Living by numbers
Adding to history
And living by numbers
I guess was always meant to be
Living by numbers
Living by numbers now
We've been living a long time
Counted out in the rows of files
Such a digital lifetime
It's been by numbers all the while
Living by numbers
Living by numbers now
You count the days but does it all add up to you
Does it all add up to you
Why we're
Living by numbers
Living by numbers now
So you're living by numbers
And numbers you answer to
You can count all the numbers
You bet that someone's counting you
Living by numbers
Living by numbers now
Living by numbers
Living by numbers now
They don't want your name
They don't want your name
They don't want your name
They don't want your name
They don't want your name
Just your number
They don't want your name
They don't want your name
They don't want your name
They don't want your name
They don't want your name
Just your number
They don't want your name
They don't want your name
They don't want your name
They don't want your name
They don't want your name
Just your number
They don't want your name
They don't want your name
They don't want your name
They don't want your name
They don't want your name
Just your number
Ah, the one that "started it all"? Well, I think it was the band's first hit anyway. In an album choca-block with NM trademarks, perhaps this track packs them to the rafters like no other. All the synth touches we'd expect, from submarine to stabs. And the guitars of course.
Lyrically very clever, in so far that we do seem to be often treated as a number instead of a person with a name.
A great pop song anyway, and it took a while but I can finally listen to this again without transposing the words 'Casio company' into the chorus.
That advert had a lot to answer for!
(Graham G)
Wow, are we onto Living By Numbers already? My favourite New Musik track. I love the story about how he got strangers off the street to say 'they don't want your name'. Is that a 12 string at the beginning? And don't forget the infinite loop at the end - a few bands were doing this at the time but maybe Tony started it off. Heaven 17 certainly copied it, to name but one.
(Rich E)
New Musik's most successful single. (A number 13 hit in the UK).
And it deserved to have been even bigger. But I'm sure that even though it wasn't a big hit at the time, this track must surely be responsible for most of Tony's royalties for his NM work. It's the only NM track I ever seem to hear on the radio these days: BBC Radio 2 play it quite frequently. And don't forget the re-worded version they did for the Casio advert. That must have kept the lads in new synthesizers for a few months...
Classic Mansfield touches abound: from the initial white noise-like sound (what is the correct term for that?) under the percussion, a typically great intro and build up, wonderful 12-string, energy...
Seeing this performed on TOTP2 some years back made me appreciate Tony Hibbert's superb solid bass playing: it must be quite a tiring track to play, and it sounds fantastic in this song. The musicianship is just first rate throughout.
The vocal contributions of all those Laaandoners is a great touch! A middle aged colleague at work surprised me by his instant rendition (in 'cockneyfied' dialect) of "They don't want your name" after hearing just the first few seconds of the intro of this track when it was played on the radio recently. I'd just assumed only us synth pop fans really knew it that well!
The ending is classic: breaking down until the final white noise- like synth returns with a vengeance, suggesting arctic-like coldness...
The subject of the lyrics was quite simply ahead of its time, and is more relevant now than ever.
And is it just me, or can you not listen to it without tapping your foot..?
Top pop.
99/100
(Richard M)
Living by numbers
Adding to history
And living by numbers
I guess was always meant to be
Living by numbers
Living by numbers now
We've been living a long time
Counted out in the rows of files
Such a digital lifetime
It's been by numbers all the while
Living by numbers
Living by numbers now
You count the days but does it all add up to you
Does it all add up to you
Why we're
Living by numbers
Living by numbers now
So you're living by numbers
And numbers you answer to
You can count all the numbers
You bet that someone's counting you
Living by numbers
Living by numbers now
Living by numbers
Living by numbers now
They don't want your name
They don't want your name
They don't want your name
They don't want your name
They don't want your name
Just your number
They don't want your name
They don't want your name
They don't want your name
They don't want your name
They don't want your name
Just your number
They don't want your name
They don't want your name
They don't want your name
They don't want your name
They don't want your name
Just your number
They don't want your name
They don't want your name
They don't want your name
They don't want your name
They don't want your name
Just your number
Ah, the one that "started it all"? Well, I think it was the band's first hit anyway. In an album choca-block with NM trademarks, perhaps this track packs them to the rafters like no other. All the synth touches we'd expect, from submarine to stabs. And the guitars of course.
Lyrically very clever, in so far that we do seem to be often treated as a number instead of a person with a name.
A great pop song anyway, and it took a while but I can finally listen to this again without transposing the words 'Casio company' into the chorus.
That advert had a lot to answer for!
(Graham G)
Wow, are we onto Living By Numbers already? My favourite New Musik track. I love the story about how he got strangers off the street to say 'they don't want your name'. Is that a 12 string at the beginning? And don't forget the infinite loop at the end - a few bands were doing this at the time but maybe Tony started it off. Heaven 17 certainly copied it, to name but one.
(Rich E)
New Musik's most successful single. (A number 13 hit in the UK).
And it deserved to have been even bigger. But I'm sure that even though it wasn't a big hit at the time, this track must surely be responsible for most of Tony's royalties for his NM work. It's the only NM track I ever seem to hear on the radio these days: BBC Radio 2 play it quite frequently. And don't forget the re-worded version they did for the Casio advert. That must have kept the lads in new synthesizers for a few months...
Classic Mansfield touches abound: from the initial white noise-like sound (what is the correct term for that?) under the percussion, a typically great intro and build up, wonderful 12-string, energy...
Seeing this performed on TOTP2 some years back made me appreciate Tony Hibbert's superb solid bass playing: it must be quite a tiring track to play, and it sounds fantastic in this song. The musicianship is just first rate throughout.
The vocal contributions of all those Laaandoners is a great touch! A middle aged colleague at work surprised me by his instant rendition (in 'cockneyfied' dialect) of "They don't want your name" after hearing just the first few seconds of the intro of this track when it was played on the radio recently. I'd just assumed only us synth pop fans really knew it that well!
The ending is classic: breaking down until the final white noise- like synth returns with a vengeance, suggesting arctic-like coldness...
The subject of the lyrics was quite simply ahead of its time, and is more relevant now than ever.
And is it just me, or can you not listen to it without tapping your foot..?
Top pop.
99/100
(Richard M)