The release of their second album "Replicas" in 1979 finally gave Numan the success he had been trying to achieve from the start with the single "Are Friends Electric?", the song topping the British charts for four weeks. The band's cold electronic take on minimalistic pop took a little while to catch on with the music audience at large, but proved to be of lasting influence. Combining the artistic and poetic tendencies of David Bowie (especially the Berlin years) with sequenced synthesizers along the lines of Kraftwerk presaged the whole genre of techno-pop in the 1980s.
In late 1979, after the success of "Replicas", Numan dropped Tubeway Army and went on to record as a solo artist.
It's also worthy of note that during 1979, while his band "Ultravox" were on hiatus, Billy Currie collaborated with Gary on material for both "Replicas" and Gary's first solo album "The Pleasure Principle".
The official website can be found here: www.garynuman.co.uk
It Must Have Been Years
Tubeway Army Lyrics
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It's been doing that for years
If someone leaves the station
Oh please don't talk to strangers
Can't you see they're not like us
The vacant flesh of U.D.'s
Stand leaning by the walls
Ways of merging with the thoughts
You never dare to dream
It must have been years
It must have been years
They want to relive all my memories
Give me `the service' daily
Maybe it was mother
I can't seem to remember
Much at all these days
Picture open doorways
No pick-ups by the taxi boys
Just a bed near the window
And an old lamp by my pillow
And the things I have to do
It must have been years
It must have been years
The driver wants to touch me
He mentions all the old cop bullshit
I try to back away
But he's so strong I just can't move
Maybe I don't want to anyway
The time to leave is always `soon'
I wonder if I'm lying
A vague feeling of panic
As a man leaves saying "thank you"
I blame it all on you
It must have been years
It must have been years
Tubeway Army's song "It Must Have Been Years" is a haunting depiction of a person's struggle to remember their past in a bleak, dystopian world. The opening lines detail the monotonous repetition of a radio playing "White Christmas" for years, suggesting a lack of change and progress in this world. The warning not to talk to strangers hints at an atmosphere of mistrust and isolation, where those who are not like the singer and their ilk are viewed with suspicion. The image of the "vacant flesh of U.D.'s" leaning against walls, thinking of ways to merge with forbidden thoughts, adds to the sense of danger and paranoia.
The chorus, "It must have been years," suggests that the singer has been trapped and isolated for a very long time, perhaps even since childhood. The mention of a "service" administered daily and memories that the singer cannot recall hints at a traumatic past that they are trying to forget. The "picture open doorways" and "bed near the window" evoke a sense of longing for escape, yet the taxi boys do not come, and the singer is stuck in their room with an overwhelming sense of the things they need to do.
The final verse introduces another character, a driver who mentions "old cop bullshit" and wants to touch the singer. The struggle to back away from him, combined with the feeling that perhaps the singer doesn't want to escape after all, captures a bittersweet, complicated relationship with escaping into the unknown. The song's conclusion, with the singer blaming it all on "you," could suggest a betrayal or abandonment by someone in their past, but it's left intentionally vague.
Line by Line Meaning
A radio plays 'White Christmas'
The sound of 'White Christmas' has been playing from a radio for an extended period of time.
It's been doing that for years
This has been going on for years to the point where it's become a regular sound within the environment.
If someone leaves the station
If someone turns off the radio while 'White Christmas' is playing,
Oh please don't talk to strangers
It's not recommended to talk to people you don't know.
Can't you see they're not like us
These strangers are different from us and we should be cautious.
The vacant flesh of U.D.'s
The lifeless bodies of U.D.'s,
Stand leaning by the walls
Are standing listlessly against the walls.
You can feel them thinking over
It's possible to sense that they're contemplating,
Ways of merging with the thoughts
Different means of integrating with the thoughts of people around them,
You never dare to dream
But these creatures never venture to dream.
It must have been years
It seems as though an inordinate amount of time has passed.
They want to relive all my memories
They desire to re-experience every recollection of mine.
Give me 'the service' daily
It's expected that I receive 'the service' on a regular basis.
Maybe it was mother
Perhaps my mother was responsible for the current situation.
I can't seem to remember
But presently, I'm incapable of recalling much due to some circumstance.
Much at all these days
I've been struggling with memory loss for some time now.
Picture open doorways
Imagine unobstructed doorways,
No pick-ups by the taxi boys
Not a single taxi driver to be found nearby.
Just a bed near the window
But there's certainly a bed close to the window.
And an old lamp by my pillow
In addition to an antique lamp positioned adjacent to my pillow.
And the things I have to do
And there are still a myriad of things I need to accomplish.
It must have been years
It appears as though countless years have gone by since any sort of progress has been made.
The driver wants to touch me
The taxi driver seems to have inappropriate intentions towards me.
He mentions all the old cop bullshit
He's spouting off nonsense related to law enforcement.
I try to back away
I attempt to distance myself from him,
But he's so strong I just can't move
But his grip is too firm, and I find myself unable to get away.
Maybe I don't want to anyway
At this point, I may not even have the desire to escape.
The time to leave is always 'soon'
It always feels like it's time to depart from this place, but never quite yet.
I wonder if I'm lying
At times, I even question my own honesty in regards to my intentions to leave.
A vague feeling of panic
I'm experiencing an uncertain sense of anxiety.
As a man leaves saying 'thank you'
As someone exits while thanking me,
I blame it all on you
I'm holding you accountable for everything that's gone wrong in my current situation.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GARY ANTHONY JAMES WEBB
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind