The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
It's cold outside
And the paint's peeling off of my walls
There's a man outside
In a long coat, grey hat, smoking a cigarette
Now the light fades out
And I'm wondering what I'm doing in a room like this
There's a knock on the door
And just for a second I thought I remembered you
So now I'm alone
Now I can think for myself
About little deals
And *issues*
And things that I just don't understand
Like a white lie that night
Or a slight touch at times
I don't think it meant anything to you
So I open the door
It's the `friend' that I'd left in the hallway
"please sit down"
A candle lit a shadow on a wall near the bed
You know I hate to ask
But, are `friends' electric?
Mine's broke down
And now I've no one to love
So I find out your reason
For the phone calls and smiles
And it hurts
And I'm lonely
And I should never have tried
And I missed you tonight
So it's time to leave
You see this means everything to me
And the paint's peeling off of my walls
There's a man outside
In a long coat, grey hat, smoking a cigarette
Now the light fades out
And I'm wondering what I'm doing in a room like this
There's a knock on the door
And just for a second I thought I remembered you
So now I'm alone
Now I can think for myself
About little deals
And *issues*
And things that I just don't understand
Like a white lie that night
Or a slight touch at times
I don't think it meant anything to you
So I open the door
It's the `friend' that I'd left in the hallway
"please sit down"
A candle lit a shadow on a wall near the bed
You know I hate to ask
But, are `friends' electric?
Mine's broke down
And now I've no one to love
So I find out your reason
For the phone calls and smiles
And it hurts
And I'm lonely
And I should never have tried
And I missed you tonight
So it's time to leave
You see this means everything to me
Lyrics submitted by [inactive account], edited by scott10823, bettynesibtt, marcgj123
Are 'Friends' Electric Lyrics as written by Gary Anthony James Webb
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
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S.U. is a reference to Su Wathan, his girlfriend at the time. There is another reference at the beginning of this part, where the official liner lyrics read '7.4', which is a reference to the 7th and 4th letters of the alphabet, ie G and D. It is believed this refers to Gail Deal (a woman Su tried to set the young Gary up with at the time), hence also the line "About little Deals and SUs".
It was a very confusing time for the 21 year-old Gary who had quickly gone from working at WH Smiths to having millions of pounds as a pop star. Having to deal with Su and Gail, two very older women (mid-30s, I think) was very confusing.
Spot on!
@ellitanthalas I grew up in the U.K., and Gary actually said the word "issues," not S.U.'s. He has a so-called Estuary Accent which is rather thick.
@scott10823<br /> I was born in the UK and have lived here all my life. I can quite easily understand Gary's accent. But if that isn't enough, the liner notes also give the words quite clearly. <br /> Moreover, the man himself does actually explain exactly what I posted above in his autobiography Praying To The Aliens.
@ellitanthalas I took the time to go find the liner notes you referred to. Interesting and eye-opening. Methinks you are right and I was wrong.\r\n\r\nFWIW, the liner notes have several errors. As examples:\r\na. Gary clearly sings "LIKE a white lie that night," yet the liner notes read "A white lie that night."\r\nb. Gary sings "So I FOUND out your reason for the phone calls and smiles," yet the liner notes read "FIND."\r\nc. Gary sings "Till it\'s time to leave," yet the liner notes read "It must be time to leave."\r\n\r\nYour analysis re (7,4) is very interesting. I did see that in the liner notes and wondered what it was. Perhaps the liner notes are an early version of the lyrics that Gary modified.\r\n\r\nI note that the same liner notes show that the lyrics for the song It Must Have Been Years refer to "the vacant flesh of U.D.\'s". I wonder what that\'s a reference to.
@ellitanthalas \r\n\r\nFrom an apparent interview with Gary Numan:\r\n\r\n"For instance, the talking bits in are are absolutely personal. They\'re about two specific women. The S.U. line in the song is a reference to Su Wathan, Who worked at Beggars Banquet. We had an odd little arrangement at the time which I was too immature to deal with or understand. The 7.4 mentioned at the start of the spoken part applies to the 7th and 4th letters of the alphabet - G.D a women called Gail Deal. She was an ice skating instructor and one Su
s friends, who slept with me one night and then wasn\'t interested at all after that. It was the first time someone had done that to me and I got pathetically hurt, But in a chauvinistic kind of way, Im ashamed to admit."I worship that injection of HEAVY GUITARS placed during the breaks between choruses. Listen for it! You won't be sorry.
One of all time greatest songs ever written.
This explanation does no justice to the haunting emotion of the song, but:
In G.N.'s world, (based on a sci-fi book he started writing during adolescence) "Friends" are machines that look like humans. Other machines ("Machmen", I believe) are running the world. But "Friends" are machines that humans can call on to do things for them/ provide services.
Pretty sad when a hired machine is the last thing you've got in this world to love.
@ladylizzie Consider the guy is on the autism spectrum - Asperger. Like me.<br />
An interview from 1979 with Gary explaining his meanings of these particular songs.
youtube.com/watch
Just to correct the last line, he says "you see you mean everything to me".
I also think that he says "S.U.s" and not "issues". There's some debate as to what S.U. is. Some say it's the initials of a girlfriend, but I think it could be "screw ups" or something like that.
@spenny69 su is su waltham and older woman he was seeing at the time who messed with his head. He was her little secret
@spenny69 su is su waltham and older woman he was seeing at the time who messed with his head. He was her little secret
Ladylizzie, the Machmen weren't the machines, the machines were totally different. Friends were rented robots who were used to entertain, and the machmen were a race of robot/human types living amongst the humans in Replicas.
The album replicas is loosley based on an idea for a novel numan had in mind as a teenager, some of the songs are direct references to the book like down in the park, are friends electric is a bit of a mix of ideas from his story but also draws heavily on do androids dream of electric sheep(Bladerunner) by philip k dick, it's mostly an imagined scenareo he places himself into like he is placing himself in the shoes of the character sebastian the genetic engineer who surrounds himself with macanical toys and befriends the replicants. Bloody Genius he wrote the songs on replicas way before the films came out and philip k dick was unheard of, he read those books age 14!
Totally! Most of Gary Numan's song are about man's relationship to machines.
this song is about android humanoid lookalikes called "friends" that could be hired for company, sex, friendship, kinda like a robot escort, also (sorry) its "little deals and S.U's :)
one of the greatest songs ever written. i love gary numan's style- isolation, paranoid, and a cold desolate heart. anti-religious, etc...gary numan is the greatest !!!
An interview from 1979 with Gary explaining his meanings of these particular songs. <br /> <br /> youtube.com/watch
In live versions of this song, Numan puts another lyric line over the six-note descending sequence that repeats at the end (it fades out on the record, but live he plays it four times). Anyone know what that lyric is?
gary used to improvise live, i think it was<br /> "seems like going somehow"<br /> "seems like going somewhere<br /> normally off the top of his head, didnt mean anything, just fitted,