I Wouldn't Want to Be Like You

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"I Wouldn't Want to Be Like You"
German release artwork
Single by The Alan Parsons Project
from the album I Robot[1]
B-side"Nucleus"
ReleasedAugust 1977 (1977)
RecordedDecember 1976 – March 1977
StudioAbbey Road Studios
Genre
Length3:23 (album version)
3:12 (single version)
LabelArista
Songwriters
ProducerAlan Parsons
The Alan Parsons Project singles chronology
"To One in Paradise"
(1976) 		"I Wouldn't Want to Be Like You"
(1977) 		"Don't Let It Show"
(1977)
Music video
"I Wouldn't Want to Be Like You" on YouTube

"I Wouldn't Want to Be Like You" is a song by the British progressive rock band The Alan Parsons Project, featured on their 1977 album I Robot. Written by band leaders Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson, "I Wouldn't Want to Be Like You" was sung by pop singer Lenny Zakatek, who would go on to sing many of the band's songs. In the United States the song reached No. 36 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also reached the top 30 in Canada.

Background

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Parsons and Woolfson had differing views on the lyrical interpretation of the song: Parsons interpreted the song as being from the perspective of a man talking to a machine and Woolfson believing that it was instead about a machine talking to a man. Woolfson remarked that "both points of view are equally valid, or equally invalid."[4] When working the song, Parsons applied some tape echo to the guitar track.[5] An earlier mix of the song without Ian Bairnson's guitar solo was included on the 30th anniversary remastered edition of I Robot.[6]

According to Lenny Zakatek, Woolfson had asked him to perform lead vocals on the song. Zakatek recorded his parts in Studio 2 of Abbey Road Studios. He had initially requested some additional time to learn the song, but Parsons denied this request and insisted that he complete the song the day of his arrival. After Zakatek completed three takes, he recalled that his efforts were met with little fanfare from those in the control room, saying that "there was nobody clapping in the studio [or] high fiving". Parsons then beckoned Zakatek to the control room to play the track for him. When Zakatek requested that he record a final part, Parsons initially demurred, believing that Zakatek's parts were already sufficient, but eventually acquiesced. Zakatek then used the fourth take to record some vocal ad libs at the end of the song.[7]

In 1977, the song was released as the lead single from the group's second album, I Robot. The song peaked at No. 36 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and No. 22 on the Canadian chart. In the United Kingdom, the song received some airplay on Beacon Radio and Capital Radio.[8]

Critical reception

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Record World called "I Wouldn't Want to Be Like You" a "percussive, r&b-tinged tune" with "disco potential" and also highlighted the song's guitar solo.[9] Billboard listed "I Wouldn't Want to Be Like You" as one of the best songs on I Robot.[10] In a retrospective review, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic characterised the song as a "tense, paranoid neo-disco rocker that was the APP's breakthrough" and "the closest thing to a concise pop song" on I Robot.[11]

Music video

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The video, the only one known in which Parsons stars, is based on the album's title, "I Robot". It begins with Parsons rummaging through a library of reel recording tapes. Parsons then leaves the library to another room shrouded in a haze. He happens upon what appears to be a prehistoric mask under a shroud. Parsons touches it, then begins to peel away the ancient shroud. The haze intensifies then dissipates to reveal a black humanoid head wearing goggles, bearing somewhat of a resemblance to the robot character depicted on the album's cover and disc labels, implying that the being is a robot.

The scene alternates images from the humanoid head to images of a 1960's era Univac 1108 computer room, with data tape machines. The humanoid, now seen in full human form wearing black and silver gloves, suddenly appears in the computer room and lowers a door to one of the tape machines. Parsons then appears and raises his hand to touch the humanoid, which immediately disappears. A dot-matrix printer generates a page bearing the words 'I Robot', and the lowered door from before raises back to its place with no apparent assistance from anyone.

The humanoid is then seen moving rapidly in an outdoor passageway of a large building, but doing so while remaining perfectly still. Parsons is seen running in pursuit and attempts to touch the humanoid's shoulder, but the humanoid again disappears. The humanoid again is seen making movements while still, and Parsons approaches it again, but rather than touching it, he levels an intimidating stare at it. The humanoid again disappears. Parsons pursues it, and attempts to touch it again, with the humanoid then disappearing.

The humanoid is seen near what appears to be a bank's automated teller machine (very rare of the time), grasping a transaction receipt. It's then seen pulling a flower from a large planter and letting it fall to the ground before disappearing again. Witnessing this, Parsons rushes over to frantically replant the flower.

The cat-and-mouse game between Parsons and the humanoid continues, with the humanoid disappearing when it feels confronted by Parsons. Finally, Parsons is able to touch the humanoid, leaving his handprint in white on the humanoid's cheek. Upon doing so, the humanoid enters a state of spontaneous combustion, and then an image is seen again of the computer printout bearing the words 'I Robot'. Returning to the scene of what appears to be the final showdown between Parsons and the humanoid, Parsons is seen leaving. The camera then returns to what is assumed to be the still-burning humanoid, leaving behind a residue of burned electronic components as the song ends.

Personnel

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Charts

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Charts (1977) Peak
position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[12] 22
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[13] 34
Spain (AFE)[14] 25
US Billboard Hot 100[15] 36

In other media

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The song was featured in the initial and subsequent releases of Grand Theft Auto V on the game's classic rock radio station Los Santos Rock Radio.[16]

References

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  1. ^ "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  2. ^ Breithaupt, Don; Breithaupt, Jeff (2014). Precious and Few: Pop Music of the Early '70s. St. Martin's Press. p. 67. ISBN 9781466871380.
  3. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "I Robot – The Alan Parsons Project". AllMusic. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
  4. ^ The Complete Audio Guide To The Alan Parsons Project (Liner Notes). United States: Arista. 1982. SP-68.
  5. ^ "Interview with Alan Parsons". Gearspace. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
  6. ^ Vulture Culture (Liner Notes). United States: Arista Records. 2009. 82876 81524.
  7. ^ John Beaudin ; Zakatek, Lenny (16 June 2018). Lenny Zakatek Talks Alan Parsons Project & 'I Wouldn't Want To Be Like You' (Interview). Event occurs at 1:28–4:13. Retrieved 2 December 2025 – via YouTube.
  8. ^ "Dealer Guide to Airplay Action" (PDF). Music Week. 27 August 1977. p. 24. Retrieved 2 December 2025 – via World Radio History.
  9. ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. 13 August 1977. p. 1. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
  10. ^ "Billboard LPs" (PDF). Billboard. 2 July 1977. p. 80. Retrieved 6 October 2025 – via World Radio History.
  11. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "I Robot Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
  12. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 5438a." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  13. ^ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 5414." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. September 10, 1977. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  14. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  15. ^ "Alan Parsons Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  16. ^ Martin, Matt (2014-11-18). "Here's all 162 new songs in the refreshed GTA 5 soundtrack". VG247. Retrieved 2021-06-21.