Tubeway Army's main claim to fame is that Gary Webb (aka Gary Numan) first … Read Full Bio ↴Tubeway Army's main claim to fame is that Gary Webb (aka Gary Numan) first came to the public's attention here. The band was formed in London, UK in 1977 by Gary Numan and the late Paul Gardiner. What started as a British punk band would evolve into something quite different. During the recording of their self-titled first album ("Tubeway Army") in 1978, Numan came across a Minimoog synthesizer accidentally left in the studio which would end up being used in several of the album's songs. The change in sound served well for the band as their first album would go on to sell out its small initial pressing despite not charting.

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

We Have a Technical
Tubeway Army Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

We have a random on the west side

Personality malfunction

He says, "I can't give you anything at all

Just a room with a bad view of you"

He sent a letter to a downstat

Saying sorry that I missed you

But I can't think of anything to do

He's addicted to the time track

We have a technical

We have a technical

He's in a hotel where they all go

Saying, "Boy, I've lost my memory"

It's so surprising just how quickly things can end

Like a hero on a platform of friends

This table is so crowded

With people that I don't know

And I never really turn my thoughts on you

So the image breaks down again

We have a technical

We have a technical

I suppose it's very shady

At least until the lights go out

Advertising posters on the wall

And the young boys singing softly

Do they ever come back

Or is it always at the wrong time?

I could crawl around the floor just like I'm real

And move a hand in front of my eyes

We have a technical

We have a technical

We have a technical

We have a technical

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Tubeway Army's song "We Have a Technical" tell a story of a man who is struggling with a personality malfunction and an addiction to the "time track". He can't seem to connect with anyone, and even when he sends a letter to someone he misses, he can't think of anything to say or do. He's stuck in a hotel with memory loss, surrounded by people he doesn't know, and he can't turn his thoughts to the person he cares about. The song ends with a question about whether things ever come back, or if they are always at the wrong time, and the repeated phrase "We have a technical".

The lyrics give a sense of disconnection and confusion, with the singer unable to make sense of himself or his surroundings. The use of technical language, such as "personality malfunction" and "time track", adds to this sense of detachment and distance.

Line by Line Meaning

We have a random on the west side
There is an unpredictable person on the western side.

Personality malfunction
The person is experiencing a breakdown in their behavior and thinking patterns.

He says, "I can't give you anything at all Just a room with a bad view of you"
The person offers nothing to the subject of the song other than a poor quality lodging and an unpleasant sight of the subject.

He sent a letter to a downstat Saying sorry that I missed you But I can't think of anything to do He's addicted to the time track
The person sent a letter to someone he missed seeing but has no plan for them in the future as he is preoccupied with his obsession with time.

We have a technical We have a technical
Technical difficulties are present or about to occur.

He's in a hotel where they all go Saying, "Boy, I've lost my memory" It's so surprising just how quickly things can end
The person is at a commonplace hotel claiming to have lost their memory, and the speed at which things can fall apart is astonishing.

Like a hero on a platform of friends This table is so crowded With people that I don't know And I never really turn my thoughts on you So the image breaks down again
Subject is surrounded by many acquaintances but never focuses on the person expressing interest in them, leading to eventual failure of the relationship.

I suppose it's very shady At least until the lights go out Advertising posters on the wall And the young boys singing softly
The atmosphere is dark and ominous, with glowing advertisements on the walls and children's soft singing adding to the eerie ambiance.

Do they ever come back Or is it always at the wrong time? I could crawl around the floor just like I'm real And move a hand in front of my eyes
The song asks if lost opportunities ever present themselves again or if they are always missed. The subject could act as if they are real, even in a frenzied state.

We have a technical We have a technical We have a technical We have a technical
Technical issues are persisting and the situation is pressing.

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

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