"I, Assassin" is the fourth solo studio album by English new wave musician Gary Numan, released on September 10, 1982, by Beggars Banquet. The album peaked at No. 8 on the UK Album Chart. Three singles were released from the album: "Music for Chameleons," "We Take Mystery (To Bed)," and "White Boys and Heroes," all of which reached the UK Top 20. "We Take Mystery (To Bed)" peaked at No. 9, marking Numan's last Top 10 single to date.
Following Gary Numan's previous studio album Dance (1981), I, Assassin is described as "a record fiercely propelled by powerful rhythms in songs laced with an earthy cynicism."
Numan highlighted the contribution of fretless bassist Pino Palladino as a key factor in the album's development. Numan recalled:
"He was brilliant. I had never heard playing like it...He came up with stunning bass lines, song after song. I leaned on him heavily during the making of the album. I pushed his playing to the forefront of the tracks and, inadvertently, created a new style. It was one of the first times that the fretless bass had been used as the lead melody instrument, allowing the album to be atmospheric, dreamy and funky."
Most of the album was written and recorded between January and March 1982, following Numan's round-the-world trip in a small aircraft. The 24-year-old Numan stated that the round-the-world flight and a near-death plane crash helped him shape a new opinion of himself and gave him a strong self-confidence that he hadn't had before. Later in his career, Numan remarked of I, Assassin: "I still think it's one of the best albums I've made."
The album's heavily percussive sound made songs like "Music for Chameleons" and a special US remix of "White Boys and Heroes" unexpected successes in the American club scene. In October 1982, Numan embarked on a US tour to support the album.
