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
Dominion Day
Gary Numan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I hear Jesus crying
In my darkness
I see children savage and blind
In my darkness
I see dead men kneel before the cross
In my darkness
I hear the voice of evil
Disciples, dark angels
This is dominion day
'My demons, come to me
This is dominion day'
In his darkness
I can feel the storm come
In his darkness
Holy water burns my soul
In his darkness
A grave waits for you at heaven's gate
In his darkness
I hear screams that hide the voice of God
'Come children of Eden
Pray to me on dominion day'
'Pray for your salvation
Sanctuary on dominion day'
My soul save me
In his mercy
He will bring the disease
In his mercy
He will burn the oceans
In his mercy
He will tear the sky down
In his mercy
He will make pain eternal
'Your nightmare is breathing
This is dominion day'
Welcome to your saviour
This is dominion day
'This is my new kingdom
This is dominion day'
'Creation bleeds for me
This is dominion day'
Gary Numan's song Dominion Day is a hauntingly beautiful song about the darkness and fear that is associated with religion and the uncertainty of the future. In the song, Numan sings about the voices he hears in his darkness, which include Jesus crying, children who are savage and blind, and the voice of evil. As the song progresses, he talks about the dangers of living in a world where religion is used as a tool of power and the fear that comes with living in such a world.
The lyrics also mention the idea of "Dominion Day", which is a day where dark angels and demons come to take over the world. It is a day of reckoning when there is no more mercy, and pain becomes eternal. The lyrics are written in a way that makes listeners feel as if they are in a dark world where evil is all around them, and there is no escape. However, at the same time, the lyrics also suggest that there may be hope for salvation if one prays on Dominion Day.
The song is a powerful reflection on the fear and uncertainty that is often associated with religion and the power structures that come with it. It is a powerful reminder that, even in the darkest of times, there is always hope for salvation.
Line by Line Meaning
In my darkness
When I am in a state of despair or sorrow
I hear Jesus crying
I feel like there is no hope for salvation and divine intervention
I see children savage and blind
I see innocent and vulnerable individuals lost and unaware of the dangers around them
I see dead men kneel before the cross
I witness individuals who have succumbed to their circumstances and lost their will to resist
I hear the voice of evil
I am haunted by malevolent thoughts or feelings
Disciples, dark angels
Those who follow and spread darkness and negativity
This is dominion day
This is the day where darkness and negativity will reign supreme
'My demons, come to me
I beckon those who embody negativity and malevolence
In his darkness
When he is in a state of despair or sorrow
I can feel the storm come
I sense impending danger or chaos
Holy water burns my soul
Even that which is meant to bring purity and healing causes me pain
A grave waits for you at heaven's gate
Death is inevitable and will come for us all eventually
I hear screams that hide the voice of God
The pain of the world drowns out any comfort or reassurance
'Come children of Eden
Calling out to those who are innocent and vulnerable
Pray to me on dominion day'
Putting oneself at the mercy of darkness and despair
'Pray for your salvation
Hoping for a chance at redemption or deliverance
Sanctuary on dominion day'
Seeking refuge amidst chaos and darkness
My soul save me
Pleading for salvation or relief from pain and suffering
In his mercy
When he shows compassion and grace
He will bring the disease
Even that which is meant to bring harm can be seen as a form of mercy
He will burn the oceans
Bringing about destruction on a massive scale
He will tear the sky down
Renouncing what is supposed to be holy or sacred
He will make pain eternal
Despair and agony will persist forever
'Your nightmare is breathing
The embodiment of fear and terror is a living, breathing thing
Welcome to your saviour
Despair and hopelessness are embraced as the only way forward
This is my new kingdom
Darkness and malevolence have taken hold and triumphed over what was once good and pure
Creation bleeds for me
The very fabric of existence is being torn apart for the sake of darkness and despair
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Gary Anthony Webb, Gary Anthony James Webb
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Paul Denman
Massively underrated track from Gary's resurgence ❤️
barsixful
Man . I'm looking for the right words here. Hard to describe how sultry and cool this song is. To think GN hasn't been on my radar since the 80's!!!! And now I can't get enough.
JhoD
It's sexy as fuck, and Numan is like Killing Joke....people in the US don't realize there is a huge body of superb work still happening decades later.
Steven Zore
Check out the album, it's his masterpiece.
JasonH
This was when he changed his sound. Everything since, has been amazing.
BWilliams
Same
Corinne Keast ♀️♊
Bought the CD when it first came out but didn't know there was a video until today March 30,2021!!! Still freakin' awesome 😎
JasonH
I first heard this on a CD I got from Hot Topic, Dark Noise
ZStarzzz
Day before my 28th birthday. :)
Denis Bassom
Hilarious...I only just found it on 1/2/2022!!!