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
Not the Love We Dream Of
Gary Numan Lyrics
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Sometimes words don't say the things you mean
Sometimes you can't explain the way you feel
Sometimes when we smile we tell the same lie
With a whisper, everything you know
Is torn away and life just stops
With a whisper, everything you are
And all those things that you meant to change
Are thoughts lost on the way to this
And all those sorries you never said
Are words lost on the wind
Did you ever wonder about the end?
Did you ever you wish that I was still there?
Did you ever call my name by mistake?
Did you ever cry yourself to sleep?
Slowly, slowly, we lose the love that binds us
Slowly, slowly, we lose the care that holds us
Slowly, slowly, we lose the time that shares us
Slowly, slowly, we lose the heart to save us
Sometimes things are not the way they seem
Sometimes friends are not the friends they seem
Sometimes time is not the cure it seems
Sometimes love is not the love we dream of
The song Not the Love We Dream Of by Gary Numan is an emotional ballad about the heartbreak that can come from unmet expectations in love. The opening verses set the tone with lines such as "Sometimes things don't work out the way you planned" and "Sometimes when we smile we tell the same lie." The lyrics capture the sense of disappointment that can arise when reality does not live up to fantasy, conveying the idea that love can be messy and unpredictable.
In the chorus, the phrase "With a whisper" introduces a sense of the suddenness and shock that can come with heartbreak. Numan sings: "With a whisper, everything you know / Is torn away and life just stops / With a whisper, everything you are / Just falls apart and dies." These lines express the overwhelming feeling of loss that comes when a relationship ends unexpectedly or abruptly.
The second half of the song reflects on the aftermath of a failed relationship, with lines like "Did you ever wonder about the end?" and "Did you ever cry yourself to sleep?" The closing lines of the song capture a sense of resignation and acceptance, with the repeated refrain of "Sometimes love is not the love we dream of."
Overall, Not the Love We Dream Of is a poignant expression of the pain and disappointment that can come with love, but still manages to maintain a sense of hope and resilience in the face of heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes things don't work out the way you planned
Life doesn't always go according to plan
Sometimes words don't say the things you mean
It can be difficult to convey our true thoughts and feelings with language
Sometimes you can't explain the way you feel
Some emotions are hard to put into words
Sometimes when we smile we tell the same lie
We can deceive others by putting on a fake smile
With a whisper, everything you know
A sudden realization can drastically change our perspective
Is torn away and life just stops
The sudden change can be jarring and feel like everything has come to a halt
With a whisper, everything you are
Our identity can be shattered just as easily
Just falls apart and dies
Leaving us feeling lost and broken
And all those things that you meant to change
Regret for missed opportunities
Are thoughts lost on the way to this
We can get so caught up in the present that we forget about the past
And all those sorries you never said
Unspoken apologies can leave us with guilt and a sense of unfinished business
Are words lost on the wind
The chance to make things right might have passed us by
Did you ever wonder about the end?
Questioning our mortality and what happens when we die
Did you ever you wish that I was still there?
Longing for someone who's no longer in our life
Did you ever call my name by mistake?
Being reminded of someone from our past can be jarring
Did you ever cry yourself to sleep?
Emotional pain that runs deep and can be hard to process
Slowly, slowly, we lose the love that binds us
Love can fade and relationships can fall apart over time
Slowly, slowly, we lose the care that holds us
Falling out of love can lead to neglecting our partner's needs
Slowly, slowly, we lose the time that shares us
Losing sight of the importance of spending time together
Slowly, slowly, we lose the heart to save us
Love can be a powerful force that keeps us going, but it can also fade and leave us feeling lost
Sometimes things are not the way they seem
Appearances can be deceiving
Sometimes friends are not the friends they seem
People can disappoint us and relationships can change
Sometimes time is not the cure it seems
Some wounds don't heal with time alone
Sometimes love is not the love we dream of
Our idealized version of love might not match up with reality
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Adrian Fenton, Gary Anthony James Webb
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind