Released September 1979 Length 3:22 | Genre New wave Writer(s) Gary Numan | |
Recorded Mid–1979 at Marcus Music AB, London Label Beggars Banquet Records | ||
"Metal" is a song by Gary Numan from his 1979 album The Pleasure Principle. Lyrically the song is science fiction, inspired by the works of Philip K. Dick and William S. Burroughs, and is about an android who wishes to be human, but never can be. The song was the B-side of "Cars" in the USA.
The song has been a regular feature at Numan's live shows since his first tour in 1979, and appears on the majority of his live albums. In 1981 Numan wrote new lyrics to the tune of "Metal" for his album Dance, and renamed the song "Moral". Numan often performs this version. The song was reworked into his aggressive new style in 1998, and this version is still being performed today. "Metal" has been covered by many artists, including Nine Inch Nails on their Things Falling Apart album (2000) and Afrika Bambaataa (with Numan himself) on Dark Matter Moving at the Speed of Light (2004).