… Read Full Bio ↴New Musik were a London based Synthpop group active from 1979 to 1982.
The lead singer and frontman was songwriter/producer Tony Mansfield, who was also a former member of the Nick Straker Band. New Musik first appeared on the BBC TV pop programme, Top Of The Pops in October 1979 with their debut hit single "Straight Lines" which received airplay on BBC Radio 1 from special guesting DJ Frank Zappa.
Their debut album "From A To B" (1980) reached the Top 40 in the UK Albums Chart and contained four UK chart hit singles; "Straight Lines", "Living By Numbers", "This World Of Water" and "Sanctuary". New Musik also topped the French singles chart with "On Islands" from this album.
Touring the UK in 1980, New Musik performed at both the Oxford and Cambridge Balls (with Elvis Costello) and at the Rotterdam New Pop festival in the Netherlands, and did a second UK tour in 1981.
Their second album, Anywhere (1981) reached #68 in the chart, but despite gaining international acclaim, neither of its singles "Luxury" or "While You Wait" charted in the UK.
In 1981 a compilation album, Sanctuary, was released in the U.S., consisting of four tracks from From A To B and eight from Anywhere. Previous to this release, there had also been a four song 10" vinyl Straight Lines released by CBS Records in the U.S. as part of their short-lived Epic "Nu-Disk" series, which had also included The Clash's Black Market Clash.
After the demise of GTO Records, New Musik released their third and final album, Warp (1982) which was more experimental. Oddly, it featured a synth version of The Beatles "All You Need Is Love", alongside an identically titled track of their own. Tracks such as "Hunting", "A Train On Twisted Tracks" and "Kingdoms For Horses" showed much promise, but without promotion and with limited record company support, the group disbanded shortly after.
Known for their originality and innovative approach to recording, New Musik specialised in catchy synth-pop with clever, often thought-provoking lyrical content. Tracks such as "Dead Fish (Don't Swim Home)" and "The Planet Doesn't Mind" highlighted environmental issues, still a minority interest in the early 1980s.
Several artists have covered tracks by New Musik, including Camouflage who did a version of "On Islands" in 1989.
Mansfield went on to achieve considerable success in the field of production for the likes of After The Fire, A-Ha, Aztec Camera, The B-52s, The Damned, Captain Sensible, Naked Eyes, Mari Wilson, Jean Paul Gaultier, Miguel Bose and Ana Torroja, some of his most successful projects.
From A To B and Anywhere were released on CD in 1994, and again in 2001, remastered and with bonus tracks. Warp was also released (with bonus tracks) on CD for the first time in 2001, in Japan. This remains its only CD release.
Missing Persons
New Musik Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
One simple mind led you astray
Now I can see the missing link
So why miss out again
Yes I can see where you went wrong
Cos I missed out the same
You thought the door had closed on you
Like me you didn't have a clue
We won't miss out again
Oh I can see where we went wrong
We both missed out the same
Missing missing persons
Missing missing persons
Missing missing persons
Missing missing persons
Missing missing
We missed the point we took the blame
A cast of thousands did the same
Now I can see the missing link
We won't miss out again
Oh I can see where we went wrong
We both missed out the same
Missing missing persons
Missing missing persons
Missing missing persons
Missing missing persons
Missing missing
In New Musik's "Missing Persons," the singer reminisces about a time when they and someone they know lost their way due to outside influences misleading them. However, since then, the singer has discovered the missing link and don't want to miss out on important experiences again. They feel that they missed the point and took the blame for their mistakes, and many others have done the same. The lyrics suggest that the reason they all missed the point is that they only had simple minds and didn't understand what was truly important.
This song seems to be about self-realization, a coming-of-age tale, where the singer recognizes their past mistakes and takes the responsibility of doing things differently. Additionally, the singer is reassuring the listener that they too can do the same by recognizing the missing links in their lives. They don't want to miss out on anything important again.
As the song goes on, the chorus repeats ‘missing, missing persons,' implying that these two people who went astray might have missed out on a lot of things, including important relationships, experiences, memories, and opportunities. The singer seems to be atoning for their past mistakes and is imploring their friend to do the same.
Line by Line Meaning
When you were young you lost your way
You lost your direction when you were young
One simple mind led you astray
Someone who didn't know better influenced you to make wrong choices
Now I can see the missing link
I can finally see the important connection that was previously missing
So why miss out again
Let's not make the same mistake again
Yes I can see where you went wrong
I understand why you made mistakes
Cos I missed out the same
I made similar mistakes in my life
You thought the door had closed on you
You believed that the opportunity was lost forever
Like me you didn't have a clue
You were ignorant and unaware, just like I was
Now I can see the missing link
I now understand what we were missing before
We won't miss out again
We won't make the same mistake again
Oh I can see where we went wrong
I can see where both of us made a mistake
We both missed out the same
We both suffered a similar loss
Missing missing persons
We are searching for people who are gone
Missing missing persons
We are looking for those who have disappeared
Missing missing persons
We are seeking people who are lost
Missing missing persons
We are trying to find those who have vanished
We missed the point we took the blame
We didn't understand what was important, and we were held responsible
A cast of thousands did the same
Many others made the same mistake as us
Now I can see the missing link
I finally understand what we were missing before
We won't miss out again
We won't make the same error again
Oh I can see where we went wrong
I see where both of us made a mistake
We both missed out the same
We both suffered the same loss
Missing missing persons
We are still searching for those who are missing
Missing missing persons
We are still trying to find those who have disappeared
Missing missing persons
We are still seeking those who are lost
Missing missing persons
We are still looking for those who have vanished
Missing missing
We are still feeling the absence of those who are gone
Contributed by Joshua H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.