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
Lost
Gary Numan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is this our end of days?
Are we so broken
That you can walk away?
But when you think back to when we first met
Are you sad?
And when you think back to all we've been through
And when you think back to all the love shared
Do you feel anything?
And when you think back what did you ever
Think would come to this
And yet here we are
And I'm lost
If we're over
Then you're far away
If we're over
Then I'm lost
If I had one chance
If I could change your mind
If I had one wish
I'd wish for one more time
To see you again
Your hand in my hand
Once again
To hear you laughing as if forever
Like my only friend
To feel my fingers walk across your skin
With a kiss to end
To listen to you say that you love me
Like you used to do
Like I need you to
But we're lost
So it's over
You are far from home
So it's over
And I stand alone
So it's over
And I'm lost
The opening lines of Gary Numan's song Lost convey a sense of desperation and sadness as the singer tries to come to terms with the end of a relationship. The lyrics are filled with questions, doubt, and betrayal - leaving the listener to imagine a world without a loved one. The singer wonders if they are over, if this is the end of their journey, and if they are now so broken that their partner can easily walk away. Despite the sadness and loss, the singer reflects on their relationship with their lost love - pondering on the good memories they have shared, and wondering how they came to this place. They long for one more chance to be with the person they love, to hold them close, and feel their physical touch. But, in the end, they must come to terms with the fact that the relationship is over and they are left standing alone, lost without their love.
One possible interpretation of the song is that it's an expression of grief over a broken relationship. The singer is grappling with the fact that their partner has left them, and they are struggling to accept the reality of what has happened. They are holding onto hope that there might be a chance to reconcile, but they know that it's unlikely. The lyrics convey a sense of longing, emptiness, and sadness - all emotions that are common after the end of a relationship. The song opens up a window into the complex and rocky terrain of love and loss, making it relatable to anyone who has experienced a heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
So are we over?
Is our relationship terminated?
Is this our end of days?
Is our relationship doomed to have no future?
Are we so broken
Is our relationship in such a poor state?
That you can walk away?
That you have the ability to leave our relationship?
But when you think back to when we first met
When you reminisce about our initial meeting
Are you sad?
Do you experience sorrow?
And when you think back to all we've been through
When you recall everything we've experienced together
Does it make you cry?
Does it evoke strong emotions of sadness in you?
And when you think back to all the love shared
When you bring to mind all the affection we had shared with each other.
Do you feel anything?
Do you experience any feelings of grief, love or regret?
And when you think back what did you ever
When you contemplate about your expectations of our relationship
Think would come to this
What did you predict about us ending up like this?
And yet here we are
And yet we are in this current unpleasant state.
And I'm lost
And I am feeling puzzled and uncertain.
If we're over
If our relationship has terminated
Then you're far away
Then you're physically distant
If we're over
If the relationship has concluded
Then I'm lost
Then I would feel undetermined and helpless
If I had one chance
If I had a single opportunity
If I could change your mind
If I could alter your perspective
If I had one wish
If I could be granted one desire
I'd wish for one more time
I'd wish to repeat the pleasant experience one more time.
To see you again
To have a glance of you once again
Your hand in my hand
To have you close to me holding my hand
Once again
To have those pleasant experiences again.
To hear you laughing as if forever
To hear your laughter that would make me feel like it would last forever
Like my only friend
Like my closest companion
To feel my fingers walk across your skin
To feel intimate again
With a kiss to end
With a kiss that would convey the depth of affection I have for you.
To listen to you say that you love me
To hear you say that you have love for me.
Like you used to do
Like you had said before.
Like I need you to
The way that I always long for you to say it.
But we're lost
But our relationship is in a state of confusion and perplexity
So it's over
So that's the end.
You are far from home
You are distant from the familiar surroundings.
So it's over
That would signify the termination of our affair
And I stand alone
And I am left isolated with no one to share my feelings.
So it's over
Thus, it's the end of us.
And I'm lost
Therefore, I am in a state of confusion and uncertainty.
Contributed by Caden K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.