THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.
177-Tubeway Army-Are ‘Friends’ Electric.
1979-Number 1 single.
Best Bit-At 0.01.Two UK Number 1 singles to date have been banned from airplay while holding the top spot,’Je t’aime moi non plus’ by Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin(see best songs 467) and ‘Relax’ from Frankie Goes To Hollywood,had those in charge known what this song was really about,it would have been the third.
‘Are ‘Friends’ Electric’ is heavily influenced by the writers Phillip K. Dick and William S. Burroughs as Numan is a big fan of both. Numan(see also best songs 772 and 232) has said,’The song is about a robot prostitute and had the BBC known at the time,they wouldn’t have play-listed it.It was a futurist version of getting pornography in the post.’
The song is set in a future world and is about man living among robots and how you can lock yourself in a dark room away from any other humans. Numan has been diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome and many of his songs deal with themes of technology and isolation.
In 2002 music producer Richard X came up with the idea of sampling the music of ‘Are ‘Friends’ Electric’ with the lyrics of the Adina Howard song ‘Freak Like Me,’the vocals were provided by The Sugababes and the song became a UK Number 1.
‘It’s cold outside and the paint’s peeling off of my walls.’
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The countdown continues tomorrow at 1.0.pm.