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
You Are in My Vision
Gary Numan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like a t.v. screen but silent
Where the victims are all paid
By the hour
Staring at the ceiling
As she gyrates all around me
I'm trying to forget
Far too many people
For a quiet night with myself
Oh, I could be anyone
Tonight
Focus on a feeling
I've detected while I'm sleeping
Sing a chorus of 'on broadway'
And deny it all
You are in my vision
I can't turn my face
You are in my vision
I can't move my eyes
You are in my vision
I can't move at all
You are in my vision
Delicate bodies
That decay beneath their clothing
Play cards in an empty house
In Paris
The wreckage of a hero
Lies broken in the corner
And everyone pretends
They like to live that way
You are in my vision
I can't turn my face
You are in my vision
I can't move my eyes
You are in my vision
I can't move at all
You are in my vision
You are in my vision (repeat)
The Gary Numan song "You Are in My Vision" is a reflective and introspective track that explores individual isolation amidst a world of violence and decay. The lyrics describe the singer's struggle to escape the widespread scenes of violence that play out on their television screen. In this world, even victims are paid by the hour, indicating that violence has become a normalized commodity in society.
The singer attempts to find solace in themselves, but they are continuously surrounded by distractions. They describe a fleeting night with another person, but this encounter is characterized by both familiarity and disconnection. The singer is searching for something real, but they can't forget the sense of familiarity in their interactions. The next verse describes Paris, where even delicate bodies decay unknowingly beneath their clothing. This image once again emphasizes the theme of brokenness, as even the most beautiful things have an underlying sense of decay.
Throughout the song, the chorus repeats the line "you are in my vision," indicating that the singer is struggling to escape the reality around them. They are paralyzed by the world's ugliness, and they cannot move past it. Rather than promoting an optimistic view of the world, "You Are in My Vision" paints a bleak picture, emphasizing that even the victims of violence have become objects for consumption, and everyone pretend to enjoy their lives amidst the decay.
Line by Line Meaning
Fade to scenes of violence
The song sets a violent stage, flashing with images of violence, much like those on TV. But there's no sound. This is a world where people get paid to become victims of torture.
Like a t.v. screen but silent
The violence in this song is reminiscent of what we see on TV, but the difference is that while the visuals are there, the sound is not.
Where the victims are all paid
This world that the singer is navigating through is one where people are paid to be victims of violence.
By the hour
In this place, people get paid by the hour to be victims of torture and violence.
Staring at the ceiling
The artist is lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling as his mind wanders.
As she gyrates all around me
As the singer lies there, he reminisces about a sexual encounter he had with someone who wasn't new to sex work.
I'm trying to forget
The singer is lost in thought, trying to forget the encounter he had with a sex worker.
She's done this all before
The artist is reflecting on his sexual encounter with the sex worker and is realizing that she had a lot of experience in the field.
Far too many people
The artist is talking about wanting solitude, but the world is crowded with people and it's impossible to escape them.
For a quiet night with myself
The artist desires peace and quiet, but this is difficult to come by in a world that's filled with so many people.
Oh, I could be anyone
The singer feels invisible in this crowded world and wonders if he could simply become anyone else.
Tonight
The artist is yearning for something different, something that the present moment can't offer him.
Focus on a feeling
As the singer is trying to fall asleep, he starts to focus on a particular emotion that he has been feeling.
I've detected while I'm sleeping
The singer becomes aware of a feeling he has while he's sleeping, and he's trying to make sense of it.
Sing a chorus of 'on broadway'
The singer's mind starts to wander as he contemplates this emotion that he's feeling, and he begins to hum a song ('On Broadway').
And deny it all
Despite his humming and attempts to self-soothe, the artist is trying to repress or deny this emotion because it makes him uncomfortable.
You are in my vision
The artist is confronted with an image or a person that he can't forget or shake off.
I can't turn my face
This image or person is so powerful that the singer can't turn away from them.
I can't move my eyes
The singer is so fixated on this image or person that he can't take his eyes off of them.
I can't move at all
The image or person that's in the artist's head is so powerful that it's paralyzing him.
Delicate bodies
The song is depicting a world where people are fragile, where their bodies are decaying or falling apart.
That decay beneath their clothing
The people in this world are metaphorically falling apart, even though they may appear whole or functional on the surface.
Play cards in an empty house
The people in this world are living a meaningless existence. They're playing cards in a house that's empty, or lacks the things that make life meaningful (like love, connection or passion).
In Paris
The song locates this scene in Paris, a city that's usually associated with love or romance. But in the song's world, Paris is just another empty place where people are playing cards.
The wreckage of a hero
The song is exploring the aftermath of what happens when heroes fall. This line describes the wreckage or debris that's left in the wake of a hero's downfall.
Lies broken in the corner
This debris is lying shattered or broken, in a corner where it's been cast aside or forgotten.
And everyone pretends
Despite the fact that the hero is broken, everyone around the singer is putting on a show, going about their business as if nothing has happened. They are pretending that everything is okay.
They like to live that way
The characters in this song are pretending that everything is okay, despite the fact that everything around them seems to be falling apart or decaying. They're comfortable living in this way.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GARY ANTHONY JAMES WEBB
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind