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
She
Gary Numan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like pictures on the wall
I don't like eyes
You are attraction
It gets to be routine
You're up, I'm down
But the factory knows
We're dreams in cold storage
We could dance the night away
You say you love me
Maybe you do
A patience I can't steal
I don't believe you
You said 'Straight'
It's like giving up hope
Here on the ground
On the floor
Screaming nothing at all
Here on the ground
Like some whore
Looking down on you all
Too much advice
I'm not sure
Laughing hyenas
With pens for charm
You'll just suck in the boys
We have to leave soon
Shudder. 'The Door'
This house is far too cool
She's got claws
But the factory knows
We're dreams in cold storage
We could dance the night away
The lyrics to Gary Numan's "She Got Claws" are peculiar and cryptic, leaving much room for interpretation. At first glance, the song seems to be about a dysfunctional relationship that is causing the singer anxiety and confusion. The line "You are distraction/Like pictures on the wall/I don't like eyes" could be interpreted as the singer feeling overwhelmed by their partner's constant presence, as if they are always watching him.
The line "She's got claws/But the factory knows/We're dreams in cold storage" adds a surreal element to the song. It's unclear what the "factory" represents, but it appears to be some sort of force that is controlling the dreamlike state that the singer and his partner are in. The line "We could dance the night away" is almost haunting, adding to the dreamlike feeling. It's unclear whether the singer is being held captive or if he's simply lost in the relationship.
The song's chorus, "She's got claws," adds to the enigma. It's unclear whether the "claws" are literal or metaphorical, though they seem to represent a sort of threat or danger. The line "This house is far too cool" adds to the sense of isolation and incomprehension that the singer is feeling. Overall, "She Got Claws" is an intriguing and mysterious song that evokes a dreamlike, unsettling atmosphere.
Line by Line Meaning
You are distraction
You divert my attention away from important things
Like pictures on the wall
You are part of the background, not the foreground
I don't like eyes
I don't want to be seen, or to see you looking at me
You are attraction
You draw me in with your magnetic personality
It gets to be routine
It becomes predictable and monotonous
You're up, I'm down
Our moods are not in sync
She's got claws
She's fierce and has a biting wit
But the factory knows
The system is aware of our emotions and dreams
We're dreams in cold storage
Our aspirations are being held back, frozen in time
We could dance the night away
We could forget about our troubles and enjoy life
You say you love me
You claim to have strong feelings for me
Maybe you do
It's possible that you actually do love me
A patience I can't steal
I don't have the energy or endurance to wait for you
I don't believe you
I don't trust your words or your intentions
You said 'Straight'
You were honest with me, but it's not what I wanted to hear
It's like giving up hope
It feels like all my dreams have been dashed
Here on the ground
Back to reality
On the floor
Feeling defeated and vulnerable
Screaming nothing at all
Yelling out my frustrations, to no avail
Like some whore
Feeling used and worthless
Looking down on you all
Feeling superior to those who have hurt me
Too much advice
Receiving too much unwanted input from others
I'm not sure
I'm confused and uncertain about what to do
Laughing hyenas
People who find joy in the misery of others
With pens for charm
Using their words to manipulate and control
You'll just suck in the boys
You'll attract attention from men who only want one thing
We have to leave soon
We need to get out of this situation quickly
Shudder. 'The Door'
The thought of staying any longer is unbearable
This house is far too cool
This environment is too detached and unfeeling
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Gary Anthony Webb, Gary Anthony James Webb
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
kieran xoxo
i think im one of his only fans who really likes the dance album it's definitely in my top 5, i always come back to it. something about it just enchanting to me.
Nigel James
Dance is my top Numan album, always has been, it was a massive departure from his early stuff, I loved the image as well and tracks like Stories, Boys Like Me, Moral and especially Cry The Clock Said are awesome
kieran xoxo
@Nigel James i totally agree. its nice to see someone who actually likes it.
Nigel James
Probably more than you think but it's an absolutely class album, have been a Numan Fan from the early 80's and in my opinion he has never bettered this
EM1045
You are definitely not alone. Dance was an album that I never expected to like and it wasn't until I really listened to the lyrics that I had a whole new appreciation for it. After awhile I realized what the vibe was and fell in love with the instrumentation as well. One aspect that really makes it stand out to me is his use of the Yamaha CP-30 Electric Piano. It is truly unique and can be heard on the entire album. You can hear it on Telekon and I Assassin as well.
SuperDonnaMO
I have recently bought it and it's great, I agree with you.
EM1045
Who voted thumbs down on this? Gary is a legend and he is finally getting the recognition he deserves!
EM1045
Jeremy Horne Well, I don't know if you are a loyal fan or not. Anyone that knows the full story of Gary's career is aware that people including yourself aparently and the music press , downright hated everything after Telekon. Gary's career was a rollercoaster, and he had lost confidence in himself. You may not like his music during that in between period (1982 -1994) but there are people who do. Not everything is masterpiece but to say it all sucks isn't fair. You have a right to your own opinion, but so where do you come off making comments on YouTube about it where fans just try be positive? If you don't like it, don't listen to it. Find something else to watch because that just makes you look like a hater.
EM1045
@SocioComm LOL 🤣
SocioComm
@EM1045 Im right aint I? You mean to tell me you HAVENT met a werecat woman?! LMAO