With the exception of the playful "
Pocket Calculator,"
Kraftwerk's 1981 album
Computer World, although popularly perceived as a celebration of
technology's wonders, was a rather
pessimistic view of the then-approaching
information age. Though "Numbers" is primarily known for its
quirky beat and groundbreaking
vocoder work, the sonic barrage of
numerics served a greater artistic purpose than merely kicking off Kraftwerk's live show. There is a
subtle "story" of sorts behind the track.
Throughout "Numbers" different computer and vocoder voices count upwards in various languages. The speed at which the numerals are read increases as the track goes on. This was meant to represent a man teaching a computer (or some other type of primitive artificial intelligence) how to count. The more robotic voice becomes more proficient at counting as the track goes on, and the "human" and "computer" voices trade multilingual numbers in a kind of gentle, poetic dance.
Around this point, "Numbers" segues into "Computer World..2", which combines the voices with the sonic theme of the album's opening track. As the tune progresses, however, the human voice is drowned out by the ever-accelerating computer voice. In the end, all that remains is a satanic computer voice reading an immense string of indistinguishable numbers at a deafening pace, occasionally punctated by the lost echoes of the human voice.
The volume is then gently reduced, and the listener is left a little disturbed before being soothed by the warm melodies of lonely "Computerlove".