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
Prophecy
Gary Numan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Valhalla is falling
We are betrayed
We are lost and forsaken.
He's sold the world
Sold us all to the hunger
The body of Christ
Is as black as his soul.
The word of the Lord
Is the lie of your father
This mortal sin
Is a voice of shame.
Look at the storm
Like a dying apostle
Cruel and divine
Like the ghost of man.
And now you realise
I am the truth.
Worship the dead
The damned and misled
Tortured and bled
Like the voices of reason.
Sacred and pure
Sanctified obsession
Holy and cured
Like a doorway to heaven.
Sisterhood cried
Innocence lied
Purity died
With the angels of passion.
Blessed are they
Who pay homage to rumour
I've seen the light
Shine on the grave of Man.
And now you realise
I am the truth.
And I believed.
Amen.
The lyrics to Gary Numan's song Prophecy paint a grim picture of a world in chaos and despair, where all hope seems lost and the forces of evil have triumphed. The song speaks of betrayal, deception, and the selling of souls to the devil, as well as the corruption of religion and the perversion of the sacred.
The first stanza of the song sets the tone of doom and gloom. The singer says that we are deceived and betrayed, and that Valhalla (a mythological Norse afterlife) is falling. The reference to Valhalla here suggests that even the gods are powerless to save us. The line "He's sold the world" suggests a kind of Faustian bargain, where someone has traded the world for power, and "the hunger" may refer to their insatiable greed for more.
The second stanza is a scathing attack on religion, as the singer rejects the word of the Lord as a lie and calls it the voice of shame. The line "Look at the storm/Like a dying apostle" suggests that even the natural world is in chaos and that the apocalypse is at hand. The reference to "the ghost of man" may suggest that humanity has become a shadow of its former self, or that our souls are already dead.
The final stanza is a call to worship the dead, the damned, and the misled, rather than the pure and holy. The image of "voices of reason" being tortured and bled is a powerful one, suggesting that those who uphold truth and justice will suffer for their beliefs. The line "I've seen the light/Shine on the grave of Man" suggests that there is still hope, but it is a bleak and pessimistic hope.
Overall, the lyrics of Prophecy paint a picture of a world that has gone horribly wrong, where evil has triumphed and humanity is lost. Yet even in this darkness, there is a glimmer of hope, a possibility of redemption. The song is a powerful commentary on our times, and the issues of corruption, betrayal, and religious hypocrisy that continue to plague our world.
Line by Line Meaning
We are deceived
We have been misled and lied to
Valhalla is falling
A place of honor and glory is collapsing, possibly referring to a lost sense of heroism or virtue
We are betrayed
Those we trusted have turned against us
We are lost and forsaken.
We are wandering aimlessly without guidance or support
He's sold the world
Someone in power has traded the entire world or society for their own personal gain
Sold us all to the hunger
We have been given to our own desires and urges, leading to a sense of emptiness
The body of Christ
Referring to religious doctrine or thought
Is as black as his soul
It is corrupted or evil
The word of the Lord
Religious teachings and scripture
Is the lie of your father
This knowledge is unreliable or cannot be trusted
This mortal sin
The reality of wrongdoing or failure
Is a voice of shame.
It generates a negative response or sense of guilt
Look at the storm
Observe the chaos and destruction
Like a dying apostle
Similar to a religious figure whose teachings are fading
Cruel and divine
A sense of brutality and mercy
Like the ghost of man.
An apparition or embodiment of humanity
And now you realise
A moment of realization and understanding
I am the truth.
An assertion of knowledge and accuracy
Worship the dead
Venerate those who have passed on or disappeared
The damned and misled
Those who are suffering and misguided
Tortured and bled
Enduring pain and losing vitality
Like the voices of reason.
These individuals or ideas are logical and valid
Sacred and pure
Something is holy and untainted
Sanctified obsession
An object or idea that has been ritualized and made into a form of worship
Holy and cured
Something is divine or has been healed
Like a doorway to heaven.
An entrance point to spiritual or idealistic perfection
Sisterhood cried
A community of women is weeping or mourning
Innocence lied
A sense of naivety or purity has been betrayed
Purity died
The loss of goodness or virtue
With the angels of passion.
Those who once held righteous intensity now lack it
Blessed are they
Those who have received grace or favor
Who pay homage to rumour
Those who follow falsehoods or unconfirmed stories
I've seen the light
A moment of profound truth or clarity
Shine on the grave of Man.
Revelation on the consequences or futility of human existence
And I believed.
After all, he still held faith despite the harsh truths he had just revealed
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Gary Anthony Webb, Gary Anthony James Webb
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind