Both Numan's music and his transgressive public image are known for his sense of alien coldness and embrace of avant-garde influences. Becoming of the founding fathers of electronic-based pop music, Numan's reach extends far beyond his lone American hit, “Cars,” which still stands as one of the defining new wave singles. That seminal track helped usher in the synthpop era on both sides of the Atlantic, especially his native England, where he was a genuine pop star and consistent hit-maker during the early 80s. Even after new wave had mostly petered out, Numan’s influence continued to make itself felt. His dark, paranoid vision, theatrically icy persona, and clinical, robotic sound were echoed strongly in the work of many goth rock and (especially) industrial artists during the past several decades. For his part, Numan just kept on recording, and, by the late 90s, he’d become a hip name to drop. Prominent alternative rock bands have covered his hits, with Numan himself playing live with Nine Inch Nails briefly to much acclaim, and a goth-flavored brand of industrial-type music christened darkwave looks to him as its mentor.
Numan was born Gary Anthony James Webb on March 8, 1958, in Hammersmith, West London, U.K. A shy child, music brought him out of his shell; he began playing guitar in his early teens and played in several short-lived bands. Inspired by the amateurism of the punk movement, he joined a punk rock group called "The Lasers" in 1976. The following year, he and bassist Paul Gardiner split off to form a new group, dubbed "Tubeway Army", with drummer Bob Simmonds. They recorded a couple of singles under futuristic pseudonyms (Valerium [or Valerian], Scarlett, and Rael, respectively) that attempted to match their new interest in synthesizers. Scrapping that idea, Webb rechristened himself Gary Numan and replaced Simmonds with his uncle Jess Lidyard. Thus constituted, "Tubeway Army" cut a set of "punk-meets-Kraftwerk" demos for Beggars Banquet in early 1978. That work ended up being released several years later as 'The Plan'.
That summer, Numan sang a TV commercial jingle for jeans, and toward the end of the year the group’s debut album, 'Tubeway Army', appeared. Chiefly influenced by Kraftwerk and David Bowie’s Berlin-era collaborations with Brian Eno, the album also displayed Numan’s fascination with the electronic, experimental side of glam rock (such as in some works by Roxy Music and Ultravox) and Krautrock (such as in some works by Can). He also drew much influence from transgressive science fiction writers such as Philip K. Dick, people who challenged conventional thinking through exploring the affects of new technology.
The group’s second album, 'Replicas', was released in early 1979. Its accompanying single, “Are ‘Friends’ Electric?", was a left-field smash, topping the UK charts and sending 'Replicas' to number one on the album listings as well. The record also included “Down in the Park", an oft-covered song that stands as one of Numan’s most 'gothic' outings.
Numan had become a star overnight, despite critical distaste for any music so heavily reliant on synthesizers, and he formed a larger backing band that replaced "Tubeway Army", keeping Gardiner on bass. "The Pleasure Principle" was released in the fall of 1979 and spawned Numan’s international hit “Cars”, which reached the American Top Ten and hit number one in the UK; the album also became Numan’s second straight British number one. He put together a hugely elaborate, futuristic stage show and went on a money-losing tour, and also began to indulge his hobby as an amateur pilot with his newfound wealth.
Numan returned in the fall of 1980 with "Telekon", his third straight chart-topping album in Britain, and scored two Top Ten hits with “We Are Glass” and “I Die: You Die”; “This Wreckage” later reached the Top 20.
In 1981, Numan announced his retirement from live performance, playing several farewell concerts just prior to the release of "Dance". While "Dance" and its lead single, “She’s Got Claws”, were both climbing into the British Top Ten, Numan attempted to fly around the world, but in a bizarre twist was arrested in India on suspicion of spying and smuggling. The charges were dropped, although authorities confiscated his plane. His retirement proved short-lived, but when he returned in 1982 with "I, Assassin", some of his popularity had dissipated - perhaps because of the retirement announcement, perhaps because the charts were overflowing with synthpop, much of which was already expanding on Numan’s early innovations (which were starting to sound repetitive). "I, Assassin" was another Top Ten album, and “We Take Mystery (To Bed)” another major hit, but in general Numan’s singles were starting to slip on the charts; the title track of 1983’s "Warriors" became his last British Top Twenty hit (excluding reissues and collaborations).
Numan and Beggars Banquet subsequently parted ways, and Numan formed his own Numa label, kicking things off with "Berserker" in late 1984. Sadly, longtime collaborator "Paul Gardiner" died earlier that year from a drug overdose. 1985’s "The Fury" became the final Numan album to reach the British Top 30. Over the next few years, Numan collaborated occasionally with "Shakatak’s" Bill Sharpe, releasing four singles and one album from 1985-1989.
Following 1986’s "Strange Charm", Numan signed with IRS, but the relationship was fraught with discord from the start. IRS forced Numan to change the title of 1988’s "Metal Rhythm" to "New Anger" for his first North American release since 1981 (and also remixed several tracks), refused to release his soundtrack for the film "The Unborn", and would not fund any supporting tours for "New Anger" or 1991’s "Outland". When his contract expired, Numan returned to Numa for 1992’s "Machine + Soul".
1994 brought the release of the industrial-tinged "Sacrifice", the first glimmering of Numan’s return to critical favor and underground hipness. Over the next few years, bands like "Hole", "The Foo Fighters", and "Smashing Pumpkins" covered Numan songs in concert, and Marilyn Manson recorded “Down in the Park” for the B-side of the “Lunchbox” single; moreover, "Nine Inch Nails" cited Numan as an important influence. With his fan base refreshed and expectations raised, Numan delved deeper into gothic, metal-tinged industrial dance on 1997’s "Exile". However, he didn’t truly hit his stride in this newly adopted style until 2000’s "Pure", which was acclaimed as his best work in years and expanded his cult following into new territory.
In 2003, Numan enjoyed fleeting chart success once again with the "Gary Numan vs Rico" single “Crazier”, reaching No.13 in the U.K. chart. Rico, who is an up and coming artist from Glasgow, also worked on the remix album "Hybrid" which featured reworkings of older songs in a more contemporary industrial style. In 2004 Numan took control of his own business affairs again, launching the label Mortal Records and releasing a series of live DVDs as a precursor to his highly anticipated new studio album, "Jagged" which was released on 13 March 2006. An album launch gig took place at "The Forum, London" on 18 March 2006. Numan announced a UK tour commencing in April 2006 and plans to tour other countries, including the USA, during the year in support of the release. Numan also to launched a "Jagged" website to showcase the new album.
Numan contributed vocals to four tracks on the April 2007 release of Ade Fenton’s debut solo album "Artificial Perfect" on his new industrial/electronic label Submission, including songs “The Leather Sea”, “Slide Away”, “Recall” and the first single to be taken from the album, “Healing”. The second single to be released in the UK was “The Leather Sea” on July 30, 2007.
In 2008, he released a double CD remix album "Jagged Edge", based around 2006’s critically acclaimed "Jagged", co-produced with Ade Fenton. The pair are currently in the studio working on Numan’s 18th studio album "Splinter", due for release in 2009.
While Numan is known for his electronic music innovations, he prefers real instruments. He explained in an interview with Songfacts: "I didn't go the technology route wholeheartedly, the way Kraftwerk had done. I considered it to be a layer. I added to what we already had, and I wanted to merge that. There's plenty of things about guitar players, and bass players, and songs I really love that I didn't particularly want to get rid of. The only time I did get rid of guitars was on Pleasure Principle, and that was in fact a reaction to the press. I got a huge amount of hostility from the British press, particularly, when I first became successful. And Pleasure Principle was the first album I made after that success happened. I became successful in the early part of '79 and Pleasure Principle came out in the end of '79, in the UK, anyway. And there was a lot of talk about electronic music being cold and weak and all that sort of stuff. So I made Pleasure Principle to try to prove a point, that you could make a contemporary album that didn't have guitar in it, but still had enough power and would stand up well. That's the only reason that album didn't have guitar in it. But apart from that one album they've all had guitars - that was the blueprint."
The official website can be found here: www.garynuman.co.uk
Check It
Gary Numan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I get the feeling I'm not driving
Something hasn't quite
Taken over but it's trying
Check it, check it
The question now is time
I know we're moving out of line
But that's the risk you're taking with me
I flicker like an old film - Black white
I'm losing track of what's real - I know
My sense of timing's not quite - OK
Maybe I'll stay tonight - So so
Fadeout, as in lose
My character is shrapnel
Broken by the views
Of men who claim to know all
(There is to know)
Something isn't right
I get the feeling I am no-one
Something hasn't quite
Stopped me from being someone
Nothing in the mirror - Check it
No photo by my bedside - Check it
My self control is missing - Check it
I'll leave with your permission - Check it
The song "Check It" by Gary Numan is a song about uncertainty and the feeling that something isn't right. The opening lines of the song, "Something isn't right, I get the feeling I'm not driving," suggest that the singer feels as though they are losing control of their life. They feel as though something is attempting to take over, although they are uncertain as to what that may be. The repetition of the line "check it" throughout the song suggests that the singer is attempting to make sense of what is happening to them, to check and verify their reality.
As the song progresses, the singer becomes increasingly uncertain of their surroundings. They note that their sense of timing isn't quite right, and that they are losing track of what's real. The reference to an old film flickering in black and white is indicative of the singer's perception of their life being distorted and out of focus. The singer is aware that they are moving out of line, but is willing to take the risk with whoever they are with, perhaps because they feel the need to cling to any sense of certainty in their life.
The final verse suggests that the singer is struggling with their identity. They claim to feel as though they are no-one and that they are missing their sense of self-control. Although they want to leave, they are seeking permission to do so, indicating that they are uncertain of the consequences of their actions. The song ends with the repetition of the phrase "check it," emphasizing the ongoing uncertainty that the singer feels.
Line by Line Meaning
Something isn't right
The singer has a sense that something is wrong
I get the feeling I'm not driving
The singer feels like they are not in control of their life
Something hasn't quite
Something is not quite right
Taken over but it's trying
Something is trying to take control of the artist's life
Check it, check it
The artist is urging themselves or someone else to confirm their suspicions
The question now is time
The singer is suggesting that time is running out
The hours pass so slowly
Time seems to move very slowly for the singer
I know we're moving out of line
The artist is aware that their behavior is unacceptable or outside of the norm
But that's the risk you're taking with me
The artist is warning someone that they are unpredictable and come with a degree of risk
I flicker like an old film - Black white
The artist feels unstable, like an old film that flickers between black and white
I'm losing track of what's real - I know
The singer is becoming confused and losing touch with reality
My sense of timing's not quite - OK
The artist is having trouble keeping pace with time and schedules
Maybe I'll stay tonight - So so
The singer is undecided about whether or not to stay somewhere for the night
Fadeout, as in lose
The singer is suggesting that they are losing their identity or sense of self
My character is shrapnel
The singer's personality is fragmented and unstable
Broken by the views
The artist's sense of self has been damaged or destabilized by other people's opinions
Of men who claim to know all
Specifically, the artist may have been influenced or controlled by men who claim to know everything
Something isn't right
Reiteration that something is wrong
I get the feeling I am no-one
The singer feels like they have lost their identity
Something hasn't quite
Again, something isn't quite right
Stopped me from being someone
The artist feels like they have potential to be someone, but something is holding them back
Nothing in the mirror - Check it
The artist sees nothing in the mirror and is urging someone to confirm this
No photo by my bedside - Check it
The singer is again urging someone to confirm that there is no photo by their bedside
My self control is missing - Check it
The artist feels like they are out of control and is urging someone to confirm this
I'll leave with your permission - Check it
The singer is asking for permission to leave
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GARY ANTHONY JAMES WEBB
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind