Are 'Friends' Electric?

It's cold outside And the paint's peeling off of my walls There's a man outside In a long coat, grey hat, smoking a cigarette Now the light fades out And I wonder what I'm doing in a room like this There's a knock on the door And just for a second, I thought I remembered you So now I'm alone Now I can think for myself About little deals and S.U.'s Things that I just don't understand Like a white lie that night Or a sly touch at times I don't think it meant anything to you So I open the door It's the 'friend' that I'd left in the hallway 'Please sit down' A candlelit shadow on a wall near the bed You know I hate to ask But are 'friends' electric? Only... mine's broke down And now I've no-one to love So I found out your reason For the phone calls and smiles And it hurts that I'm lonely And I should never have tried And I missed you tonight So it's time to leave You see it meant everything to me...

 

You know, sometimes I wonder what would happen if I started singing over my own tracks... Worth a try maybe?

 

In this vintage performance you can much more clearly make out the synths :) The main riff is played on a Minimoog on top of what looks like some kind of a stage piano (can't quite make it out); then there's what's clearly an ARP Odyssey alongside an RMI Electra-piano for the chorus... If you watch the video I just linked to you will discover the connection between this charming and distinctive instrument and the very same Roedelius Selbstportrait series shared a few posts below! What a neat coincidence!