Gary Numan - We Are Glass explained | Electric Friends Podcast
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- Опубликовано: 7 сен 2024
- First released on June 17, 2022.
One of Gary Numan's biggest hit singles, 'We Are Glass' was originally a standalone single before being included in future Telekon releases.
It's one of Gary's more poppy numbers, and has always been a solid live favourite. But what is the song about? And how did the BBC scupper its chances of being a bigger hit?
Clips used:
Gary Numan - 'We Are Glass' (Telekon - Beggars Banquet)
Gary Numan - (R)evolution: The Autobiography (audiobook) (Constable)
Gary Numan - 'We Are Glass' (Live at Wembley 1981 - Beggars Banquet)
EMF - 'We Are Glass' (Random - Beggars Banquet)
Gary Numan - 'Trois Gymnopedies (first movement) - (Telekon - Beggars Banquet)
Gary Numan - 'We Are Glass' (live, 2022 - RUclips, Filmed By Nigel George Limer)
I was around 8 and I heard a short bit of this whilst at the dentist on his radio, and was floored! I though WTF was that?! It was amazing!! The following weekend I persuaded my mum to take me to the local record shop where I tried to describe to the man behind the counter the amazing track I heard …. he smiled knowingly, put a single on the turntable and said “was it that?” And BAM!! (I said to my mum; "you need to buy this, oh and a bigger stereo" ;-) Been a massive fan ever since that day 45 yrs ago!
It's ironic that his, often dystopian themed and angst ridden music brought so much joy to so many.
I was 7 years old when I was introduced to Numan, my brother bought Tubeway Army album and we sat and listened to it together...Numan was my 1st love 😍😍
The reason I love We are Glass? Watch the video, the part from 3 minutes 51 seconds to 3 minutes 56 seconds. Gary's face, the eyes. I don't trust you. That. And the fact that I have been a Numanoid since 1979 and have only just found this podcast. Numan rules, he always has and alway will. Love you Numan family xxx
I bought a JP-4 in 1986 because Telekon made me!!👽👽👽
From the age of 14 in 1978 I was well into Numan, at the age of 18 I used to go to his gigs dressed just like him, even the black leather 1 piece with red belts, lots of his music is timeless!
Thai song is a classic! One of my favourites!
big thanks for the mention still my all time fav numan song
I love this version and especially the Wiggly version of We are glass with just the instrumentals. I always liked his sound, it was very futuristic. it sounded like music
we should be listening to in 2024. with the silver suits and flying cars. 😀
Never understood why this wasn't No1 in the UK charts
A great feature on one of Gary's finest early moments. One comment that puzzles me though is the mention that the video was banned from TOTP, it wasn't, it was shown albeit, the BBC did superimpose, skillfully too, a starburst floodlight on the scene where GN plunges a sledgehammer through a TV screen. It was featured, if memory serves me correctly on the same edition as John Foxx performing No Ones Driving. 🙏
Gr8 footage /vlog mate, brilliant interview Chris Payne
I bought it when it came out!
I hadn't heard it, but was expecting I Die You Die when I played it.
Shame we never got a maxi single.I was 10 when it came out. Absolutely love it
I thought it was odd but amazing to leave it off Telekon, but he was cranking out so much high level stuff he could afford to leave such gold off the LP. no filler on Telekon. of course with CDs it made sense to include it.
Great podcast, as ever..👍👍👍
We Are Glass by far his best singel
An absolute banger!
Por Please in Spanish . Hello fron Lima/ Perú. Fanatic of Gary Numan.
He wanted to show he could still write a guitar based song. I reckon it would have done better if he played it on Kenny Everett instead of IDYD.
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❤❤❤❤❤😊😊😊😊😊😊😊
7th single.
Having a stable fan base is VERY useful but to stay at the heights Numan had reached by 1980 it was rather FOOLISH and commercially DANGEROUS to "throw away" TWO huge hit singles from an upcoming album!. "outsiders" who appreciated excellent three minute pop tunes (or 4:46 come 2 that!)could be forgiven if they picked up the Telekon album and, on discovering they had never HEARD any of the tracks (apart from what turned out to be its only single,"This Wreckage") put it straight down again!. Wreckage "crashed & burned" @ number 20 around Christmas 1980, hardly setting the charts on fire.Myself?, i thaught it was a fine track but nowhere near strong enough to sell an album.I'm certainly no ones idea of a "Numanoid" but have picked up a few of his records over the years, apart from the WORSHIP of "We Are Glass" & "I Die You Die" i would RATE.....ALL the singles from "I Assassin" and ALL the B sides, though not the album itself as i find so much of Numans lyrics indecipherable (HERESEY!!).It's primarily the very funky bass patterns from Pino Palladino.LOVE, the sad but gorgeous "Complex", no sooner starts than it ends!. Numan NEVER gets credit for his lovely, gentle melodies as heard here and on "Down In The Park". His interpretation of "Trois Gymnopodies" (as mentioned here) is another example.Other tracks that really stand out....She's Got Claws, Crash, Warriors, My Car Slides (Pt.2), Bombers and , i think, just about ALL of Telekon. I only bought that album around 1991 from a second hand shop.It was the cassette format which DID (as mentioned) contain the two big 1980 hit singles and it was that fact that made me "take a chance on it" and part with £2.50!. Money WELL spent indeed!!!!.
There's a touch of marimba in there...