Gold Star for Robot Boy

"Gold Star for Robot Boy" is one of Robert Pollard's most straight-forward songs, and because it's meaning has been well-documented elsewhere, I'll not go into great detail here. Suffice to say it's one of many songs in his catalog that address the feeling of being tied down in his job as a school teacher. Appropriating the terminology of his profession, he awards the meaningless recognition of a gold star to Robot Boy, a thinly veiled reference to Pollard himself. Beyond the Robot/Robert similarities, it's fitting for someone who feels like he is on automatic, following the rules and/or lesson plan drawn up by others. He's frustrated with the lack of guidance,from above, waiting for them to "signify the moves that (he) should make," "show (him) the actions (he) should take" and the "lessons in true confessions."

Musically, it's a powerful burst of sound that is not unlike a needle dropped a couple of second into a song, as Pollard's vocals and s guitar strum are coincident with the track's start, followed by some manic drumming that personifies the adage of a drum kit being thrown down a set of stairs. And while the song is short, it follows some conventions that Pollard often is accused of ignoring. It does adhere to a fairly standard song structure -- though the verses and chorus are essentially mashed together as one -- that includes verses and choruses and a bridge of sorts. Still, he accomplishes all of that in just over a minute and a half, dropping another tightly wound pop gem into the middle of one of the handful of his best albums.