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
Poison
Gary Numan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm in disgrace
Witness slow death
All over my face
Help me
Pick up my heart
Tell my friends
Listen
They stole my dream
New corruption
Know what I mean?
Listen
Do you think I don't know?
I've got a face like metal
And a radio
Listen up
Listen up good
New man's fame
Is new man's poison
Stand up
Stand up and fight
Stand up, I won't quit so
Stand up and play
Stand up
Stand up and scream
Stand up I won't run so
Stand up and lose
Listen up
Listen up good
Innocence
Is new corruption
Memories?
I don't need
A dead museum
And a grudge to feed
Memories
Rewrite shame
Rearrange the feelings
To ease your pain
Big lie
So this is the word
A needle in the back
And my voice unheard
Big lie
So this is the news
Radio lost
And I've nothing to lose
Nu voice
Said this is insane
I'm trying to learn the rhythm
Of the rule change game
Nu voice
I'm a clock with no hands
Someone said forgive them
I don't know if I can
Tell me
What did I do?
You'd think I'd sold perversion
To the son of God
(Who?)
Tell me
What did I say?
I don't believe that honesty
Pays
Listen up
Listen up good
New man's fame
Is new man's poison
Listen up
Listen up good
Innocence
Is new corruption
The song "Poison" by Gary Numan delves deep into the themes of betrayal, corruption, and political turmoil. The song begins with a plea for help, as the singer finds himself in a terrible predicament where he is being slowly destroyed from the inside-out. He talks about how his dream has been stolen from him, and there is a new kind of corruption that is tainting the society that he lives in. The singer then asks his listeners to stand up and fight, to scream and make themselves heard rather than running away and losing. He then talks about how even memories can be rewritten and rearranged to ease the pain that one might feel, but sometimes, they can also lead to grudges that are best left behind.
The second half of the song focuses on the new voice that is challenging the old ways, but even that can feel insane at times. The singer talks about how trying to learn the rhythm of the rule change game feels like being a clock with no hands- pointless and futile. He then asks the people who have betrayed him what he did to deserve such treatment and whether speaking the truth is no longer accepted. The song ends with the lines "new man's fame is new man's poison" and "innocence is new corruption," indicating that the society is changing, and with it, the definition of what is good and bad is also changing.
Line by Line Meaning
Help me
I need assistance
I'm in disgrace
I am ashamed
Witness slow death
I am dying inside
All over my face
My emotional pain is showing
Pick up my heart
Help me fix my broken heart
Tell my friends wherever they are
Please let my friends know what's happening to me
They stole my dream
Someone ruined my aspirations
New corruption
There is a new type of deceit
Know what I mean?
Do you understand?
Do you think I don't know?
You assume I am unaware
I've got a face like metal
My face does not show emotions
And a radio
I am not alone
New man's fame
Fame can be dangerous
Is new man's poison
Success can have negative side effects
Stand up and fight
Don't give up, keep resisting
Stand up, I won't quit so
Standing strong even when things are hard
Stand up and play
Be active in your life
Stand up and scream
Refuse to be silenced
Stand up, I won't run so
Standing ground instead of running away
Stand up and lose
Even if you lose, keep trying
Innocence
Purity and goodness
Is new corruption
Goodness can be twisted into badness
Memories?
Do they matter?
I don't need
I am okay without things or people
A dead museum
My past is irrelevant
And a grudge to feed
Letting go of anger and resentment
Rewrite shame
Redo the past and let go of personal guilt
Rearrange the feelings
Changing emotions to help move on
To ease your pain
To feel better
Big lie
A major lie
So this is the word
This is what they're saying
A needle in the back
Getting hurt by someone you thought you knew
And my voice unheard
No one is listening to me
So this is the news
This is what's happening
Radio lost
No one is getting the message
And I've nothing to lose
I have nothing else
Nu voice
New voice
Said this is insane
This is crazy
I'm trying to learn the rhythm
Working to understand how things work now
Of the rule change game
Adapting to changes in how things work
I'm a clock with no hands
I am useless, having no control or power
Someone said forgive them
Trying to let go of anger and hurt
I don't know if I can
It's hard to let go
What did I do?
What was my crime?
You'd think I'd sold perversion
I'm being judged for something terrible
To the son of God (Who?)
Judged by the highest power
What did I say?
What did I do wrong?
I don't believe that honesty pays
Being truthful is not always rewarded
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Gary Anthony Webb, Gary Anthony James Webb
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind