New Musik were a London based Synthpop group active from 1979 to 1982.
… 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.

The Safe Side
New Musik Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Someone said the magic words today
What's going on is going wrong again
So how does it feel to be
On the safe side
I fear the walls are closing in around
I'm in the air and falling to the ground
So tell me how does it feel to be
On the safe side

On the safe side
They tell me this is sound security
With just the hint of danger that we need

So tell me how does it feel to be
On the safe side

Overall Meaning

"The Safe Side" by New Musik highlights the singer's confusion towards some aspects of life. He admits that sometimes he misses the point of the things that people have planned or he sees things he doesn't understand. The chorus repeats the line "I know dead fish don't swim home when the seas get left alone" to emphasize that sometimes things don't go as planned and the consequences are irreversible. The big fish lose control, and they sound the alarm when there is a potential threat to the calm.

The lyrics signify the mistakes that people make, especially the ones who are in control of creating dangerous situations or starting a war. They are playing their games with toys and welcoming a war, but they don't realize what life is for. The phrase "dead fish don't swim home" beautifully captures that life is precious and fragile. Once it's gone, there's no way of bringing it back, just like dead fish don't come back to life when left alone in the sea.

The song highlights how important it is to understand the consequences of our actions and take charge of our decisions. Life is too short to waste it on silly games and wars. Instead, potential dangers should lead us towards potential calm, and we should learn to cherish and protect the beauty around us.

Line by Line Meaning

Some things in life I see
The singer has witnessed certain things in life

I don't understand
The singer does not comprehend these things

Sometimes I miss the point
The singer fails to see the significance of certain things

To things that they've planned
Refers to plans made by others

I know dead fish don't swim home
Acknowledging that there are situations with no chance of a positive outcome

When the seas get left alone
Refers to when things are not properly maintained or taken care of

When things don't go as well
Situations when things don't work out as intended

As they would have planned
Refers to the original intention or plan

The big fish lose control
People in positions of power sometimes lose control of situations

Big fish on the land
Refers to the power dynamic shifting in certain situations

The big fish sound the alarm
Those in positions of power are usually the ones to alert others of potential dangers