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
It Must Have Been Years
Gary Numan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's been doing that for years
If someone leaves the station
Oh please don't talk to strangers
Can't you see they're not like us
The vacant flesh of U.D.'s
Stand leaning by the walls
Ways of merging with the thoughts
You never dare to dream
It must have been years
It must have been years
They want to relive all my memories
Give me `the service' daily
Maybe it was mother
I can't seem to remember
Much at all these days
Picture open doorways
No pick-ups by the taxi boys
Just a bed near the window
And an old lamp by my pillow
And the things I have to do
It must have been years
It must have been years
The driver wants to touch me
He mentions all the old cop bullshit
I try to back away
But he's so strong I just can't move
Maybe I don't want to anyway
The time to leave is always `soon'
I wonder if I'm lying
A vague feeling of panic
As a man leaves saying "thank you"
I blame it all on you
It must have been years
It must have been years
The song, "It Must Have Been Years" by Gary Numan, is a haunting exploration of memory, loss, and isolation. The first verse begins with the simple image of a radio playing "White Christmas" repeatedly. The repetition of the song suggests the passage of time, but also the way in which memories can become caught in a loop or a cycle. The singer acknowledges that this has been going on for years, further emphasizing the theme of time passing. The line, "If someone leaves the station, oh please don't talk to strangers, can't you see they're not like us" is intriguing. It suggests a fear of the outside world, and a sense of isolation and alienation. The singer seems to feel that they are different from others, and that this difference makes them vulnerable.
The second verse introduces a new image - that of the "vacant flesh" of U.D.'s standing by the wall. It's not clear who or what these U.D.'s are, but they seem to represent a kind of mindless conformity or uniformity. The singer can feel these U.D.'s thinking "over ways of merging with the thoughts you never dare to dream." This suggests a fear of losing individuality, of being absorbed into a collective consciousness. The repetition of the chorus - "It must have been years" - creates a sense of unease and uncertainty. What has been going on for years? Why can't the singer remember? The verse ends with a haunting image of memory and nostalgia - "Maybe it was mother, I can't seem to remember much at all these days."
The final verse returns to the theme of isolation and fear. The singer describes a situation in which they are alone with a driver who wants to touch them. The singer tries to back away, but feels powerless. The final lines of the song - "I blame it all on you / It must have been years" - are mysterious and unsettling. Who is the "you" that the singer is blaming? What has gone wrong? The song ends with a sense of unease and uncertainty, leaving the listener to ponder the themes of memory, isolation, and fear that run throughout the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
A radio plays 'White Christmas'
A radio is playing the song 'White Christmas.'
It's been doing that for years
The radio has been playing this song for years.
If someone leaves the station
If someone turns off the radio station.
Oh please don't talk to strangers
Please avoid talking to unfamiliar people.
Can't you see they're not like us
These people are different from us, so be cautious.
The vacant flesh of U.D.'s
The empty bodies of the undeads.
Stand leaning by the walls
They are standing by the walls, leaning over.
You can feel them thinking over
You can sense them contemplating
Ways of merging with the thoughts
Different ways to unify their thoughts.
You never dare to dream
You don't have the courage to dream.
It must have been years
It has been many years.
It must have been years
It has been many years.
They want to relive all my memories
They want to experience all of my memories again.
Give me 'the service' daily
Provide me with the required attention every day.
Maybe it was mother
Perhaps it was my mother.
I can't seem to remember
I am unable to recollect.
Much at all these days
Many things elude my memory these days.
Picture open doorways
Visualize doorways left open.
No pick-ups by the taxi boys
Those men who drive taxis are not there to pick you up.
Just a bed near the window
Only a bed next to the window.
And an old lamp by my pillow
And an old table lamp near my pillow.
And the things I have to do
And the tasks that I need to accomplish.
It must have been years
It has been many years.
It must have been years
It has been many years.
The driver wants to touch me
The driver of the vehicle intends to touch me.
He mentions all the old cop bullshit
He's talking about all the old slang used by police officers.
I try to back away
I attempt to move away.
But he's so strong I just can't move
He is too powerful, and I cannot break free.
Maybe I don't want to anyway
Perhaps I do not want to get away after all.
The time to leave is always 'soon'
The time to depart is still not definite.
I wonder if I'm lying
I am uncertain if I have lied.
A vague feeling of panic
A slight sense of unease.
As a man leaves saying 'thank you'
A man departs while saying 'thank you.'
I blame it all on you
I attribute all of this to you.
It must have been years
It has been many years.
It must have been years
It has been many years.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GARY ANTHONY JAMES WEBB
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind