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
Radio Heart
Gary Numan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Walking the streets in the rain.
I turn away from the light
To find the shadows again.
I see her face in the window
I feel the touch of her hand
I hear her voice say "I need you"
Radio Heart
Play a sad song for me
One fom the heart
So she'll come back for me
Radio Heart
Send her my love for me
I hear a sound in the night
Could be the turn of a key
And when I switch on the light
It's you I'm hoping to see
Imagination
You play a cruel cool game
Imagination
You leave me calling her name
Radio Heart
Play a sad song for me
One from the heart
So she'll come back for me
The morning after
I find no inspiration
No love no laughter
Just my imagination
The lyrics of Gary Numan's song "Radio Heart" illustrate the complexity of a broken relationship. The singer, who is possibly suffering from heartbreak, wanders through the streets in the rain, hoping to find solace within the shadows. He sees her face in the window and feels the touch of her hand, which draws him in but leaves him feeling lost, as he can't interpret her feelings. He hears the echo of her voice saying that she needs him, which further pierces his heart with the guilt of not understanding her.
The singer refers to his radio as his heart, which could be the way he's coping with his broken heart, and that's why he asks his radio to play a sad song for him from the heart so that she comes back to him. He hears the sound of someone turning the key; he hopes it's her, but it could be someone else. He's uncertain and feeling vulnerable, as his imagination keeps playing cool and cruel games with his head. His imagination further leaves him calling out her name.
The morning after, he seems to have recovered from the breakdown of his relationship but doesn't feel inspired. He feels as though there's no love and no laughter left inside him, leaving him with just his imagination. It depicts how the end of a relationship can leave someone broken and unable to feel alive.
Line by Line Meaning
I lose myself in the night
I wander the dark streets alone.
Walking the streets in the rain.
The rain is pouring down and I am walking aimlessly around town.
I turn away from the light
I do not want positivity, I would rather embrace the darkness.
To find the shadows again.
I seek the familiar feeling of being all alone in the dark.
I see her face in the window
I catch a glimpse of her reflection in the window.
I feel the touch of her hand
I imagine the sensation of her touch.
I hear her voice say 'I need you'
I recall the sound of her voice telling me she needs me.
I guess I can't understand
I cannot comprehend why she needs me.
Radio Heart
An imaginary radio station, set in my own imagination.
Play a sad song for me
I request that the radio play something melancholy.
One fom the heart
A song that touches me emotionally.
So she'll come back for me
In hopes that she will be moved by the song and return to me.
Send her my love for me
I have no way of reaching her so I request that the radio do it for me.
I hear a sound in the night
I detect a sudden noise in the darkness.
Could be the turn of a key
I believe that it could be the sound of her unlocking the door.
And when I switch on the light
I don't see anything so I turn on the light for a better view.
It's you I'm hoping to see
My mind is set on seeing her appear before me.
Imagination
My thoughts and imagination.
You play a cruel cool game
My own thoughts trick me into believing she is near, only to find out otherwise.
You leave me calling her name
I am left yearning for her and desperately calling out her name.
The morning after
The day after the event takes place.
I find no inspiration
I cannot find any motive to do anything productive or meaningful.
No love no laughter
There is no joy or happiness in my current state of mind.
Just my imagination
All these experiences are just a product of my imagination.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MEGHAN HAAS, STEVE SCHMOLL, SUZANNE LYNCH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
R Menon
I'm hearing this for the first time but it still gives serious nostalgia for some reason.
Samsonite
This should have been a U.S. hot 100 hit, somebody in the programming department wasn't paying attention?.
spacexdragonchicken
It was played on the radio in 1988 in California.
JUAN PABLO ARENA
@spacexdragonchicken That is very true! Someone posted a video from 1988 while he was driving his car from work to his house documented by a VHS camera and this song was playing on the radio (among others).That was on the 405 north.
Marty McC81
My favourite 80s song!
Liquiid ghost
Hard to believe this was 32 years ago!
Tania. Lewis
I love this song and vid. His work is quite different now. It's brilliant. He is so very talented and very sexy.
Internauta
such a good song
steve garcia
I was in 5th grade in when this song came out I sure wish I could turn back time the 80s had the best music i still listen to new wave
04opocin
Released as a single in the UK in March 1987.