I Die: You Die

Last updated
"I Die: You Die"
IDYDc.jpg
Single by Gary Numan
from the album Telekon (reissue)
B-side "Down in the Park" (Piano Version) (UK)
"Sleep by Windows" (US)
Released22 August 1980 [1]
RecordedMatrix Studios, London, 1980
Genre
Length3:40
Label
Songwriter(s) Gary Numan
Producer(s) Gary Numan
Gary Numan singles chronology
"We Are Glass"
(1980)
"I Die: You Die"
(1980)
"This Wreckage"
(1980)

"I Die: You Die" is a song by the British musician Gary Numan, released as a single in August 1980. Released shortly before his fourth album, Telekon , it continued the anthemic style Numan had begun earlier in the year with "We Are Glass". The composer himself described the two singles as "Much the same thing. Both very chorus-orientated with the guitars as the main rhythmic device and the keyboards tinkling over the top". [2]

Contents

Background

Like "We Are Glass", "I Die: You Die" had been premiered live during the final legs of Numan's 1979-80 concert tour The Touring Principle, before being recorded. It has since featured regularly in Numan's performances and on his live albums. Stephin Merritt from The Magnetic Fields covered the song on the Random tribute album in 1997. It was remixed for the 1998 collection The Mix and appears on numerous compilation albums.

Lyrically the song was aimed at what Numan saw as an increasingly vitriolic music press: [3]

They crawl out
Of their holes for me
And I die you die
Hear them laugh
Watch them turn on me
And I die you die
See my scars
They call me such things
Tear me, tear me, tear me

Release

The single entered the UK Singles Chart at number 8 and peaked at number 6 the following week [4] but was not included on the vinyl release of Numan's Telekon album, released two weeks later. It did, however, appear on overseas releases of the album, replacing the song "Sleep by Windows", as well as the cassette release. Dutch pressings of the vinyl single were issued in a variety of different colours. [5]

An alternative mix was used for the music video and a limited edition, white-labelled single release. This mix is the version used on all subsequent reissues of Telekon as a bonus track.

The UK single B-side was a solo piano version of one of Numan's most popular songs, "Down in the Park" which is played by Denis Haines. In the US, Australia and other countries where "I Die: You Die" supplanted "Sleep by Windows" on Telekon, the latter track was used as the B-side of the single.

Track listing

  1. "I Die: You Die" (Gary Numan) - 3:40
  2. "Down in the Park (Piano Version)" (Numan) - 4:16

Production credits

Chart performance

Chart (1980)Peak
position
UK Singles Chart [4] 6
Irish Singles Chart [6] 16
American Singles Chart [7] 102 [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Numan</span> English musician (born 1958)

Gary Anthony James Webb, known professionally as Gary Numan, is an English musician. He entered the music industry as frontman of the new wave band Tubeway Army. After releasing two studio albums with the band, he released his debut solo studio album The Pleasure Principle in 1979, topping the UK Albums Chart. His commercial popularity peaked in the late 1970s and early 1980s with hits including "Are 'Friends' Electric?" and "Cars". Numan maintains a cult following. He has sold over 10 million records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cars (song)</span> 1979 single by Gary Numan

"Cars" is the first solo single by English musician Gary Numan. It was released on 24 August 1979 and is from his debut studio album The Pleasure Principle. The song reached the top of the charts in several countries, and is Numan's most successful single.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Down in the Park</span> 1979 single by Tubeway Army

"Down in the Park" is a 1979 song by the English band Tubeway Army, featuring lead vocals by Gary Numan. It was released as the first single from the band's second album Replicas, though was not a hit. The song was written and produced by the band's frontman Gary Numan, and despite its lack of commercial success, has been performed by Numan regularly in his live shows throughout the years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Are "Friends" Electric?</span> 1979 single by Tubeway Army

"Are 'Friends' Electric?" is a 1979 song by the English band Tubeway Army. Taken from their album Replicas, it was released as a single in May 1979 and reached number one in the UK Singles Chart, staying there for four weeks. It was written and produced by Gary Numan, the band's frontman and lead vocalist. It was also the band's last single before breaking up.

<i>Dance</i> (Gary Numan album) 1981 studio album by Gary Numan

Dance is the third solo studio album by the English new wave musician Gary Numan, released on 4 September 1981 by Beggars Banquet Records. It was the first studio album Numan released after his "Farewell Concerts" staged at Wembley Arena.

<i>Replicas</i> (album) 1979 studio album by Tubeway Army

Replicas is the second and final studio album by the English new wave band Tubeway Army, released on 6 April 1979 by Beggars Banquet Records. It followed their self-titled debut from the previous year. After this, Tubeway Army frontman Gary Numan would continue to release records under his own name, though the musicians in Tubeway Army would continue to work with him for some time. Replicas was the first album of what Numan later termed the "machine" phase of his career, preceding The Pleasure Principle (1979) and Telekon (1980), a collection linked by common themes of a dystopian science fiction future and transmutation of man/machine, coupled with an androgynous image and a synthetic rock sound.

<i>Gentlemen Take Polaroids</i> 1980 studio album by Japan

Gentlemen Take Polaroids is the fourth studio album by the English band Japan, released in November 1980 by Virgin Records.

<i>The Pleasure Principle</i> (album) 1979 studio album by Gary Numan

The Pleasure Principle is the debut solo studio album by the English new wave musician Gary Numan, released on 7 September 1979 by Beggars Banquet Records. The album came about six months after Replicas (1979), his second and final studio album with the band Tubeway Army. The Pleasure Principle peaked at No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart.

<i>Telekon</i> 1980 studio album by Gary Numan

Telekon is the second solo studio album by the English new wave musician Gary Numan. It debuted at the top of the UK Albums Chart in September 1980, making it his third consecutive No. 1 album. It was also the third and final studio release of what Numan retrospectively termed the "machine" section of his career, following Replicas and The Pleasure Principle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">We Are Glass</span> 1980 single by Gary Numan

"We Are Glass" is a song by the British singer Gary Numan. It was released as a single in May 1980 and reached number five on the UK Singles Chart.

<i>Tubeway Army</i> (album) 1978 studio album by Tubeway Army

Tubeway Army is the debut studio album by the English new wave band Tubeway Army, released in 1978. Its initial limited-edition run of 5,000 sold out but did not chart. When reissued in mid-1979, following the success of the follow-up Replicas (1979), the more commonly known cover art featuring a stylised portrait of Gary Numan was introduced. This release made No. 14 in the UK Albums Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">She's Got Claws</span> 1981 single by Gary Numan

"She’s Got Claws" is a 1981 song by Gary Numan. It was the first and only single released from his 1981 album Dance. The song signalled a different musical style for Numan, featuring jazz-influenced saxophone and fretless bass, as well as a new image comprising trilby hat and pinstriped suit, inspired by Humphrey Bogart and Howard Hughes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">This Wreckage</span> 1980 single by Gary Numan

"This Wreckage" is a song written and performed by Gary Numan. It was featured as the opening track on his 1980 LP Telekon.

<i>I, Assassin</i> 1982 studio album by Gary Numan

I, Assassin is the fourth solo studio album by the English new wave musician Gary Numan, released on 10 September 1982 by Beggars Banquet. It peaked at No. 8 on the UK Album Chart. Three singles were released from the album: "Music for Chameleons", "We Take Mystery " and "White Boys and Heroes", all of which reached the UK Top 20.

<i>Metal Rhythm</i> 1988 studio album by Gary Numan

Metal Rhythm is the ninth solo studio album by the English musician Gary Numan, released in September 1988 by I.R.S. Records.

<i>Hybrid</i> (Gary Numan album) 2003 remix album by Gary Numan

Hybrid is a remix/cover album, consisting of songs by Gary Numan remixed by other artists, covers of Numan's early songs from his first three albums, plus three new tracks created specifically for the album. Hybrid was recorded in autumn of 2002 and released in March 2003 with a collaboration from various industrial rock/heavy rock musicians such as Rico, Sulpher and Alan Moulder. The album includes tracks originally found on the albums Tubeway Army, Replicas, The Pleasure Principle, Telekon, Sacrifice, Exile and Pure.

<i>Jagged</i> 2006 studio album by Gary Numan

Jagged is the fifteenth solo studio album by English musician Gary Numan, his first original album in over five years, following Pure in 2000. Stylistically Jagged was a development of its predecessor's chorus-driven, anthemic industrial sound, utilising heavier electronics and more prominent live drumming. Although reaction to the new record was predominantly positive, critical opinion was more heavily divided than had been the case with the almost universal praise enjoyed by Pure. Reaching number 59 in the UK album charts, Jagged charted no higher than the earlier release, some commentators and fans regarding the long time between albums as a missed opportunity for consolidation in the wake of Pure's reception and the number 13 UK chart position attained by Numan's 2003 single with Rico, "Crazier". Jagged was the first album issued on Numan's own Mortal Records label, licensed to Cooking Vinyl. The US release, on Metropolis Records, included an alternate mix of "Fold" as a bonus track. In April Numan embarked on a tour of the UK, Europe and North America to promote the album.

<i>Engineers</i> (Gary Numan album) 2008 live album by Gary Numan

Engineers is a limited edition digipak live album, released by Gary Numan's previous label, Beggars Banquet. The album was recorded at the Capitol Theatre, Sydney, Australia on 31 May 1980.

<i>The Premier Hits</i> 1996 greatest hits album by Gary Numan / Tubeway Army

The Premier Hits is a compilation album by Gary Numan released in March 1996 on the Polygram TV record label. The album reached No 21 in the UK Albums Chart, leaving the chart after three weeks. It currently stands as the best selling compilation by Gary Numan. The album was promoted by the re-released 1987 remixed version of "Cars", re-titled as the 'Premier Mix' in a TV advert campaign for Carling Premier lager. The single reached No 17, making the third time that "Cars" has reached the top 40 in the UK Singles Chart.

<i>Savage (Songs from a Broken World)</i> 2017 studio album by Gary Numan

Savage (Songs from a Broken World) is the eighteenth solo studio album by English musician Gary Numan, released on 15 September 2017 by BMG and The End. The album was first announced to be a part of a fan-backed Pledge Music Campaign on 12 November 2015. On 9 November 2018, a followup EP titled The Fallen was released. The EP features similar artwork to Savage, and it was intended to complement the album.

References

  1. "Music Week" (PDF). p. 19.
  2. Webbon, Stephen; Numan, Gary (December 1985). "Complete Gary Numan UK Discography". Record Collector . No. 76. p. 15.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  3. "Beggars Banquet Records - artists - Gary Numan". Archived from the original on 2007-10-27. Retrieved 2007-10-03.
  4. 1 2 "The Official Charts Company - Gary Numan - I Die - You Die". Official Charts . Retrieved 25 July 2009.
  5. Dutch coloured vinyl nureference.co.uk
  6. "The Irish Charts - All there is to know". Irishcharts.ie. Archived from the original on 2009-06-02. Retrieved 2016-10-16.
  7. Billboard. 1980-10-18. p. 26. Retrieved 2016-10-16.
  8. Billboard Magazine 27-09-1980 p26

Bibliography