OH THE 80's! | FIRST TIME HEARING Gary Numan - Cars REACTION

OH THE 80's! | FIRST TIME HEARING Gary Numan - Cars REACTION
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Welcome to Rob Squad Reactions This is a music reaction channel. My passion is being a content creator, and providing my audience with unique, funny, and never before seen reaction videos. I have come to grow a love for all types of music from my beloved rap to heavy metal and I want to share that love with all of you. Being a content creator is my passion and it brings me so much joy and being able to share my passion and joy with all of you and grow as a community is an amazing feeling. In addition to reacting to all different types of music, I am also a a husband to my amazing wife Amber and a dad to 3 amazing kids Bria, Kiya and Luca.We here to try and make a change in this world starting with something that brings us all together MUSIC!!
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[@bradleypaulus2926]

This was so futuristic when it came out. Gary Numan was at the cutting edge of new wave at the time.

[@TonyTerranova-ji4et]

Other Great Garry Numan Is Are Friends Electric 2 Down in The Park 3 Complex 4 Conversation 5 I I Die You Die 6 Remind Me To Smile 7 I Dream Of Wires 8 The Joy Circuit 9 This Wreakage 10 Slow Car To China 11 We Are Glass 12 Cry The Clock Said 13 Subway Called You 14' She Got Claws

[@MikePhillips-pl6ov]

​@@TonyTerranova-ji4etI'd also had 'Metal' and 'M.E.'

[@jannetkoolman5645]

Gary Numan is without a doubt one of the nicest, most humble and polite artists ever. Always friendly and no ego whatsoever

[@jethro1963]

I saw an interview with him a few years ago and you are right, he was very impressive. He was very quiet and humble which I still remember being surprised because I didn't think he would be that way.

[@kennethgodwin7769]

Nu wave?

[@christinavuyk2026]

What a lot of tosh 😂😂😂

[@karldonald8150]

@@christinavuyk2026 behave you lol 😆

[@MsAppassionata]

@@christinavuyk2026 ??? Do you know the man?

[@sobe9ball]

As a 54 year old 80's child! This song was so so groundbreaking I cannot even explain to you when this came out! As a child I would have to sit by the radio with me cassette recorder trying to record it to play it over and over again! It is still to this day one of my favorites with easily one of the best OUTROS in music history!!! I love your channel!

[@michelleboyer9506]

Completely understand as I’m 54 too, so probably have some of the same musical influences

[@baronvonsatan]

I'm merely 50 but YES. YES. This. I mean, this song was a *shift* that I can't even explain.

[@adjman48]

As a fellow 54 year old, completely agree

[@PVCswede]

55 next week and YEP! 🙋‍♀️

[@CourtneyEvans]

54 here too and yes, simply one of the best songs EVER. Gary Numan is one of the grandfathers of Synth. It was astonishing to my 11 year old ears. One of my favorite songs of all time and definitely in the top 10 of ALL of my favorites. It is in many of my playlists so it's always on repeat. I literally just listened to it today. Yes, in my car 😄

[@steveb.212]

So when I was in third grade we all got to bring records to school on the last day. I brought this one. I'm 52 now so do the math. I cannot believe I was so into synth pop at 8 years old. And still am all these years later and still love this song! This was 1979 by the way.

[@edwardforster8905]

In my opinion, THIS SONG is THE gateway song to the 80's!! Release August 21st, 1979!! What a CLASSIC!! When J said no words for so long ... cracked me up because all I could think of is we were all dancing our a$$es off during that time!! 😂

[@BlackPrimeMinister]

I was a kid. This was my older brother's song and to be honest, it scared me. He was so alien and the sounds so strange - but I loved it.

[@planetbetter]

Oh wow. 1979. I would have thought 1981 b/c they played it on mtv. But I guess we are all getting old (er). Great song.

[@joelhenry5489]

This is actually the grand daddy of popular electronic music. This came out in 1979 when pop was dominated by disco and punk. Very important milestone for electronic and new wave.

[@nancysmith8626]

Yes. This.

[@frauleinmona]

You bet! Beautifully worded! Gary Numan is called "The Godfather of Electronica"!! 😁

[@kbrewski1]

@@frauleinmona Edgar Froese of Tangerine Dream, the boys in Kraftwerk and even Wendy Carlos (Switched on Bach) would strenuously disagree with that.

[@frauleinmona]

@@kbrewski1 Sorry, but that's not the title that *I* (although I agree) gave him. That's the title that the *music industry* gave him!😁

[@kbrewski1]

@@frauleinmona I would bet my house that Numan grew up listening to and probably idolized Edgar Froese of Tangerine Dream and Kraftwerk. They were using synths in incredible ways 8-10 years before Cars. If some writers said "synth pop" or "techno pop" that would be more accurate, but not "Electronica".

[@TFEnright5]

Gary Numan actually wrote this song after a road rage incident. He was able to lock himself in his car and stay protected and get away by driving up on the sidewalk. Hence the line “here in my car I feel safest of all, I can lock all my doors. It’s the only way to live, in cars.”

[@ocnbrze2003]

yep kzbin.info/www/bejne/hHKQnqmXZ6mLm5Y

[@cartercarter645]

Crazy - Thank you for the insight- all this time I did not know that!!

[@tompickles9798]

I concur

[@watchmanschannelofdespair]

Me three.

[@Kim-dm4yb]

Yes same here, thank you!

[@Shrykespeare]

This actually came out in 1979. Damn, I love Gary Numan, one of the pioneers of synth music. He has been consistent and dependable, keeping his sound intact but still evolving. His 2021 album, Intruder, is phenomenal. For your second Gary song, I HOPE you do "Are 'Friends' Electric?" It has one of the best synth riffs of all time, and is high on my list of the greatest songs ever recorded. Gary was only 21 years old when he recorded "Cars"!

[@BillGraper]

In the USA, it hit the top 40 at the end of March 1980. I've always known it as an 80's song. I'm not sure about other countries.

[@shyphyre]

That just means that it could have been released in the USA during the end of 1979/start of 1980, right at the dawn of the 80's

[@Tejaye777]

Was just going to say that. Technically it was a 70s song.

[@marc3981]

Are friends electric? holds up still. Great tune.

[@robabiera733]

Definitely helped lay the groundwork for the 80's. Very much influenced by Kraftwerk, as was Human League. "Autobahn" is a must-listen. You might also give "Electrical Language" by Be-Bop Deluxe a try - another late-70's band that has a proto-80's sound.

[@daveli9760]

one of my favorite songs on every playlist i have

[@happymethehappyone8300]

Gary Is Also An Accomplished Aerobatic Stunt Pilot & Trainer..He Is Still Putting Out Great Music..Gary Numan "My Name Is Ruin",, "And It All Began With You" & "Intruder"

[@karlxtrava]

This song is a perfect example of the transition from Punk to New Wave - when the Punks discovered synths.

[@kbrewski1]

When the Punks realized 3 chord guitar rock alone wasn't going to last without some technical proficiency.. ..

[@mperezmcfinn2511]

Literally. Gary wrote it on guitar, but when he went in to the studio and saw the synth he decided to use it instead.

[@brenod8821]

​@@mperezmcfinn2511 that moog synth, changed his life on day! Good bye to Tubeway army, welcome Gary Neumann and synths

[@mperezmcfinn2511]

@@brenod8821 My band just acquired one over the weekend. And now we're a bit overwhelmed by all of our options.

[@icemachine79]

Gary had a great voice for punk. Tubeway Army "Bombers" is great.

[@magneto7930]

Gary Numan was perfect synth-pop! It was one of the first big New Wave hits to make a splash towards the end of 1979.

[@kbusby4824]

Too true.

[@carltonbakerii8274]

"Down In The Park" is my favorite of his.

[@JoeMon491]

@@carltonbakerii8274 Foo Fighters do an AMAZING cover of Down in the Park, Marilyn Manson has a decent cover as well. Love all 3, but if I'm being honest Foo Fighters is my favorite.

[@paulwagner688]

80s synth pop. I lived for it. Gen X represent.

[@paulwalsh2344]

@ MAGNETO I know you want to categorize Gary Numan as synth pop, and admittedly "Cars" kinda maybe bears out that argument, but he was more new wave in that his songs had more of an edge which would have come out of the punk movement that preceded and was contemporaneous with his early music. It's so much more of being an outsider than the pop-y schlock that I associate with synth pop. He was more avant-garde, like the prototype of cyberpunk.

[@waynestuart2755]

Gary Numan wasn't just another 80s synth pop performer. He was one of the pioneers.

[@theodoreritola7641]

ACTUALLY THE LATE70s I LOVE THE TRUTH This song was the number 1 song in the UK in 1979 The 80s had not started yet Cars was wrote in 1979 recorded in 1979 So how can it be 80s

[@theodoreritola7641]

when was 1978 Friends are electric and Cars aug 79 . 80s songs lol

[@theodoreritola7641]

there was plenty of songs in the 70s that had SYNTHSB4 THE 80s where in diapers

[@GroovyDJ]

When I hear this song, I can only think of the great spoof of the German talk show "Sprockets" from Saturday Night Live" 🤣

[@dmnddog7417]

It's actually from 1979, but one of the songs that set the tone for what was coming in the 80's. The theme is really about paranoia and isolation. It's not so much about loving cars, but using one as a bunker. That's why he sings, "Here in my car I feel safest of all." It was inspired by an incident of road rage where someone tried to attack Gary. He was able to lock himself up in his car and get away.

[@andymageen5308]

This was the very first synth song that brought on the ‘80’s. It’s actually from 1979 and was absolutely revolutionary at the time. ✌️

[@t.j.payeur5331]

Pop Musik by M was first...

[@Lionize728]

The band the Cars did it in 1978

[@vh1984ful]

@@t.j.payeur5331 ❤it

[@J_Gamble]

Bowie in the 70s was doing synthesizer work with eno et al. if not exactly synth-pop

[@FlamesCagney]

TVOD by The Normal was out in 78. Didn't get as much popular airplay. . Also Kraftwerk was doing electronic stuff in early 70s

[@tofersiefken]

I would put this song in the same category as bands like DEVO. It's the epitome of the "New Wave" sound.

[@stevemurrell6167]

New wave synth.

[@richardgoddard37]

When Gary first turned up on our TVs we had never seen or heard anything like it before. This was a MASSIVE hit, and he's still going strong now. His daughters are talented too (he married his biggest fan !)

[@1177kc]

This and Blondie Rapture, breaking new ground

[@dennisglenn9475]

Never, really? He was a cheap Bowie copy!

[@toniscandella4746]

@@dennisglenn9475 he really wasn't, not even slightly similar to Bowie except for eyeliner. Numan constructs songs in a completely different way, its lazy to just go Bowie because its odd.

[@SpamMouse]

@@dennisglenn9475 Dave Bowie was a Folk Singer long before Spiders From Mars etc !

[@reg4321]

This song takes me back to the 6th grade, and I remember that song playing in our school classroom party.

[@donstuard2546]

I just watchef your reaction to this song. NEW WAVE! NEW WAVE! NEW WAVE! This song was hot in the dance clubs in Chattanooga, Tn. In the early 80s. This is also the beginningnof the Techno Pop era. This song tells how we lived in our cars back then. Cruising the strip. Meeting in parking lots to just hang out, and to decide which club to start yhe night with. Mids those times a lot. Some of the best of my life.

[@nancysmith8626]

One of the most iconic synth riffs ever. It may be "weird," but I think it still holds up today. Gotta love it!

[@velocirshtr3756]

This has the weirdest and unorthodox pattern. Count the beats. It’s not an 8 bar loop! It’s actually 6!

[@paulhenderson8201]

"Are Friends Electric" is another great tune by Gary Numan. A true pioneer for what we were about to hear throughout the 80's.

[@jamiefredrickson2560]

It is BETTER than cars. Like a lot of his underated songs

[@petercourtien4581]

And so the shift in music began.😊❤️

[@annother3350]

@Sam We'll have to disagree

[@ninawildr4207]

Nah it was with KRAFTWERK

[@JRcomments]

The Cars debut album the year before set the 80's tone before this.

[@petercourtien4581]

@@JRcomments And The Police, and Blondie and Squeeze. They were all part of the late 70s. You could tell a change was coming.

[@kbrewski1]

@@petercourtien4581 Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and U2 also were products of the late 70s.

[@JockJamJesus]

"There haven't been words for so long"

[@froggy5935]

This song, along with "Pop Muzik" by M and "Video Killed the Radio Star" by the Buggles, were the songs that bridged the 70s to the 80s. Great times!

[@ouethojlkjn]

100% I have pop muzik on a single from way back then. Another great song by The Buggles was “the plastic age” - very prophetic.

[@carollittle1059]

This was a huge hit! Sad news today of Jeff Beck passing. He was once part of The Yardbirds, he was a renowned guitarists.

[@CW-mx7eb]

OMG. Hadn't heard. One of the best guitarists ever...

[@anthonysteinberg4853]

Jeff Beck passed?!?! What a loss. Need to do a tribute to him.

[@susanbezio6708]

Bacterial meningitis

[@josephmilitello647]

I recommend the Jeff Beck-Eric Clapton instrumental guitar duet "Because we ended as lovers"

[@quentinrussell584]

We must have some Jeff Beck please!

[@ohfour-seven6228]

This song was HUGE in the dance clubs. Gary Numan is one of my favorites. He had lots of dance cuts and many were issued as 12 inch remixes, which were superb. Songs to check out: New Thing From London Town, My Breathing, God Only Knows, and I Am Dust. So glad you had a chance to hear Cars!

[@joesmith8725]

New wave, post-punk, dance-punk, alternative, synth-pop, etc! We GenXers loved this! Filled the dance floors during the '80s. "Are Friends Electric" is another good one from Gary Numan. It was a new sound to us back in the days as kids. Yall are right! It was like alien music to us back then lol. Electronics and different. RIP the drummer , Cedric Sharpley, the mixed race guy. Passed way from a heart attack about 10 years ago. Great drummer. Check out DEVO, too. Similar to them.

[@loriweinstein2223]

One of the best 80s songs in my opinion 🎉

[@ouethojlkjn]

Yes, Cedric was one of the best. I particularly like his drumming on “films” from the same album as cars

[@MidnightinSavannah]

@@ouethojlkjn I always thought he should be in the top 10 of all time drummers. He made it look so easy in Gary's songs.

[@LKTraz]

This song was the leading edge of a what some considered a sub-genre of New Wave, "Electronica".

[@paulwagner688]

80s British synth pop. Such memory. Amirite all y'all Gen X? This ain't weird. This IS the 80s.

[@Anniearchy]

This song has SUCH a great hook to it...I think I was 8 when it was released. Once you hear it, it's unforgettable. Glad you dove into this one!!

[@jetagelullaby]

One thing that makes me a bit sad when people hear music that came out before they were born, is that, even if they like it, there is so much lost in the experience of hearing it, compared to if they heard it when it was completely new. What I mean is that, and I tell my adult children this frequently, is they missed out on those sounds being brand new. People making innovative music on brand new instruments/technology - everything was completely fresh and exciting! Even things like social climate come rushing back to me when I hear old music - all your old friends, the way people used to relate to each other, etc. is tied to the music, and unfortunately, younger people miss that experience, even if they like the song. Obviously no one is at fault, but it makes me sad.

[@andymageen5308]

Each generation have to create their own version of that experience, and they do. We were very fortunate to live in a really creative time musically. ✌️

[@terrigaines1812]

Hear, hear!

[@emmahowells8334]

Absolutely agree.👌

[@analuisahering2043]

I hear you ❤️

[@billquantrill4960]

Agreed.

[@michaelcallies4659]

Young Sheldon goes electronic. I thought I was the raddest on the block blasting this from my 8 track player in my AMC Hornet.

[@simonpsychosis2812]

Gary Numan was a synthpop pioneer. Mega respect.

[@pumasgoya]

New Wave. No one would ever call it synth pop.

[@simonpsychosis2812]

@@pumasgoya There's always one, in the replies. ALWAYS. Though, to be fair, I get what you're saying.

[@pumasgoya]

@@simonpsychosis2812 because people that weren't around start changing the names of things.

[@simonpsychosis2812]

@@pumasgoya I understand what you're saying (and there is definitely some truth there). But, I WAS around then. And, I don't remember ever having arguments over minuscule genre differences (which definitely seems to be more of a modern thing). Either way though- the man was certainly a pioneer.

[@jeffreekoch9298]

When I was a kid during the '80s we just called this new wave 😆 or even punk, it had the influence from it. Modern rock and alternative were other names for it. Honestly nvr heard of synth pop until recent yrs, I think the kids the past few yrs or whatever came up with that . But I get what it means or refers too.

[@e.s.9080]

One of the very first "new wave" songs to get played on mainstream FM radio stations, ushering in that genre of music, coming in right at the very end of the disco era. Others at that particular time were Blonde, Devo, The Motels, The Go-Go's, The Clash, The Cars...😎

[@tonickton]

This song was so cool and futuristic when it came out 40+ years ago. It has aged very well and still sounds futuristic and cool😍

[@Johnny_Socko]

One thing that set Gary Numan apart was that despite being known as a "synth musician" he generally used live drums and percussion rather than a drum machine. I think that adds a certain layer of artistry that sets his music apart and keeps it sounding contemporary. (See also: Missing Persons)

[@karlclemmy2054]

It was originally 1979, remember it very well, it was the first ever single I bought, I've still got it, it was written after a road rage incident happened to him, while in his car

[@antonhoward9027]

This was the first record I ever bought, in 1979. I was 11 years old. I'm 55 now and I'm picking up the 15th keyboard of my collection tomorrow. I think that says it all.

[@filifolia]

Almost thought it was my man writing this 😆

[@abbafan1972]

yes it's from 1979 and one of favourite tunes! You should try "Are friends electric?" by Tubeway Army which is Gary Numan, also "Complex", "She's got Claws". So many.

[@brt5273]

PURE NEW WAVE!!! 😂 Awesome groove for the dance floor, black ripped jeans, safety pins, spiked wristbands and super black eyeliner🖤🖤🖤 After this big hit his projects slowly declined until he was actually planning on throwing in the towel but then he had another fairly successful piece, so thankfully kept at it. Later when many performers who had been influenced by him were gaining their own success, he began to enjoy a resurgence in popularity. There's a couple vids on KZbin of him in an outstanding performance with Nine Inch Nails, and it's clear by the crowd reaction how beloved he is.

[@colibri1]

As others here are saying, this isn't the eighties; it's the late seventies, and even though it sounds weird to y'all, it was a huge, huge hit in 1979. You would hear it blasting out of cars and it was a favorite dance tune at my high school dances that year. This was his first and biggest hit in the US, but he had a few hits in the UK in earlier years, with a similar sound. A couple of months after this song hit big in the US, he released another song that sounds even cooler, in my opinion, but wasn't as big a hit, "Metal." For an artist with a similar sound and vibe, try John Foxx, who had a UK hit in 1980 with a song called "Underpass" that would probably strike you as at least as weird as this one.

[@thebrilliantmrpedro]

It's a song that became a template for 80s songs. Incredibly, it is modern sounding. Made perfectly.

[@stvsmith1791]

He started out as a punk rock artist, then he accidentally discovered the Moog. 3albums worth listening to front to back end to end or on shuffle - "replicas", "pleasure principle" & "Telecon". Some poprockwieirdness, couple nice ballads and a cover of Eric Satie's "troia gymnopedies", a classical music um, ... classic.

[@rolandechosmith5526]

Them saying its weird just means they dont understand alternative music and they prefer commercial crap....

[@stevemillar4248]

I'm stoked that you referenced John Foxx's Metamatic album! "Underpass" is gold, but "Plaza" is right up there with "Are Friends Electric" at the pinnacle of that genre of music. Unbeatable. I used to have the weirdest Alice In Wonderland-type dreams, falling asleep to those iconic Moog tones with Foxxy dropping oddball observations like "I remember your face from some shattered windscreen..." Cheers for reminding me!

[@mikefodge5249]

This was dance club music back then ...tell me that beat doesn't make you want to dance !!! Def. Not chill music. ...

[@chrisa2310]

That riff will stay in your head forever. You may not think about it for a while, but it indubitably reappear in your conscious unexpectedly.

[@shadsullivan7817]

When I was a kid in the early 80's when I was riding in the car with my Mom, this song would come on, I always pictured cars crashing into each other with every crash sound during this song.

[@deano5177]

his music was sampled a lot in very early hip hop in New York

[@paul.kristoff]

So ahead of his time. Ushered in the industrial sound that really became popular in the late 80 through the 90s with bands like Nine Inch Nails. Gary Numan's excellent song "Metal" sounds even more ahead of its time. It must have sounded insane when it came out in 1979. His other big hit is the song "Are 'Friends' Electric?". It's by a band he was in, "Tubeway Army". And speaking of Nine Inch Nails, you definitely need to react to "Closer". Brilliant song. You'll need to do some editing with that one though, as the clip (which you really should watch) and the vocals are definitely NSFW.

[@CBGB_1977]

I’ve been obsessed with Gary Numan’s music since I was a kid. He’s awesome!

[@jgreen6772]

"Weird" it may have been, but it was also HUGELY popular, and still is. The song came from a road rage incident Numan was involved in where he had to drive up on the sidewalk to get away. He said being in the car made him feel safe. No word about the how any pedestrians felt. On the sound: "When I got to the studio, there was a Minimoog synthesizer in the corner of the control room waiting to be collected by a hire company, which, luckily for me, never turned up, and I was able to use it for two or three days. I’d never seen one before, and I loved it. It had been left on a setting that sounded amazing, this huge bottom-end, roaring, rumbling sound. I wouldn’t have known how to get that sound; I didn’t know anything about synthesizers. They were just a bunch of dials to me. Over the next day or two, I was able to experiment. I developed a massive passion for electronic music practically overnight. I very hastily converted my pure punk songs into electronic songs..." (quoted from "Mad World" by Lori Majewski) When they went on the British music TV shows, they deliberately didn't smile cheese-ily at the camera (like all the other acts of the time). Very work-like. Very serious. All business. On the long instrumental ending: "I used to think, What [expletive] am I going to do? I can’t dance - I dance like an idiot. When I play it live, even now, I’ll often put another keyboard on stage just to give me something to do with my hands. For a few years I stood on the side and had a drink, or I’d go and sit down. I’ve always had an uncomfortable relationship with the last two or three minutes of the song." (also from Majewski) Glad to see you still doing some 80s new wave once in a while.

[@BretSnyder]

Yes, he wrote this following a road rage incident. The detail above is spot on.

[@biddendensue]

This is 1980 and Gary virtually started the synthetic sound because all the others followed him! Gary moved over to being a pilot in the 90's. I saw him at several air shows flying a US Harvard fighter painted to look like a Japanese Zero which he performed display "dogfights" with British Spitfires and Hurricanes in. I have to say, he was an awesome "influencer" of the 80's but he was an even better pilot!

[@fightersweep]

Absolutely. Such a good pilot that he was appointed by the Civil Aviation Authority as a air display pilot evaluator to assess other display pilots. Such a shame that the press gave him a hard time as a pilot which was completely undeserved. He used to occasionally fly a Russian Yak 11 that I helped out on at Earls Colne in Essex. He did a cracking private display for us once as we were hosting a re-union of returning USAAF veterans and volunteered to put on a show for them in the Yak. It was a blistering display. Still got it on a VHS tape somewhere.

[@TanjoGalbi]

He still writes and performs music too. His last album, Intruder, was made in 2021.

[@urquhart43]

Virtually in England.. The Germans had been doing synth sounds from the mid 60's and pretty much gained notoriety with bands like Kraftwerk Tangerine Dream and others in the early to mid 70's

[@theodoreritola7641]

ACTULYY THERE WE SONGS INTHE MID 70s WITH SYTS And cars was relesed in late 1979 It was the number 1 song in late 1979 in the UK And friends electric came out in 1978

[@derekdonnell6503]

THIS WAS MY GETTING HIGH SONG BACK IN THE DAY AND NOW. AMBER WAS SO DAMN SPOT ON ABOUT THE MUSIC, IT GAVE ME THE CREEPS. I'M 55 AND AND TO LISTEN TO HER.WOW!!

[@notmyrealname1730]

This song hit the airwaves my soph year of high school. It was so different that it captured everyone's attention. There was nothing like it. It was a huge hit. I consider myself so fortunate to have been born in 1964, so I could be there from the beginning of New Wave. I was an immidiate fan and today, it's still my favorite genre.

[@carlh429]

This was his second number 1 single in the UK in 1979.

[@HabitualButtonPusher]

This song was revolutionary when it came out. The new sound after disco started saying Adioś

[@foamrob6577]

Same with Punk

[@KetoKassy]

I still LOVE disco. In fact, I never heard a song from the 70's that had the word "boogie" in the title that I didn't absolutely love.

[@bethcushway458]

Gary Newman is so shy and such a sweet kind man. The whole weird dark thing is just a persona he puts on when he's on stage. The lovely lady who made my wedding dress made Gary Newman's wife and bridesmaids dresses(I think they were red and black) and she said he came round to meet her but was so shy he barely said 2 words🥰🥰🥰🥰😢🥰🥰🥰

[@denismichaeljames]

It’s about Road Rage. He grew up around Aircraft, close to the runways of London Heathrow airport. He is also an experienced air display pilot. When he got hugely famous with this hit Cars, his second big hit after the debut Are Friends Electric in 1979. Numan was admired and also hated because of his persona, and someone tried to run him off the road in his first car. The Corvette Stingray, which his record company purchased for him to celebrate his fast success as an artist. I lived not far from Gary and saw that car around at times. He also had a Ferrari. The number plate was GN4. He also had his own Aeroplane and flew around the world in 1981. I saw him this June 2024 perform this song in London. It’s still as fresh as ever. Have you reviewed Are Friends Electric? You should.

[@user-or1ye3iz6d]

My gosh this TOTALLY brings me back to being a young girl sitting in my tv room being glued to Mtv and playing atari. Best days EVER. I love this song bc of this. It sounded so cool back then.

[@jimb8738]

First time I heard this, like when I was 12 (1979, yes) I was just blown away. Especially by the ending, you know, those synthesizer washes. I almost felt like I could look through the very fabric of reality or something, like my vision was X-ray. It was just such a mesmerizing and keen feeling of like gazing into another dimension, some weird but cool future. I love the whole song, but the ending is just... WOW. Of all his music, THIS is THE song that put Gary Numan's name on everyone's lips. I remember my stepdad giving me some shit about the song, saying something like "what is with this stupid song? Here in my car, I'm picking my nose, blah-blah-blah-blah!" And I just shot back with "yea, it's about as dumb as 'sitting on a cornflake, waiting on the van to come, goo-goo-goo-joob'!" THAT shut his ass up. My mother laughed pretty hard at that one. He hated my music. But all the women in my life, they loved it. Aunts, sisters, etc. I remember playing The Cars 'Candy-O' at one of their (my parents') little get togethers and the women just really getting into the music. I think my stepdad was just a jealous jerk. Good review you two! 🤜💥🤛

[@nolansteiner4771]

love your reaction, imagine how we felt when we first heard it back in late 70's/early 80's. nothing like this at that time. it was a massive air-play on radio, and was just so different (and still is).

[@howardclements7871]

I maybe wrong but I remember hearing that grandmaster flash and other early rappers sampled his stuff because it was so revolutionary.

[@bradlynelson357]

I remember skating to this . At the skating rink.. this and pop music by M.. also flock of seagulls. I ran.. another great one !! Live your channel guys!! Peace and blessings to you and your kiddos!!

[@mperezmcfinn2511]

I remember seeing this video on TV in late 1979. It was two years before MTV premiered. I was 7 years old, and used to all the bands on TV having long hair or poofy afros, usually with beards, or mustaches, or sideburns. Looking at these guys in their space outfits, with short hair and no guitars in sight, I was filled with the overwhelming impression that the 80s were going to be a whole lot different.

[@happymethehappyone8300]

An 80's MUST HEAR Group,, Naked Eyes "Always Something There To Remind Me",, (What) "In The Name Of Love" & "Promises Promises"

[@labrat311]

So Iconic. Music would suck today if it wasn't for Gary Numan. He was outside the box!!!

[@colleendebardeleben9167]

ohhh memories of roller-skating to this song in High School!! This song was HUGE at the roller rink-classic 80s...we loved our synthenziers.

[@chrisa1963]

So the story goes. Gary was, and still is, much more of a rocker. He had studio time booked to do an album. Apparently he was a little short on ideas but there was one of the 'new fangled' synthesizers that had been left behind and Gary started playing with it. This changed the whole direction of his album. His first hit, and one of the first of the synth era, was 'Are Friends Electric' which is a classic. Other bands which had already been experimenting with synths for a while, such as The Human League, were pretty put out that this guy had come from nowhere with the first big synth-pop hit. The visuals in this video are along the lines of the German pioneers of the synth sound, a band called Kraftwerk. Most bands of this era quote Kraftwerk as being inspirational.

[@colinl854]

This track is still in my playlist today, the opening bars just grab you and carries you through the whole song, we had never seen anything like Gary before back in the day, and it still stands up today in my opinion.

[@LifesWorldwideAdventures]

I saw him live in Dublin Ireland last year, he was absolutely incredible and the synths were out of this world.

[@chadleabo]

Truth! He and his band are amazing.

[@numberonesongs4444]

This is '79 ushering into the '80's. He and others set the tone for the '80's run of music. A great reaction and knowing it is weird in its layout.

[@annebaker9408]

I listened to this over and over…and for me, it is not weird at all…..it is my youth and it felt like we were getting a glimpse of the future with this song. And so we were, so much came from this…..synths were soooo new, and no one had used them in this way before, so it opened up doors and started the 80s synth sound.

[@mikejbjones]

Strangely I was recording with my band (New Wave/Punk, called the QT's) in the same studio in London as Gary recorded this, just a day or so after it was recorded. I managed to get a slightly different mix (don't ask how!),, which I actually prefer (I have offered it to Gary, but not sure if he got the message). As a drummer (as well as singer/songwriter) I loved the new 'drum' sounds, and bought a Synare 3 to add to my kit. I wish I still had it, as it is worth a fair bit now (but I do have an original Roland TR909, so not all bad!)! There were so many great original artists, like Gary, around at the time, that we all rather took each other for granted. Whilst there are still a lot of great artists around, unfortunately few of those in the 'mainstream' seem to have much soul (they need to move away from Autotune). The real revolution in the Punk era was the new record labels (like Virgin, and Beggars Banquet who signed Gary) who were prepared to take a chance on something new: perhaps we are due a similar 'revolution' now?

[@IanHodgetts]

You still need to check out the king of 80's synth-pop Howard Jones. He's still going to this day but a good starting point would be "Things Can Only Get Better". I'm sure you'll love both the horns and the overall positivity of the sentiment.

[@gdoggatl]

It was a hit in the US in 1980. My mom's best friend couldn't believe all the kids loved it as much as I did. She stopped kids in the mall (Greenbriar in Atlanta), and asked them did they know it and like it? They ALL said yes. It was a trip. We were all black pre-teens and teens. Listening to this made me have flashback to this incident that happened almost 43 years ago (it was Spring 1980). Great song...I played it the whole year. I had a little record player that would display neon disco lights that matched with the beats. This song gave me lots of lights!

[@ouethojlkjn]

This song cars came from the album the pleasure principle and there is another song on it. You might like to listen to. “Films” - Cedric Sharpleys drumming became the staple sample for many hip-hop break beats!

[@salsanchez4177]

I was 12 back then but let me tell ya, this song was a phenomena. The Monkees were the first group to feature a Moog synthesizer (Star Collector, Daily Nightly) way back in the late 60s. However, Gary Numan really put it on the map. U can't imagine being a kid and jamming out to this song with ur friends. Now as far as the topic of cars, i think its a commentary about the automobile being an integral part of our everyday lives.

[@fnjesusfreak]

I think the Beatles also used a Moog for a couple Abbey Road tracks?

[@fredkrissman6527]

Wiki: "The Moog synthesizer was brought to the mainstream by Switched-On Bach (1968), a bestselling album of Bach compositions arranged for Moog synthesizer by Wendy Carlos. In the late 1960s, it was adopted by rock and pop acts including the Doors, the Grateful Dead, the Rolling Stones, and the Beatles. At its height of popularity, it was a staple of 1970s progressive rock, used by acts including Yes, Tangerine Dream, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer. With its ability to imitate instruments such as strings and horns, it threatened the jobs of session musicians, and was banned from use in commercial work for a period."

[@leeozanne152]

This was the "Synthetic Pop New Wave" era. I grew up with all this music... 😀👍🏻

[@WoRN808]

Drummer Cedric Sharpley laying down the drum line. It only took about 2 years to start hearing this on the sound system in Kroger. Used to eat quaaludes in high school then go home and nap in my room with the whole album playing. Check out his earlier work, he was a punk rocker.

[@jimmyjames6267]

Yes!!! Heard this in 79 in my girlfriend's car driving home from high school, changed my whole music listening...

[@jamesdignanmusic2765]

Gary was a synth pioneer, first with his band Tubeway Army (their big hit was "Are 'Friends' Electric") and then solo. Although this was by far his biggest solo hit he's continued releasing albums and has a strong cult following. His style has got darker and more industrial over the years - he's been a huge influence on people like Trent Reznor.

[@richardcase3786]

This was the sound of the late 70s. The beginning of New Wave. it may have influenced some 80s music but this was definitely late 70s during the peak of the synth explosion.

[@justinevans481]

This is actually late 70"s, off the Pleasure Principle album 1979 which I bought on vinyl, great album

[@jonturner1465]

I went to school with Gary (Webb) Numan, and knew him really well, we also both worked at the freight forwarding depot at Heathrow Airport in the mid 70s, he used to give me a lift home, and one drive home he said "I've had enough of this, I've formed a band and I'm off!" A few months later his band TUBEWAY ARMY were at #1 in the UK Charts with "Are Friends Electric"....that my friends is a 100% true story!!! And...what a tune that was and this is!!!!

[@martycrimmins3214]

I love this song!!! It was such a departure form what came before. It came out when I was in high school and when you're a teen you want to have something to call your own style and for people my age it was New Wave music! Songs like this and "Whip It" by Devo led to bands like The Cars, Blondie and the rest of the music of the early '80s!

[@heloinaddict]

I'm 62 now and still listen to all of Numan's material. The album "Dance" "Telekon" and others. Awesome!

[@steph990]

How on earth have y’all never heard this riff?? 🤣. We freaking LOVED this song when it came out. The video was also unusual because videos weren’t really a thing yet. MTV etc didn’t exist yet. There were music shows like Soul Train and stuff, but this was very unusual for the time.

[@LJW55]

Back in 1974 a 1hr programme was launched in Australia on our national TV broadcasting company the ABC, so nation wide. It was on at around 6pm on a Sunday evening and played all the up and coming music talent and their film clips/videos (as they were called back then) from around the world. This show lasted for 14 seasons/years up until 1987. We were treated to these types of clips plus live perfances of any touring bands/groups/solo artists every show.... Fantastic to be exposed to music from all over the world.

[@jordan390a]

There is a clear difference between music from the late 70's and the early 80's...This song is a perfect example...!

[@mperezmcfinn2511]

I couldn't agree more. For me this will always feel like the line of demarcation between the end of the 70s and the birth of the 80s.

[@vaportrails7943]

Uh…not sure what you mean. This was squarely at the leading edge of “New Wave’, along with DEVO and so forth, which spanned the late 70s into the mid-80s or so. So I don’t know what huge distinction you see from 1979 to 1980.

[@mperezmcfinn2511]

@@vaportrails7943 As in, this wasn't Boston or KC and the Sunshine Band. We didn't have MTV, so you couldn't always see what bands looked like. Cars was a huge hit, therefore, this video played on music shows alongside Rod Stewart and Donna Summer. Very few New Wave bands had been on TV at that point. And while those that had (the Cars, the Police, Blondie) may have looked different, with shorter hair, skinny ties, and no facial hair, they at least played familiar instruments, in familiar looking configurations. And even groups of that ilk were far and few between. For 7 year old me, this looked like a harbinger of the coming 80s. In the future there would be short hair and synthesizers. MTV would arrive in 1981 with all kinds of New Wave groups. But in 1979, this was like, "hey look, the 80s are here, but they're a year early."

[@vaportrails7943]

@@mperezmcfinn2511 Yeah, that’s how it seems to me.

[@motortraction]

The very first record, a 7" vinyl single, I ever bought. Still have it.

[@josephvalenzuela311]

Such a great song from 1979. Thanks.

[@paulthompson4545]

Devo started this sound, try "Girl U Want" for a classic 80's sound with a great riff

[@47thdarkdimension]

Absolute legend Gary Numan is

[@michaelzarate6939]

That was an '80s club song for the new wave/goth movement.

[@manmadegod100]

It was so fun growing up in the 80s.

[@calebclunie4001]

Android vibe, before anyone had an Android. He was definitely, reading Philip K. Dick, and early Cyberpunk. "Bladerunner" hadn't come out yet. Gary was with Tubeway Army, and had been doing punk songs, but fortune was with him, when he happened upon a synthesizer, that was just left in the recording space. It changed music, forever. Please, check out Tubeway Army - "Are Friends Electric" (Top Of The Pops live video, is awesome), which shot to #1 in UK, I believe. "Down In The Park", is great, too. If you've not seen Jordan Peele's "Us", I highly recommend it, and Gary's "We Are Glass". Gary's viewpoint, and voice are very unique, as you've picked up on. He has Asperger's Syndrome. Numan is still cranking out great music. His daughter collaborates with him, as well. His determination to continue, with music, is inspiring. What a gift.

[@PaulWilliams-ko5fu]

Early synth pop went in for mood and atmosphere rather than singalong melodies. I can still remember this being reviewed in 1979 on Juke Box Jury with Noel Edmonds. I was wondering what happened to Tubeway Army. My father's friend was unimpressed saying he's just copying David Bowie. Of course everyone was copying Kraftwerk.

[@hazelmaylebrun6243]

I loved this song in high school. It was a new sound then, took us out of disco, out of punk and into nuwave.

[@curtmank]

When I was studying music production in college I had to re-create this song. I got the best marks in the class. Love this song.

[@vellaropedart9190]

What makes this album so significant is it's total lack of feeling or emotion. And I mean that in a complimentary way. It's cold. It's dystopian. It's almost mechanical. It would be the perfect soundtrack to a sci-fi movie like "Blade Runner" or "Hardware". I love that it's like that futuristic electronic apocalypse sound.

[@lepoetress]

A skating staple, LOVE this song!! If you're from Wickliffe, Ohio, you spent your Saturdays at the USA Skates, getting your roll on!!!

[@randyhanson9441]

As mentioned earlier, the 1979 music scene began breaking through the disco dance music that dominated the previous few years. You just listened to Roxanne, and have gone through a few from 1979 by Blondie. This song along with The Clash doing London Calling, Boomtown Rats with I Don't Like Mondays, was always on the playlist on the way to a club. Of course, once at the club, everyone waited for the B-52's

[@mikepaulus4766]

I've had this song periodically in my head for 42 years.

[@jeffreekoch9298]

New wave, post punk! When punk rockers started experimenting with synthesizers. 😆 See B-52s, Devo, Lene Lovich, Flock of Seagulls, Depeche Mode, Duran Duran, Adam and the Ants, Missing Persons, The Cure, Metric, Interpol, etc too!

[@aaronbarlow4376]

"Not only is he a pop singer, but he also has a pilot's licence, imagine that..." - Vince Noir.

[@lifescorer1]

This song came out in '79 and when you went to the disco and it came on, the dance floor would fill! It went to #4 in the R&B charts at the time!