Are 'Friends' Electric?
Tubeway Army · 1979
8 min · 2 tracks · punk rock
A cold synthesizer riff stalks a lonely future while Gary Numan delivers his dystopian story in a detached voice.
Top tracks — play these first
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Are ‘Friends’ Electric? — A repeating synth figure and Numan’s controlled delivery turn a story of artificial companionship into an uneasy pop song. Its extended runtime lets the atmosphere develop without losing the hook.
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We Are So Fragile — The B-side moves at a brisker pace, retaining more of Tubeway Army’s punk-era urgency while placing synthesizers at the center of the arrangement.
Moments worth listening for
Where the writing does something specific.
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Are ‘Friends’ Electric?
The opening sets a rainy nighttime scene before an unexpected visitor arrives with news of a breakdown.
That scene-setting gives the song the structure of a miniature science-fiction encounter rather than an abstract account of loneliness.
Tracklist
Best experienced from track one — press play and let it unfold.
- 1 Are ‘Friends’ Electric? 5:18
- 2 We Are So Fragile 2:46
Reference: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz · Wikidata
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