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
I Am Dust
Gary Numan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of grim obsession.
We wouldn't taunt from mouth
Like an isolation.
We we're pulled from our path
Of least resistance.
And the songs we sang
What became of us?
We're here waiting for you
We're here waiting for you
We are yours
We're waiting for you
We are yours
We're waiting for you
We all pray for the end
For the god to take us.
We we're falling down
One by one.
We we're weak and the fear
Was all around us.
The machines screamed from
Moon to sun.
We're here waiting for you
We're here waiting for you
We are yours
We're waiting for you
We are yours
We're waiting for you
The lyrics of "I Am Dust" by Gary Numan are a reflection on the human condition in a world of "grim obsession" where people are pulled unwillingly from their "path of least resistance" and subjected to isolation and fear. The imagery of "we were dust in a world" suggests a sense of insignificance and lack of control, as if people are at the mercy of outside forces beyond their comprehension. The lyrics move from a sense of despair and chaos to a strange but compelling invitation, "we're here waiting for you, we are yours, we're waiting for you."
The repeated refrain of "we're waiting for you" can be interpreted in different ways: it could be a welcome message from a group of survivors in a post-apocalyptic world, reaching out to others who might still be alive and seeking refuge. Alternatively, it could be a sinister invitation from some kind of cult or hive-mind, offering to absorb or assimilate the listener into their group. The lines "we all pray for the end, for the god to take us" suggests a desire for release or transcendence, but it is unclear whether this is a hopeful or fatalistic aspiration.
In terms of musical style, "I Am Dust" is a dense, brooding track with pounding drums and layers of electronic instrumentation. Numan's distinctive vocals are often distorted or modulated, creating an otherworldly atmosphere. The song was released on Numan's 2013 album "Splinter (Songs from a Broken Mind)" which received critical acclaim and marked a return to form for the artist. The themes of isolation, apocalypse, and technology are all recurring motifs in Numan's work, which has been influential in the development of synth-pop and industrial music.
Line by Line Meaning
We were dust in a world of grim obsession.
We were insignificant in a world where people were preoccupied with unpleasant things.
We wouldn't taunt from mouth like an isolation.
We didn't express ourselves vocally because we felt isolated from others.
We were pulled from our path of least resistance.
We were forced to deviate from our easy, comfortable path.
And the songs we sang, what became of us?
The things we once believed in and celebrated, where did they lead us?
We're here waiting for you, we're here waiting for you.
We are still here, anticipating your arrival.
We are yours, we're waiting for you, we are yours, we're waiting for you.
We belong to you and are eagerly anticipating your arrival.
We all pray for the end, for the god to take us.
We all hope for our suffering to end, for a higher power to take us away.
We were falling down one by one.
We were losing hope and giving up, little by little.
We were weak and the fear was all around us.
We lacked strength and felt afraid all the time.
The machines screamed from moon to sun.
The technology around us was overwhelming and invasive.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Gary Anthony James Webb
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@berserkerphil907
One day, this genius of a man will be officially recognised for what he has achieved within the music industry.
The People at the Brits need to stop licking the arses of the crap singers we have now and just stop for a few moments and award this man an award.
No doubt they'll be banging on about Kate Bush and her brief return and will tell us all just how fucking brilliant she is but come on, one tour every 35 years is hardly pushing the boundaries. Numan has made music and toured and influenced almost every credible musician (and some who aren't) for the past 37 years, so next year guys, recognise this man.
@rhylmart
+Berserker Phil He is indeed Genius.
@Sagitta62
+Berserker Phil I am wondering how many of his song would be hits, I can think of many
@lairddon
Love this man to death !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@afriendcalled5
We have crap singers in the U.S. too.
@anonymit3379
Agreed. Genius by spirit.
@lizhorvet1543
He is the standard bearer for industrial now. The man is, and has always been, ahead of his time.
@JS-kj6qf
Agreed.
@bigscreenism1
Just saw him in my hometown of Vancouver with I Speak Machine...both were amazing!
@ralphchunksoup4234
He is industrial....just am I being dust