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
Slave
Gary Numan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm a slave to your voice
I wait in the dark
With a cold metal choice
Here in this room
Where desire will bleed
And no-one can help you
No-one but me
OOh OOh
Here's something to remind you
OOh OOh
Here's something to remind you
Do you remember
The last time you cried?
Need I remind you
How innocence lied?
Here in the dark
You're a secret untold
A helpless obsession
So perfectly cold
OOh OOh
Here's something to remind you
OOh OOh
Here's something to remind you
Cry for someone, something, I'll laugh at you
Beg for someone, something, I'll laugh at you
Scream for someone, something, I'll laugh at you
Pray for someone, something, I'll laugh at you
"Slave" is a song by Gary Numan that explores the concept of obsession and control. The first verse describes the singer being trapped in a room, waiting for someone's voice. The second line, "I wait in the dark with a cold metal choice," suggests that the person is considering using a weapon. The song's theme of obsession is established in the next line when he sings, "Here in this room, where desire will bleed."
In the chorus, Numan sings, "Here's something to remind you." This line seems to indicate that the singer is reminding their prey of something they have done to gain such control over them. The second verse describes a similar situation, but from the point of view of the person being controlled. The person is described as a "secret untold" and "helpless obsession" that is "perfectly cold."
The song then climaxes with the singer taunting their victim, laughing at them for begging or praying for help. The last two lines of the song are a repetition of "I'll laugh at you," emphasizing the cold, cruel nature of the singer.
Overall, the song's lyrics suggest a power dynamic where one person has complete control over the other. The obsession is portrayed as cold and calculated, suggesting that the singer is not just driven by emotion but by calculated desire. The song's haunting melody and themes of control and manipulation serve to unsettle the listener.
Line by Line Meaning
Here in this room
The singer is currently present in a room.
I'm a slave to your voice
The singer is under the control of someone else's voice.
I wait in the dark
The singer is waiting in the darkness without light.
With a cold metal choice
The artist has options that feel as restrictive and harsh as cold metal.
Here in this room
Again, the artist refers to the current location being a room.
Where desire will bleed
The atmosphere in the room is passionate and likely to result in intense, physical experiences.
And no-one can help you
There is no one who can offer assistance in the present situation.
No-one but me
The artist is the only person that can provide help.
OOh OOh
These sounds are likely part of the song's beat or melody and do not contain any specific meaning.
Here's something to remind you
The artist is about to call attention to something.
Do you remember
The singer is asking a question, perhaps to jog someone's memory.
The last time you cried?
The artist is asking if the person they're singing to remembers the last time they cried.
Need I remind you
The singer is suggesting that the person they're singing to may have forgotten something important.
How innocence lied?
The singer is asking if the person they're singing to remembers a time when something they believed in turned out to be untrue.
Here in the dark
The singer is highlighting the environment again, drawing attention to the absence of light.
You're a secret untold
The person they are singing to is keeping a secret that they haven't shared with anyone else.
A helpless obsession
The artist is describing the secret as something that their subject is powerless to resist.
So perfectly cold
The singer is describing the secret as possessing a feel of coldness that they experience as perfect.
Cry for someone, something, I'll laugh at you
The singer is sharing with the person they're singing to that if they cry for someone or something, they will be laughed at.
Beg for someone, something, I'll laugh at you
The artist is telling the person they're singing to that if they beg for someone or something, they will be laughed at.
Scream for someone, something, I'll laugh at you
The artist is telling the person they're singing to that if they scream for someone or something, they will be laughed at.
Pray for someone, something, I'll laugh at you
The artist is telling the person they're singing to that if they pray for someone or something, they will be laughed at.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Gary Anthony Webb, Gary Anthony James Webb
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Yury Zangiev
He is just a GENIOUS!One of the best tracks...
ethicks
+Yury Zangiev if only you could spell, that might actually be a compliment.
seirbeach
Jagged is his best album, and i have them all. He keeps getting better and better. Wonderfully desolate and violent! Love it!!
Mia
This song has been stuck in my head for weeks <3
Laura Smigielski
one of my favorite tracks. love the live version.
churchy99
Okay been getting into Gary Numan a lot recently (mainly his early stuff which is terrific) and then I listened to this.... and I really love it - its so different but it is great and it feels real at the same time
donwan4u
Imagine, black lace, black eyeshadow, bright red lipstick and a gloomy night in transalvania....Heaven!! :-) I consider it Gothic. Sisters of Mercy come to mind. Although Gary Numan is very unique, still keeping the sounds of the early 80s in his muzic of the 2000s. What a performer. Class!!
God's Warrior
I have this cd and enjoy it more and more each time I listen to it.
Kostas Amarantinis
Great song
Sami Benbella
jagged is an awesome album