In 1978 Ian Gillan had become dissatisfied with the jazz fusion style of his band called Ian Gillan Band and dissolved it, retaining only keyboard player Colin Towns, and formed a new band entitled Gillan. He added Steve Byrd on guitar, Liam Glenocky on drums and John McCoy (ex-zzebra) on bass, and initially pursued a progressive rock direction, releasing their eponymous debut in 1978, although they could only get a record deal in Japan. This recording has subsequently become more widely available as THE JAPANESE ALBUM.
The album was sufficiently successful to attract more attention and in 1979 the band secured a European deal with Acrobat Records. Before a new album was recorded, Byrd was replaced by Bernie Tormé and Glenocky by Mick Underwood, Ian Gillan's former colleague in Episode Six. Torme's "screaming guitar" sound fundamentally altered the dynamics and Gillan took a heavy metal direction. This lineup's first album was released as MR. UNIVERSE and contained many re-worked songs from The Japanese Album. The band caught the rise of the NWOBHM at just the right time and the group gained popularity in Europe. At Christmas Gillan turned down an offer from Ritchie Blackmore to join Rainbow, but Blackmore did make a "legendary" guest appearance for Gillan at their Christmas show. It was the first time Ian Gillan and Blackmore had performed together since 1973.
In 1980 Gillan reached the peak of their success, releasing the successful GLORY ROAD album with the limited edition "free" LP for gillan fans only. However the band remained unknown in North America and were unable to raise any interest there despite tours.
By 1981 the band members were becoming disgruntled that their European and Japanese success was not translating into increased pay, and after the FUTURE SHOCK album tour, Torme walked out just before the band were due to appear on Top of the Pops. He was replaced by White Spirit guitarist Janick Gers and this line up releaed the live/studio combi double album DOUBLE TROUBLE at the end of the year. In 1982 final album MAGIC followed. By this time, tension over money had reached fever-pitch and Ian Gillan needed time to have nodes removed from his vocal chords. He also received and accepted an offer to replace Ronnie James Dio in Black Sabbath. After the Magic tour Ian Gillan dissolved the band to the incredulity of the other members, particularly McCoy, and the acrimony remained into the 21st century.
McCoy subsequently released compilations of studio out-takes to which he had the rights, beginning with Gillan Tapes, Vol. 1, and ensured that revenues were distributed fairly amongst the band.
Are You Sure?
Gillan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I sure do think it′s funny
The way you punch and you brawl till you can barely crawl
Are you sure you're only in it for the money?
Good golly said the creep to the cop on the beat
I do admire the way you feel a collar
With all the beating and the showing that ain′t so lovely doving
Wow said the judge to the hooker with a nudge
I'm gonna find you all your pleasure
But with the pervs and the kinks and the queer rinky dinks
Are you sure you only do it for the treasure?
Hey man said God to the Devil with a nod
I'm gonna fight you for the human race
But if I beat you with a spell and kick you out of hell
Are you sure that I can take your your place?
I′ll be your confidante
Tell me of all your desires
Let me be your confidante
I′ll help to put coal on your fires
The song "Are You Sure?" by Gillan is a commentary on societal norms and values. The song presents scenarios where the characters question the true motives of individuals involved in professions that are deemed questionable. The first verse sees the King questioning the violence and brutality in a ring, wondering if the fighters are only in it for the money. The second verse features a conversation between a cop and a criminal where the former is questioning if the latter is only motivated by financial gain when committing crimes. The third verse features a judge questioning a sex worker if the money is the only motivation behind her job. The final verse features a conversation between God and the Devil where God challenges the Devil to a battle, questioning if the Devil is sure that he wants to continue his reign in Hell.
The song's chorus reflects on the theme of being a confidante and helping to fuel the fire of another person's inner passion. The song presents a sense of skepticism towards societal conventions and establishes the idea that there may be ulterior motives behind traditionally perceived jobs. The line, "Let me be your confidante, I'll help to put coal on your fires" implies that the person in need may not always be honest with themselves or others about their true desires and motivations.
Line by Line Meaning
Wow said the king to the fighters in the ring
The king expresses amazement at the fighters' actions in the ring
I sure do think it′s funny
The king finds humor in the way the fighters punch and brawl until they can barely stand
The way you punch and you brawl till you can barely crawl
The king is amazed at the fighters' intense physical exertion
Are you sure you're only in it for the money?
The king questions if the fighters only fight for the sake of monetary gain
Good golly said the creep to the cop on the beat
The creep expresses surprise to the cop about something
I do admire the way you feel a collar
The creep admires the cop's ability to apprehend criminals
With all the beating and the showing that ain′t so lovely doving
The creep acknowledges that the cop's job involves violence and aggression
Are you sure you only do it for the dollar?
The creep questions if the cop's motivation is solely financial
Wow said the judge to the hooker with a nudge
The judge expresses surprise to the hooker and nudges her
I'm gonna find you all your pleasure
The judge promises to provide the hooker with pleasure
But with the pervs and the kinks and the queer rinky dinks
The judge acknowledges that there are clients with peculiar and unusual preferences
Are you sure you only do it for the treasure?
The judge questions if the hooker's motivation is solely monetary
Hey man said God to the Devil with a nod
God speaks to the devil with a nod of the head
I'm gonna fight you for the human race
God challenges the devil to a fight for the sake of humanity
But if I beat you with a spell and kick you out of hell
God proposes that if he defeats the devil and banishes him from hell
Are you sure that I can take your your place?
God challenges the devil to consider if God could take his place as lord of hell
I′ll be your confidante
The singer offers to be a trusted friend
Tell me of all your desires
The singer encourages the listener to confide their desires
Let me be your confidante
The singer reiterates their offer to be a trusted friend
I′ll help to put coal on your fires
The singer offers to support the listener's passions and aspirations
Writer(s): Ian Gillan, John Matthew Mccoy, Bernie Torme
Contributed by Camden N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.