Are "Friends" Electric?

Wow. This is a cool song by Groove Armada. That was my first thought. An icy synthesizer, spoken word lyrics. Then I dug a little deeper. Are "Friends" Electric is a 1979 Gary Numan song, you know the roboto-man who sings "Cars". I thought he was a one-hit wonder, relegated to 80s compilations, but Are "Friends" Electric was a #1 song in the UK right before his automotive tribute.

Gary guy-liner.

Back in the early 2000s, Gary was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndome, a mild form of Autism. Perhaps the lyrics of the song reflect the isolating feelings Numan had before diagnosis.

So now I'm alone
Now I can think for myself
About little deals and issues
And things that I just don't understand