for being so. All bands don't sound alike, but however most do follow the typical American standard.

Coin-operated boy as a song is great. The song is about being lonely and having the perfect man for you. I hate the way people minds always look on the surface and don't even properly analyze the lyrics. As I stated earlier this song seems to be about being lonely and finding the perfect mind for you I.E "This Bridge was written to make u feel smitten of my sad depiction of girl getting bitter" The song is not solely about a sex toy as other people have written. I stated earlier that the song is about finding the perfect man for you and in that that would mean the perfect sex as well, but yet and still the idea of sex does not consume the whole song. The lyric "Made of plastic and elastic/he is rugged and long-lasting/who could ever ever ask for more? /Love without complications galore! /many shapes and weights to choose from/I will never leave my bedroom..." This line in the song can be taken as sexual and but the whole song is not.

All in all I believe coin-operated boy is great song. The analysis I have just given is that of my opinion and I could be wrong. Because, as you well know I did not write the song nor I'm I Amanda Palmer. So to each his own.