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
We
Gary Numan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What you've been waiting for
We are not
The things you need
We are not
Softly singing love songs
All we are
Here for is right
Here in this room
We play games
Room for one more
Here in this room
You can feel it all
We need it
To keep the shakes away
We need it
To help us breathe
We need it
For everything we feel
We need it
Like we need you
-repeat chorus-
We break down
Start up the smile I suppose
You learn quick
You learn nothing
One more girl
Just leaves us wanting more
This young love
Just leaves us cold
-repeat chorus-
The lyrics in Gary Numan's song We Need It suggest a desire for something deeper and darker than just love and sweetness. The first three lines declare that the band, or whoever is speaking, is not what people expect or want, suggesting a longing for something less conventional. The lyrics following that line describe a room where games are played, insinuating something more sinister is going on. The repeated phrase "room for one more" suggests the invitation of a stranger into this space where unspeakable things occur. The lyrics "We need it to keep the shakes away" infers that whatever occurs in this room is addictive, and without it, one cannot function correctly. The following line, "we need it to help us breathe," suggests that whatever is happening in this space has both physical and psychological effects on the participants.
The verse that begins with "we break down" gives a feeling of vulnerability or that something may be wrong with the participants. The line "you learn quick, you learn nothing," shows that there is no teaching or learning of the participants, indicating that everything is happening on a primal level. The phrase "one more girl just leaves us wanting more" conveys that whatever is going on in that space is sexual, and participants are always on the hunt for the next thrill. Overall, We Need It is a beguiling tale of seduction, provocation, and underbelly subversion.
Line by Line Meaning
We are not
We are not what you have been eagerly anticipating
What you've been waiting for
The thing that you've been eagerly anticipating
We are not
We are not the things that you require
The things you need
The things that you cannot thrive without
We are not
We are not comparable to the people who sing romantic ballads
Softly singing love songs
Crooning about love gently
All we are
We exist for no other purpose
Here for is right
Except to be present in this space
Room for one more
There is the capacity for one more person in this vicinity
Here in this room
In this specific location
We play games
We amuse ourselves
Room for one more
Space is available for an additional individual
Here in this room
In this specific location
You can feel it all
You can experience the full range of sensations
We need it
We require it to maintain our well-being
To keep the shakes away
To prevent ourselves from trembling
We need it
We require it to assist us in breathing
To help us breathe
To facilitate our respiration
We need it
We require it for everything we are sensing
For everything we feel
For all the emotions and sensations we perceive
We need it
We require it as much as we require you
Like we need you
Similar to how much we require your presence
We break down
We lose our composure
Start up the smile I suppose
Begin grinning for show, I presume
You learn quick
You acquire knowledge rapidly
You learn nothing
But you do not learn anything of substance
One more girl
Another young woman
Just leaves us wanting more
Only makes us more desirous
This young love
This new romantic relationship
Just leaves us cold
Only makes us feel emotionally distant
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Gary Anthony Webb, Gary Anthony James Webb
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
A. Shwartz
We are young we can break
Watch us fall
We can take some train
Down to the sea
We are glass, we are glass
We are real you can touch
Just for now
And then say
'Hey you, which way is down'
We are glass, we are glass
We are strong we run though
We have time
And to you I'm just
One of those boys
We are glass, we are glass
We are cold
We're not supposed to cry
But it's all just a thought
So here am I
We are glass, we are glass
They run fast
Impressions of the floors inviting
Stay with me, stay with me
They run past
With telephones they scream
Well would you turn all this down
Turn all this down
You are replaced you are you
And our dreams are real
And dreams are all we need
We are glass, we are glass
We…
I. Flores
It’s just uncanny how this song still sounds futuristic 40 years later.
Michael T New York Night's
The New Wave were The Futurists. They came and left and we'll never catch up.
soulminer 1970
Hell yeah!
Nigel Goodwin
The genius of Numan. Synths sounds great. We are glass...Numan is!
David Kelsey
Your right it does I remember the day it was out on single and it still sounds Awsome today..
EDDIE EDDISON
Time travelers were here among us and we had no idea.....
Anthony Faulkner
Probably my favourite SINGLE of all time by any artist. 'Cars' and 'Complex' from 1979 had made a HUGE impression on me and I couldn't wait to hear Gary Numan's new material. I clearly remember the day I bought the single, on the week of its release. May 1980. The first time I'd bought a single BEFORE it was in the charts. As a 15 year old school boy I was ridiculed mercilessly for liking Gary Numan but I learnt at an early age it's best to take no notice of what other people think!
William Millington
i received the same ridicule at school as a 13 year old, but i just remember thinking "you are the boring ones liking your Genesis and ABBA"
elektren AI
Me and my mates at school were Numanoids.Powerful force.Even the heavy metal fans respected us-1980-85
Ally
You were ahead of your time bro