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
Réplicas
Tubeway Army Lyrics
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I suppose it was the shame
But they didn't even try
You see we'd never met
And they didn't have names
There was nothing I could do
And I screamed, "You and you"
"It could have been you"
And they seemed to think
That I looked that way or maybe I was wrong
So I said "Do you know Mr wall?"
And they looked the other way
And then they smiled at me
But the police came and I said it was me
And I just walked away
The lyrics of Tubeway Army's song Replicas seem to be exploring themes of shame, guilt, and betrayal. The singer of the song appears to have witnessed something terrible happen, but feels powerless to do anything about it. The shame of their inaction seems to be eating away at them, as they turn on the crowd and proclaim that "it could have been you." However, the crowd does not seem to understand the pain that the singer is going through, and instead turns their back on them. The singer is left feeling abandoned and alone.
The second half of the song sees the singer grappling with their feelings of guilt and shame, as the police arrive on the scene. In an act of what appears to be self-sacrifice, the singer takes the blame for whatever has happened, and walks away. The ambiguity of the lyrics means that it is unclear exactly what has occurred, but it is clear that the singer is struggling with complex emotions and a sense of moral responsibility.
Overall, the lyrics of Replicas are powerful and evocative, capturing the pain and confusion of a terrible event that leaves the singer feeling powerless and alone. The song is a poignant exploration of themes of guilt, shame, and the sometimes cruel indifference of the world around us.
Line by Line Meaning
It was hard to avoid
It was difficult to ignore
I suppose it was the shame
I guess the reason was due to feeling guilty
But they didn't even try
But they didn't put in any effort
You see we'd never met
You see, we had not encountered each other before
And they didn't have names
And those individuals lacked any identifiers
There was nothing I could do
I was powerless in the situation
So I turned on the crowd
So, I redirected my focus to the audience
And I screamed, "You and you"
And I shouted, "You are also part of this problem!"
"It could have been you"
"You could have been in my shoes"
And they seemed to think
And the onlookers appeared to contemplate
That I looked that way or maybe I was wrong
Either I appeared suspicious or I was incorrect
So I said "Do you know Mr Wall?"
Therefore, I asked, "Are you familiar with Mr. Wall?"
And they looked the other way
However, they ignored me and averted their gaze
And then they smiled at me
Afterward, they grinned in my direction
But the police came and I said it was me
But when the authorities arrived, I confessed that I was at fault
And I just walked away
And then I left without saying another word
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GARY ANTHONY JAMES WEBB
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind