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.
Bite the Bullet
Gillan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Got no money to eat
You've got nowhere to live
And there's holes in your feet
Bite the Bullet
When it's Saturday night
You've got no money to spend
Go off with your friend
Bite the Bullet
Believe in tomorrow
There'll be much less sorrow
Look around you at your brothers
You've got more than most others
They can't stop you from living
They can't stop you feeling
They can't stop your dreaming
They can't take that away from you
The song "Bite the Bullet" by Gillan is an uplifting song with a message of hope for those who are struggling with financial difficulty and social isolation. The lyrics describe the feeling of being thrown out of work, having no money to eat or live, and feeling trapped and alone. In such situations, the singer suggests that the best thing to do is to "bite the bullet" and face the challenges head-on, without fear or hesitation.
The chorus, "Believe in tomorrow, there'll be much less sorrow," encourages the listener to look beyond the present hardships and have faith in a better future. The singer reminds the listener that they are not alone in their struggles, and that there are others who have even less than they do. The line "Look around you at your brothers, you've got more than most others" highlights the importance of gratitude and empathy towards others.
The song also emphasizes the power of dreaming and imagination, asserting that no one can take away a person's right to dream and feel. The final line, "They can't take that away from you," resounds as a powerful message of resilience and hope, urging the listener to hold on to their dreams and never give up.
Line by Line Meaning
When you're thrown out of work
When you lose your job
Got no money to eat
You don't have enough money to buy food
You've got nowhere to live
You don't have a place to call home
And there's holes in your feet
You don't have proper shoes to wear
Bite the Bullet
Face the situation, take the pain and move on
When it's Saturday night
When it's the weekend, time to enjoy
You've got no money to spend
You don't have any money to enjoy
And watching your girl
While seeing your girl
Go off with your friend
Leaves you to be with your friend instead
Bite the Bullet
Endure the pain and find a way to move on
Believe in tomorrow
Have hope for the future
There'll be much less sorrow
Future holds less pain and sadness
Look around you at your brothers
See your fellow people around you
You've got more than most others
You have more than some others out there
They can't stop you from living
No one can stop you from living your life
They can't stop you feeling
No one can stop you from feeling emotions
They can't stop your dreaming
No one can stop you from having dreams
They can't take that away from you
No one can take away your hopes and dreams
Contributed by Isabella J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Lil1943
Love this more every time I watch and hear it. Janick's moves - and the whole band on a high!
Matt Barbarich
Yes absolutely, even though I liked Bernie Torme , Gers took this band to an even higher plane, sad they didn't do at least one more album.
Tim Hawthorn
And that is why, of all the Deep Purple spin-offs, it was the Gillan albums I actually bought. It was the no-nonsense edge of punk, the humour and the fact that Ian actually sang about stuff I could relate to. This music helped me survive the '80s, thanks guys!
Craig Barlow
When you could see Gillan, Whitesnake and Rainbow in the early 80s, they were all terrific. But Gillan were the heaviest and loudest!!
PeachFlavorOwl
Janick is lovely <3 His moves rocks!
MikeDijital
to bad he can't play guitar well.
Lisbeth Rosa
You can be a lover or a hater of Janick's playing, but here all is about THAT voice.
Rodolfo Queiroz
Other detail: several songs of Gillan's solo carreer are as a proto-speed metal. Incredible!
C B
@Mark Rago Toolbox is so badass because on his previous album Gillan didn't really scream much and the songs were pretty "ordinary". When he read the reviews, Ian Gillan said, "right that's it, I'm gonna scream my lungs out on the next album". And he did!
Yes Candy Horizon is on there.
Mark Rago
@C B Yeah Toolbox is pretty badass. Title track is solid. I believe Candy Horizon on there too I believe