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
The Mach Man
Gary Numan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like a machine in the park
Saying 'please come with me'
But you've been there before
I saw him whirr away
Into the night
Like a nightmare on wheels
I'd give it all up for you
I'd even be a number just for you
The strangest living boy
You could ever wish to see
'that's me'
Yellowed newspapers
Tell the story of someone
'do you know this man? '
Tomorrow the cure
Only police ever
See night time for real
Turn on the light
And cry 'no more, no more'
I was standing outside your door
Waiting for the grey men to go
When my mind turned on me
With a vengeance I had never known
My own
Everyone heard
The voice on the radio
Saying 'why move around
And waste my time'
There are no
Independents anymore
The tape is a circle
But who really cares
I saw you behind the wall
I even heard you laugh at me
You disgust me tonight
With your answer to something new
That's you
The lyrics of The Mach Man by Gary Numan describe a strange man who seems like a machine in a park, asking someone to follow him. The singer has seen him before and knows that he is not to be trusted. The man goes away like a nightmare on wheels, saying he will never come back. The singer says he would do anything for the person he loves, even be just a number for them. He describes himself as a strange living boy who people would wish to see. There are some yellowed newspapers that tell the story of someone, and the police are the only ones that see the real darkness of the night. They turn on the light and cry that there should be no more.
The song then takes a dark turn, with the singer standing outside someone's door, waiting for the "grey men" to leave. Suddenly, his own mind turns on him, with a vengeance he had never known. He accuses someone of laughing at him from behind the wall, and their answer to something new disgusts him. The song ends on this eerie note.
Line by Line Meaning
I saw him turn on
I saw him come to life, as if he was a machine that suddenly powered up
Like a machine in the park
He moved with precision and almost mechanical efficiency, like a robot you might see in a public place
Saying 'please come with me'
He asked for your company or assistance, perhaps implying that he couldn't accomplish his objective on his own
But you've been there before
The artist has experienced this before, likely with someone else or a similar situation, and is uninterested in repeating the same experience
I saw him whirr away
He quickly departed or retreated, as if he was spinning or rotating around an axis
Into the night
He left in the darkness, disappearing into the shadows or the unknown
Like a nightmare on wheels
The departure of the machine or robot was eerie, unsettling, and evocative of a bad dream or horror movie
Saying 'never again'
Whatever happened must have been so unpleasant or traumatizing that the person doesn't want to repeat the experience
I'd give it all up for you
Speaker is willing to make sacrifices or go to great lengths for someone else's sake
I'd even be a number just for you
Speaker would be willing to be dehumanized or reduced to a statistic in order to please or satisfy someone else
The strangest living boy
The singer is unconventional or peculiar in some way, standing out from other people and perhaps even appearing robotic or mechanical
You could ever wish to see
Despite the artist's oddness or peculiarities, they want to be seen and noticed by others, and hope that someone will accept them for who they are
'that's me'
The singer is embracing their own identity and quirks, even if they may seem strange or undesirable to others
Yellowed newspapers
Old or outdated news sources, potentially hinting at nostalgia or a longing for the past
Tell the story of someone
There's a narrative or tale being told about a specific individual, likely one with some degree of fame, notoriety, or infamy
'do you know this man? '
There is an attempt to find or identify someone who may have been lost or gone missing, or who has somehow become disconnected from society or the public
Tomorrow the cure
There is hope or optimism about the future, potentially concerning some sort of medical breakthrough or discovery
Only police ever
The police are the only ones with the ability or authority to complete some specific task or action
See night time for real
The darkness outside is particularly foreboding or unsettling, and only the police are capable of navigating it successfully
Turn on the light
There is an attempt to dispel the gloom and darkness through illumination or enlightenment
And cry 'no more, no more'
There is a desire to put an end to whatever is happening or has happened, potentially due to some sort of trauma or disruption
I was standing outside your door
The artist was literally outside someone's physical location, waiting for them or trying to interact with them
Waiting for the grey men to go
The singer was anticipating or hoping for some sort of bureaucratic figure or higher authority to exit the scene, possibly so that they could have a more candid conversation
When my mind turned on me
The artist's thoughts or mental state was causing distress or anxiety, perhaps leading them to have paranoid thoughts or hallucinations
With a vengeance I had never known
The singer's negative emotions or reactions were particularly intense or severe, going beyond what they would normally experience
My own
Perhaps a reference to the singer's mental state or sense of personal identity, highlighting the fact that it exists independently of external influence or interference
Everyone heard
The singer's words or message was broadcast to a wide audience, potentially through radio or some other media source
The voice on the radio
The words being spoken were specifically coming from a radio or similar device, emphasizing the technological or artificial nature of the communication
Saying 'why move around
The artist was questioning the value or purpose of constantly being in motion or always seeking change, suggesting that it might not be worth the effort
And waste my time'
The singer sees constant movement or growth as a pointless endeavor, implying a certain level of cynicism or apathy
There are no
The singer is making a definitive statement or conclusion, saying that something no longer exists or is no longer possible
Independents anymore
There is no one who exists outside of some sort of structured system or institutional framework, suggesting that everything is controlled or influenced by external forces
The tape is a circle
The artist is making a metaphorical statement, implying that everything is cyclical or recurring, and that there is no true end or beginning
But who really cares
The artist is expressing a sense of disappointment or disillusionment, suggesting that the idea of continuous repetition or circular motion might be unappealing or difficult to accept
I saw you behind the wall
The singer witnessed someone else doing something they thought was secretive or hidden, but were still able to observe them
I even heard you laugh at me
The observed individual had a specific emotional reaction to the artist or their presence, but the nature of that reaction wasn't necessarily positive or friendly
You disgust me tonight
The singer is expressing a strong negative emotion towards another person, angered or unsettled by something that has taken place
With your answer to something new
The singer is frustrated with the other person's attitude or response to a new idea or change, perhaps suggesting that they are unwilling to try new things
That's you
The singer is making a definitive statement or characterization of the observed individual, as if summing up what they perceive to be their true nature or personality
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GARY ANTHONY JAMES WEBB
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind