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Gary Numan
Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Artist · chart history

Gary Numan

Solo artist Hammersmith United Kingdom

Gary Numan is an artist from Hammersmith. Gary Numan has 82 chart appearances on 71 radio countdowns from 26 stations on RockLists, spanning 1980–2025. The most successful song on radio countdowns is “Cars”, which appears on 66 lists with a best position of #11. The station that charted Gary Numan most often is CD101 (Columbus, OH), with 15 appearances. The artist’s biggest year on year-end countdowns was 1986.

82appearances
71countdowns
9songs charted
26stations
0#1 finishes
1980–2025years

Gary Numan first stepped into the spotlight as frontman of Tubeway Army, whose second and final album, Replicas, went to number one in Britain in 1979 along with the single "Are 'Friends' Electric?". The same year he went solo with The Pleasure Principle, which also topped the UK chart and gave him another number-one single in "Cars", a cold, clanking, irresistible synth riff with a strangely detached voice floating over it.

His signature sound is heavy synthesizer hooks run through guitar effects pedals until they growl, topped with that distinctive voice and an androgynous android persona. It made him a pioneer of electronic music. The Pleasure Principle also carried "Films", and later records like Strange Charm in 1986 and Sacrifice in 1994 kept the machine humming.

His chart heyday peaked in the late '70s and early '80s, but his cult following has never let go, and he's sold over 10 million records. In 2017 he received an Ivor Novello Inspiration Award, and in June 2025 he made his Glastonbury debut.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

Songs by Gary Numan on radio countdowns

#SongStrengthListsBest#1sPeak year
1 Cars#461 of all time
4,049		 66 #11 – 1980
2 Are Friends Electric?
170		 4 #6 – 1986
3 Radio Heart
70		 3 #74 – 1987
4 Love and Napalm
47		 1 #1084 – –
5 Films
45		 2 #1266 – –
6 Listen to My Voice
43		 1 #59 – 2001
7 Listen To The Sirens
24		 2 #1615 – –
8 My Breathing
18		 1 #1686 – –
9 M.E.
13		 1 #792 – –

Albums with charting songs

Where each song was first released, from MusicBrainz.

Year-end chart timeline

Combined year-end countdown points per year. Taller bars mean more songs placing higher across more stations.

80 86 87 01

Every countdown appearance

Year#SongCountdown
2025 538 Cars The Colorado Sound Top 800 Mood Booster Songs
2024 959 Cars WYEP Best Songs of the Past 50 Years
2023 345 Cars 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of All Time
2023 215 Cars The Colorado Sound Top 850 Songs of the 1980s
2022 239 Cars 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2022)
2022 345 Cars KEXP Top Songs of the Last 50 Years (1972-2022)
2022 469 Cars X96 Top 500 Alternative Songs of All Time
2022 674 Cars Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2022)
2022 147 Cars 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '70s
2021 394 Cars Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2021)
2021 477 Cars WCSX Rock & Roll 500 (2021)
2021 152 Cars 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s
2021 792 M.E. 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s
2018 887 Cars The Current's 893 Essential Songs
2014 497 Cars CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014)
2013 480 Cars CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013)
2011 484 Cars CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011)
2010 482 Cars CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010)
2010 66 Cars WXPN 885 Ultimate Road Trip Songs (2010)
2009 491 Cars CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009)
2008 489 Cars CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008)
2007 511 Cars CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007)
2006 130 Cars KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 2006)
2006 95 Cars WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2006)
2006 399 Cars Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2006)
2005 73 Cars WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2005)
2005 290 Cars CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005)
2005 202 Cars Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2005)
2005 996 Cars 99X Freedom of Choice 1000 (2005)
2004 489 Cars CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004)
2004 245 Cars Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2004)
2003 80 Cars WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2003)
2003 489 Cars CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003)
2003 85 Cars Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003)
2003 1084 Love and Napalm Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003)
2003 1266 Films Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003)
2003 1408 Are Friends Electric? Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003)
2003 1686 My Breathing Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003)
2003 1951 Listen To The Sirens Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003)
2002 80 Cars WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2002)
2002 489 Cars CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002)
2002 59 Cars Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002)
2002 1615 Listen To The Sirens Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002)
2002 1862 Films Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002)
2002 41 Artist ranking Virgin Radio Top 100 Brit Artists of All-Time (December 2002)
2001 59 Listen to My Voice CD101 Top 101 Songs of 2001
2001 62 Cars WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2001)
2001 489 Cars CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001)
2001 339 Cars Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2001)
2001 325 Cars WBRU Modern Rock Top 500 (2001)
2000 60 Cars WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2000)
2000 484 Cars CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000)
1999 129 Cars 91X Fat 500 Songs of All-Time (July 1999)
1999 184 Cars Q101 Top 1,011 Songs of All-Time (December 1999)
1999 224 Cars WLIR Top 300 Songs of All-Time (December 1999)
1999 125 Cars WFNX Top 500 Songs of All-Time (June 1999)
1999 708 Cars The End Top 1077 Songs of All-Time (December 1999)
1999 43 Cars WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1999)
1999 481 Cars CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999)
1999 64 Cars CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (November 1999)
1999 100 Cars Channel 104.9 Top 101 Songs of the '80s (February 1999)
1998 11 Cars KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1998)
1996 109 Cars KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1996)
1996 444 Are Friends Electric? KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1996)
1996 281 Cars Q101 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (1996)
1996 65 Cars WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1996)
1995 170 Cars KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1995)
1994 213 Cars KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1994)
1994 417 Cars Live 105 Revolutionary 500 (July 1994)
1994 47 Cars WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1994)
1992 305 Cars KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1992)
1992 278 Cars Live 105 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1992)
1991 397 Cars CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (1991 Edition)
1991 565 Are Friends Electric? CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (1991 Edition)
1989 96 Cars KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1989)
1988 298 Cars KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1988)
1988 390 Radio Heart KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1988)
1988 265 Cars Live 105 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1988)
1987 90 Radio Heart KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1987
1987 74 Radio Heart Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 1987
1986 6 Are Friends Electric? Studio Brussel De Eindafrekening 1986
1980 29 Cars KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1980

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