Are 'Friends' Electric?
| "Are 'Friends' Electric?" | ||||||||
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| Single by Tubeway Army | ||||||||
| from the album Replicas | ||||||||
| Released | May 1979 | |||||||
| Format | 7" vinyl | |||||||
| Recorded | January–February 1979 at Gooseberry Studios, London, England | |||||||
| Genre | Synthpop, new wave | |||||||
| Length | 5:25 | |||||||
| Label | Beggars Banquet | |||||||
| Producer | Gary Numan | |||||||
| Tubeway Army singles chronology | ||||||||
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"Are 'Friends' Electric?" is a song by English new wave band Tubeway Army from their 1979 album Replicas. It was released as a single in May 1979 and reached No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart, staying there for four weeks. It was written by Gary Numan.
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[edit] Production
Despite being over five minutes long and possessing, in the words of its composer, "no recognisable hook-line whatsoever",[1] the single topped the UK charts and is notable for being the first electronic/synthesizer-based record to become a hit in the post-punk era. Whilst the track's new and distinctive sound stood out at the time, sales also benefitted from the record company's use of a picture disc and Numan's striking, "robotic" performance on the TV shows The Old Grey Whistle Test and Top of the Pops.[2] "Are 'Friends' Electric?" has been a mainstay of Numan's concerts since its release and appears on all ten of his official live recordings to date. A semi-acoustic version appeared on the 2006 Jagged tour setlist. "Are 'Friends' Electric?" was also featured in the video game Need for Speed: Carbon.
[edit] Music
"Are 'Friends' Electric?" features three different sections: a recurring "verse" with a synth riff in C and B flat, a recurring section with spoken word over slow arpeggiated seventh chords, and an instrumental break in F. The instrumentation is quite minimalistic: there is a conventional drum and bass guitar backing track, some additional heavily flanged guitar (particularly in the instrumental break), subdued vocals, and, most prominently, a Minimoog synthesizer. These synth parts include a slow-paced sawtooth bass riff, and some soaring portamento background lines.
[edit] B-side
The B-side of the single was a more rock-oriented number, "We Are So Fragile". Popular in its own right with Numan's fan base, it was played frequently on The Touring Principle series of concerts and appears on the album Living Ornaments '79.
[edit] Track listing
All songs written and composed by Gary Numan.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Are 'Friends' Electric?" | 5:18 |
| 2. | "We Are So Fragile" | 2:46 |
[edit] Personnel
- Tubeway Army
- Gary Numan – Minimoog synthesizer, guitar, vocals
- Paul Gardiner – bass guitar
- Jess Lidyard – drums
- Production
- Gary Numan – production
[edit] Notes
- ^ Stephen Webbon; Gary Numan (December 1985). "Complete Gary Numan UK Discography". Record Collector (76): 14.
- ^ Paul Goodwin (2004). Electric Pioneer: An Armchair Guide to Gary Numan. pp. 38–39.
| Preceded by "Ring My Bell" by Anita Ward |
UK number one single 30 June 1979 – 21 July 1979 |
Succeeded by "I Don't Like Mondays" by The Boomtown Rats |
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