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
Voix
Gary Numan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't like boys
I like some bitch to scare me
I like that noise
I don't like secrets
I don't like God
I don't like people
I don't need opinions and rumours
I don't need a voix in the dark
I don't need to listen to strangers
I don't need to tear out my heart
One stranger
One heartbeat
One love is
Forever
One picture
One morning
One tear lasts
Forever
I like this motion
I like this heat
I like this breathing
And I know I like this beat
I like your whispers
I like your screams
I like your lies
And I'm sure I'd like your dreams
You don't need opinions and rumours
You don't need a voix in the dark
You don't need to listen to strangers
You don't need to tear out your heart
I'll show you pictures
I'll make you cry
I'll show you things you've done
And then I'll ask you why
I don't need heroes
I don't need this name
I don't need favours
And I know I don't need fame
We don't need opinions and rumours
We don't need a voix in the dark
We don't need to listen to strangers
We don't need to tear out our hearts
One reason
One secret
One lie is
Forever
One nightmare
One rumour
Your shame is
Forever
The song "Voix" by Gary Numan features lyrics that explore his preferences and dislikes as well as his contemplations on the need for external validation. Numan seems to express a preference for being scared and the feeling of danger over safety and security. He also admits to liking lies and whispers, which suggests a fascination with deceit and manipulation. He expresses a disdain for social structures such as religion and a dislike for being labeled with false things. In the chorus, he asserts that he does not need opinions, rumors, or validation from other people to live his life.
Numan seems to be rejecting the idea of conformity and instead celebrating individuality. He talks about not needing heroes or fame, indicating a desire to be true to oneself rather than realising the social constructions forced on him. However, he does acknowledge the pain he can cause others by showing them uncomfortable things and asking why they did them, suggesting that there is some inner turmoil he may be experiencing. The lyrics touch upon themes of self-reliance, individuality, and pain, culminating in a final assertion that one's secrets and flaws stay with them 'forever.'
Line by Line Meaning
I don't like young girls
Gary Numan is not romantically attracted to young girls.
I don't like boys
Gary Numan is not romantically attracted to boys.
I like some bitch to scare me
Gary Numan enjoys the thrill of being scared by a certain type of woman.
I like that noise
Gary Numan enjoys a certain type of loud noise or music.
I don't like secrets
Gary Numan does not like to keep secrets.
I don't like God
Gary Numan does not have a belief in God.
I don't like people
Gary Numan has a distaste for people.
When they say I'm things I'm not
Gary Numan dislikes it when people make assumptions about his character that are not true.
I don't need opinions and rumours
Gary Numan does not feel the need to hear what others think or spread rumors.
I don't need a voix in the dark
Gary Numan does not need someone telling him what to do or believe in secret, behind the scenes.
I don't need to listen to strangers
Gary Numan does not need to take advice or guidance from someone he doesn't know.
I don't need to tear out my heart
Gary Numan does not need to overthink or emotionally exhaust himself.
One stranger
An unknown or unfamiliar individual is present.
One heartbeat
One person's pulse is evident or audible.
One love is
One type of love is forever.
Forever
Eternal or unending.
One picture
A single image is present.
One morning
At a particular time of day, probably early in the day.
One tear lasts
A single tear can last for a long time.
I like this motion
Gary Numan enjoys a particular type of movement.
I like this heat
Gary Numan enjoys a certain temperature or level of warmth.
I like this breathing
Gary Numan enjoys a certain type of breathing, possibly his own or that of someone else.
And I know I like this beat
Gary Numan is positive that he likes the rhythm or pulse of this music or sound.
I like your whispers
Gary Numan enjoys the sound of someone whispering to him, possibly a lover.
I like your screams
Gary Numan enjoys the sound of someone screaming, possibly a lover.
I like your lies
Gary Numan finds it entertaining or exciting when someone lies to him, possibly a lover.
And I'm sure I'd like your dreams
Gary Numan is confident that he would enjoy hearing and knowing a person's dreams.
You don't need opinions and rumours
Gary Numan is telling someone that they don't need to hear other people's opinions or rumors.
You don't need a voix in the dark
Gary Numan is telling someone that they don't need to be secretly guided or told what to do.
You don't need to listen to strangers
Gary Numan is telling someone that they don't need to take advice from someone they don't know.
You don't need to tear out your heart
Gary Numan is telling someone that they shouldn't emotionally exhaust themselves.
I'll show you pictures
Gary Numan will reveal images or photographs to someone.
I'll make you cry
Gary Numan will provoke an emotional response from someone, possibly making them cry.
I'll show you things you've done
Gary Numan will reveal things that the person he is addressing has done.
And then I'll ask you why
Gary Numan will ask the person he is addressing to explain their motives or reasons for their actions.
I don't need heroes
Gary Numan doesn't idolize or put too much faith in heroic people.
I don't need this name
Gary Numan doesn't put too much value in his name or title.
I don't need favours
Gary Numan isn't looking for anyone to do him any special favors.
And I know I don't need fame
Gary Numan confirms that he doesn't care about being famous or well-known.
We don't need opinions and rumours
Gary Numan is speaking for a larger group of people, suggesting they don't require opinions or rumors to guide them.
We don't need a voix in the dark
Gary Numan is speaking for a larger group of people, suggesting they don't need covert guidance or direction.
We don't need to listen to strangers
Gary Numan is speaking for a larger group of people, suggesting they don't need to take advice from people they don't know.
We don't need to tear out our hearts
Gary Numan is speaking for a larger group of people, suggesting they shouldn't emotionally exhaust themselves.
One reason
There is one explanation or justification.
One secret
There is one undisclosed or hidden piece of information.
One lie is
A singular falsehood can last forever and have long-lasting consequences.
One nightmare
A disturbing dream can cause long-lasting fear or anxiety.
One rumour
One piece of hearsay can spread and cause long-lasting problems.
Your shame is
There is something shameful or embarrassing associated with the person being addressed.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Gary Anthony Webb, Gary Anthony James Webb
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind