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
My Shadow in Vain
Gary Numan Lyrics
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And I close up my brain
another friend dies
And me I'm just the same
Soaking up Broadway
Nightlife in Detroit
And I'd buy these New York ladies If these light weren't so bright
Stagger down main street
A knife in my side
And I fall to the gutter In tears but with pride
And me I'm feeling okay
Moving out of Central this villain knows me well
Says he'll spill the whole story
He might be lying, I can't tell
And me I'm not that kind
I've been searching for my shadow in vain
How can I be still while my lifeline remains
I've been searching for my shadow in vain
How can I be still while my lifeline remains with him
Try to steal a needle Bring peace to my head
And I'm stumbling down the alleys I find killers instead
And me I'm the cause of it all
Street corner women are taking their toll
Now they look at me, I'm dying
And I'm growing old
And me I'm loving it all
I've been searching for my shadow in vain
How can I be still while my lifeline remains
I've been searching for my shadow in vain
How can I be still while my lifeline remains with him
"My Shadow In Vain" by Gary Numan is a song that explores the themes of personal identity and the struggle to find one's place in society. The lyrics of this song are filled with vivid imagery that describes the singer's experiences as he navigates the streets of big cities like New York and Detroit.
The first verse describes the singer's trip to a café, where he closes up his brain and reflects on the death of another friend. The next verse finds him walking down the streets with a knife in his side, and falling to the gutter in tears but with pride. He's not someone who easily shows fear or weakness.
Later on, the singer encounters a villain who claims to know his story, although he suspects that this person may be lying. The song concludes with the singer admitting that he has been searching for his shadow in vain, as he struggles to come to terms with the fact that his lifeline remains with someone else.
Overall, "My Shadow In Vain" is a powerful song that speaks to the difficulties of finding one's true self in a world that can be confusing, dangerous, and unpredictable.
Line by Line Meaning
Stroll to the café my God how time flies
I casually walk to the cafe, and it feels like time is passing by quickly
And I close up my brain another friend dies
I shut down my emotions as another friend dies
And me I'm just the same
I am stuck in the same emotional state
Soaking up Broadway nightlife in Detroit
I am enjoying the nightlife in Detroit, just like I would in Broadway
And I'd buy these New York ladies If these light weren't so bright
I would try to impress New York ladies if it wasn't so overwhelming here
And me I wasn't there
I feel disconnected from the present moment
Stagger down main street A knife in my side
I stumble down the street, wounded by someone with a knife
And I fall to the gutter In tears but with pride
I collapse to the dirty street, crying but still feeling strong
And me I'm feeling okay
Despite the pain, I feel somewhat okay
Moving out of Central this villain knows me well
Leaving Central, a villain recognizes me and claims to know my secrets
Says he'll spill the whole story He might be lying, I can't tell
The villain threatens to reveal my secrets, but I can't tell if he's lying or not
And me I'm not that kind
I am not the type to be intimidated or controlled by a villain
I've been searching for my shadow in vain
I have been trying to find myself, but I am struggling
How can I be still while my lifeline remains
I can't just stand still and do nothing while my life is still going
Try to steal a needle Bring peace to my head
I am trying to find a drug to temporarily relieve my emotional pain
And I'm stumbling down the alleys I find killers instead
As I stumble through alleyways, I find dangerous people instead of peace
And me I'm the cause of it all
I recognize that my actions have led me to these dangerous situations
Street corner women are taking their toll
Prostitutes on the street corners are taking a toll on me
Now they look at me, I'm dying
The prostitutes can tell that I am not doing well and am struggling
And I'm growing old
I am aging and my problems are only getting worse
And me I'm loving it all
Despite everything, I am still somehow enjoying this life
How can I be still while my lifeline remains with him
Despite my struggles, I can't just stand still and do nothing while I'm still alive and have people in my life who care about me
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GARY ANTHONY JAMES WEBB
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind