“Down in the Park” is an amazing song. The deep, rumbling, ominous electronic keyboard riff, followed by some twinkly higher-octave fairy-dust, is endlessly atmospheric.
It stands out with the masterworks of tech-forward New Wave musicians of the time, like Thomas Dolby, Gary Numan, Kraftwerk, Depeche Mode, and Berlin.
I believe this song is on the soundtrack of the 1980 film “Time Square.” It was directed by Allan Moyle, whose movies centered on angsty, disenfranchised teens looking to break out of a soulless mode and make their voices–and their music–heard. He also directed Empire Records and Pump Up the Volume, films as musically-driven as those directed by music autists John Hughes and Cameron Crowe.
And here’s what a pop-culture latecomer I am. I knew Gary Numan was a solo artist, thanks to the success of his “In Cars.” I heard it often enough on KROQ during my years as a Los Angeles-area ’80s kid.
However, I was today years old when I learned that Gary Numan performed “Down in the Park” as lead singer of Tubeway Army. That’s how my genius, my inner musical Rain Man, develops. Little by little.
I embroidered your name on a banner and mounted it on the highest minaret. Now it’s like my heart, rippling in the breeze for the whole kingdom to see. It glows in the sun, all scarlet and gold.
—Sarah Torribio
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