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
Pray
Gary Numan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We are gathered here today
To speak of things we have to do,
And the friends we have to call,
From the middleground,
From the darkness.
It's been many years,
Since we have faced a danger such as this.
There is nowhere left to hide.
No safety in old glories.
No sanctuary.
I've seen the same nightmare in all our dreams,
But now it's come to earth in search of us,
And through treachery, we are found.
So we must pray to the maker of all things,
And wait for the storm to come.
Maker
We are disciples to your desire.
Maker
We are the voices that sing your praises.
Maker
We are the rage that feeds your devotion.
Maker
Rise from the ground and be our salvation
The song "Pray" by Gary Numan has a post-apocalyptic theme that offers a sense of hopelessness and urgency. The first verse sets the stage for the song with a call to gather together to speak of what they need to do, and who they need to call. The friends they have to call are those who are in the middleground, those who remain in the darkness. The second verse suggests the coming of a danger that they all fear, however, they are left with nowhere to hide or find safety. The lack of safety in old glories and no sanctuary leave them with nothing to do but pray to the maker of all things.
The chorus of the song, while repetitive, emphasizes the urgency and devotion to the maker. The repetition of the word "maker" suggests a plea to a higher power or a divine being. The disciples, voices, and rage are all used to describe their devotion to the maker. The plea to rise from the ground and be their salvation in the final line of the chorus suggests a sense of desperation and hopelessness.
In conclusion, "Pray" by Gary Numan is a song that speaks of the fear of the unknown, the desperation to find safety, and a plea to a higher power for salvation. The repetition of the word "maker" emphasizes the sense of urgency and devotion that the people in the song feel, and highlights their belief that something greater than them can offer them salvation.
Line by Line Meaning
Listen to my voice.
Pay attention to what I am about to say.
We are gathered here today
We have come together for a specific purpose.
To speak of things we have to do,
We need to discuss the tasks that are required of us.
And the friends we have to call,
We need to reach out to our allies.
From the middleground,
From a neutral position.
From the darkness.
From a place of danger or uncertainty.
It's been many years,
A significant amount of time has passed.
Many years,
An emphasis on how long it has been.
Since we have faced a danger such as this.
It has been a long time since we have dealt with this level of peril.
There is nowhere left to hide.
We have run out of options for avoiding danger.
No safety in old glories.
Past achievements and successes will not save us.
No sanctuary.
Nowhere safe to take refuge.
I've seen the same nightmare in all our dreams,
We all have the same fears and concerns.
But now it's come to earth in search of us,
The danger we feared is now a reality.
And through treachery, we are found.
We have been betrayed and exposed to the danger.
So we must pray to the maker of all things,
We need to ask for help from a higher power.
And wait for the storm to come.
We must prepare ourselves for the impending danger.
Maker
The being we are praying to.
We are disciples to your desire.
We will follow your guidance and direction.
We are the voices that sing your praises.
We will give you credit for our successes.
We are the rage that feeds your devotion.
Our anger and passion will fuel our dedication to you.
Rise from the ground and be our salvation
We need you to come to our aid and save us from danger.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Gary Anthony Webb, Gary Anthony James Webb
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Frank Macari
When he realised that he didn't need any female backing vocalists, mad guitarists, saxophone players and record company owners.Great GARY NUMAN album.
Zeit field unité
Have you heard Heart with female
Dean’s Wolf
Listen to my voice.
We are gathered here today
To speak of things we have to do,
And the friends we have to call,
From the middle ground,
From the darkness.
It's been many years,
Many years,
Since we have faced a danger such as this.
There is nowhere left to hide.
No safety in old glories.
No sanctuary.
I've seen the same nightmare in all our dreams,
But now it's come to earth in search of us,
And through treachery, we are found.
So we must pray to the maker of all things,
And wait for the storm to come.
Maker
We are disciples to your desire.
Maker
We are the voices that sing your whisper.
Maker
We are the rage that feeds your devotion.
Maker
Rise from the ground and be our salvation.
Ryan Hunter
the song that changed everything
Robert Freeman
Now Gary's album's are hitting number 1 well deserved for someone who survived such bullshit.
Endzeitstille
it took a while but i think the muffled production fitted the sound so well
Belinda Messenger Sikes
So creepy. LOVE it!
mothman197979
reminds me of silent hill
Zeit field unité
Is this really G Nm or Iblis leader of the Djinn (Jinn) existence, who knows
mothman197979
Or resident evil 2 lol