Discography:
1995 - Sleater-Kinney (Chainsaw)
1996 - Call the Doctor (Chainsaw)
1997 - Dig Me Out (Kill Rock Stars)
1999 - The Hot Rock (Kill Rock Stars)
2000 - All Hands on the Bad One (Kill Rock Stars)
2002 - One Beat (Kill Rock Stars)
2005 - The Woods (Sub Pop)
2015 - No Cities to Love (Sub Pop)
2019 - The Center Won't Hold (Mom+Pop)
2021 - Path of Wellness (Mom+Pop)
Heart Factory
Sleater-Kinney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The word on the street we've got the new love machine
Heart with and on/off switch and a remote control
Now you can program how you feel before you walk out the door
Find me out
I'm not just made of parts
Oh you can break right through
Well you can leave 'em hot and you can leave 'em cold
And you can give 'em what you want and you can get up and go
And you can take your heart out and you can put it back in
I think we found the way to put the fun back in sin
Find me out
I'm not just made of parts
Oh you can break right through
This box you put me into
It's not like an organ more like a valentine
It's cherry cherry red and it beats on time, time, time, time
We're trying to reduce the heart on heart crime
You bring your heart to us we'll get it purified
Find me out
I'm not just made of parts
Oh you can break right through
This box you put me into
What are you waiting for?
What are you waiting for?
What are you waiting for?
What are you waiting for?
Find me out
I'm not just made of parts
Oh you can break right through
This box you put me into
“Heart Factory” by Sleater-Kinney is a commentary on the commodification and industrialization of love in contemporary culture. In the song, the band sings about a hypothetical factory that creates “hearts” – not in the literal sense, but in the sense of romantic emotional expression. The “new love machine” they refer to is a technological innovation that allows people to program and control their emotional responses, creating a more convenient and customizable experience of love. The lyrics suggest that this is not necessarily a positive development, and the band seems to be advocating for a more authentic, visceral experience of love and connection.
The chorus of the song is particularly poignant: “Find me out / I’m not just made of parts / Oh you can break right through / This box you put me into.” Here, the band is encouraging listeners to break out of the artificial constraints they place on their emotional lives – to reject the idea that love can be reduced to a series of mechanical parts, and to instead embrace the messiness and complexity of human connection.
Overall, “Heart Factory” is a powerful critique of the ways in which technology and capitalism can erode the intimacy and authenticity of our most profound emotional experiences.
Line by Line Meaning
We're manufacturing hearts we've got the perfect thing
We are creating artificial hearts that we believe are flawless
The word on the street we've got the new love machine
People are talking about our new invention that we claim can manipulate emotions
Heart with and on/off switch and a remote control
Our invention allows the user to control their emotions with a switch and remote
Now you can program how you feel before you walk out the door
With our invention, you can pre-determine how you want to feel before going out
Find me out
Discover who I truly am
I'm not just made of parts
I am more than just my physical being
Oh you can break right through
You can't define me by what you see on the surface alone
This box you put me into
The preconceptions and judgments you have of me are limiting
Well you can leave 'em hot and you can leave 'em cold
Our invention allows the user to control their emotions and interactions with others
And you can give 'em what you want and you can get up and go
With our invention, you can choose to express whatever emotions you desire and leave quickly
And you can take your heart out and you can put it back in
The user has the power to remove and reattach their own emotions
I think we found the way to put the fun back in sin
Our invention allows one to indulge in their darkest desires with ease
It's not like an organ more like a valentine
Our invention is not a natural or biological heart, but rather a man-made device
It's cherry cherry red and it beats on time, time, time, time
The artificial heart is bright red and functions perfectly
We're trying to reduce the heart on heart crime
Our invention is designed to prevent emotional conflict and heartbreak
You bring your heart to us we'll get it purified
We claim to have the ability to cleanse and refine one's emotions
What are you waiting for?
Why haven't you tried our invention yet?
Contributed by Eli S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.