Search - Dresden Dolls :: Coin Operated Boy

Seems a bit expensive for what it is...

Valentina Chimino | California | 02/11/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"3 songs for $14? And one song is the Coin Opeated Boy verison from their self titled CD? I really would like to hear their cover of "Baby" but there is no way I am paying $13 for it. I'd rather pay $14 and just see them live! Maybe they have "Baby" on iTunes!



Are all Roadrunner titles this expensive? $14 is insane for three songs!"

He is plastic and elastic

E. A Solinas | MD USA | 10/04/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

""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..."

Must have for The Dresdon Dolls Fans!

Cindy | San Francisco Bay Area | 08/04/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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!"