Anderson was born on 10th August 1947, the youngest of three children. He spent the first part of his childhood in Edinburgh, Scotland. He was influenced by his father's big band and jazz records and the emergence of rock music, though disenchanted with the "show biz" style of early American rock and roll stars like Elvis Presley. His family moved to Blackpool, Lancashire in 1959, where he gained a traditional education at Blackpool Grammar School. He went on to study fine art at Blackpool College of Art from 1964 to 1966.
In 1963, he formed The Blades with school friends Barriemore Barlow (drums), John Evan (keyboards), Jeffrey Hammond (bass), and Michael Stephens (guitar). This was a soul and blues band, with Anderson on vocals and harmonica. At this time Anderson abandoned his ambition to play electric guitar, allegedly because he felt he would never be "as good as Eric Clapton". He traded his electric guitar in for a flute which, after some weeks of practice, he found he could play fairly well in a rock and blues style. He continued to play acoustic guitar, using it as a melodic as well as rhythmic instrument. As his career progressed, he added soprano saxophone, mandolin, keyboards, and other instruments to his arsenal.
His famous tendency to stand on one leg while playing the flute came about by accident. As related in the "Isle of Wight" video, he had been inclined to stand on one leg while playing the harmonica, holding the microphone stand for balance. During the long stint at the Marquee Club, a journalist described him, wrongly, as standing on one leg to play the flute. He decided to live up to the reputation, albeit with some difficulty. His early attempts are visible in The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus film appearance of Jethro Tull. In later life he was surprised to learn of iconic portrayals of various flute playing divinities, particularly Krishna and Kokopelli, which show them standing on one leg.
While Anderson has recorded a small number of critically acclaimed projects under his own name, and frequently makes guest appearances in other artists' work, he has been identified in the public eye as the frontman of Jethro Tull for forty-four years. This is undoubtedly because a signature motif of Anderson's career has been a highly distinctive stage image, which has often been counter to the prevailing rock music culture. While he has habitually drawn inspiration from British folklore – at different times deploying stylistic elements of mediæval jester, Elizabethan minstrel, English country squire and Scottish laird – at other times he has appeared as astronaut, biker, pirate, and vagrant. His personae often involve a large degree of self-parody.
As a flautist, Anderson is self-taught; his style, which often includes a good deal of flutter tonguing and occasionally singing or humming (or even snorting) while playing, was influenced by Rahsaan Roland Kirk. In 2003 he recorded a composition called Griminelli's Lament in honour of his friend, the Italian flautist Andrea Griminelli. In the 1990s he began working with simple bamboo flutes. He uses techniques such as over-blowing and hole-shading to produce note-slurring and other expressive techniques on this otherwise simple instrument.
He has recorded several songs on which he plays all the instruments as well as carrying out all the engineering and production (such as 1988's "Another Christmas Song"). Anderson's music blends styles such as folk, jazz, blues, rock, and pop. His lyrics are frequently complex, (mostly) tongue-in-cheek criticism of the absurd rules of society and/or religion ("Sossity, You're a Woman"; "Hymn 43"; "Thick as a Brick"). He often combines lyrics with other leitmotifs such as folk, mythological, fantastic ("The Minstrel in the Gallery", "Jack-in-the-Green", "Broadsword and the Beast"). In the 1990s and 2000s, Anderson's songs often capture 'snapshots' of his daily life ("Old Black Cat", "Rocks on the Road").
A Better Moon
Ian Anderson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hardly needing to carry the find-your-way lamp
down to the river.
Tonight flies a better moon.
Sad water buffalo lie fast near the shallows;
a splash revealing the fly-catching fishes.
Dark Gods silently watching.
I guess you've known lovers here, compliant in passion;
softly laid in the old reed bed, harshly
lit in the noon sun.
Tonight flies a better moon.
Now cloaked in this milky light, new as the virgin dawn,
shrouded sweetly in all kinds of mystery,
you turn, smile and then are gone.
Tonight flies a better moon.
In Ian Anderson's song A Better Moon, the singer is observing someone he knows better now, who is "shaded in deeper blue." This person no longer needs a "find-your-way lamp" to go down to the river - perhaps they have grown stronger or more confident over time. The singer notes that "tonight flies a better moon," which could mean that the night sky is particularly beautiful or that things are simply looking up.
The scene at the river is described in detail. "Sad water buffalo lie fast near the shallows" - the buffalo are motionless and the scene is peaceful. A splash in the water reveals "fly-catching fishes" - small, hungry creatures that are likely indigenous to the region. The line about "Dark Gods silently watching" is more mysterious - it's not clear who or what the singer is referring to, but it adds an air of foreboding to the scene.
The third stanza is particularly interesting, as it seems to reference the idea that this place is a site of passion and possibly even danger. The singer suggests that the person he is observing has had lovers there - they have been "compliant in passion" and have been "softly laid in the old reed bed." The harsh noon sun suggests that this place can also be unforgiving, a place where one might be exposed or vulnerable.
In the final stanza, the person the singer is observing is "cloaked in this milky light." There's a sense of mystery and enchantment here - the person is "shrouded sweetly in all kinds of mystery." As they turn and smile, they disappear from the singer's view. Again, the singer notes that "tonight flies a better moon" - there's a sense of optimism or hopefulness, even if things are fleeting or transient.
Line by Line Meaning
I see you better now, shaded in deeper blue.
I now perceive your true self, with all its shades and intricacies.
Hardly needing to carry the find-your-way lamp
down to the river.
I am now so familiar with you that I no longer need any guidance or assistance to find you.
Tonight flies a better moon.
Tonight is a special night with a more beautiful and radiant moon.
Sad water buffalo lie fast near the shallows;
a splash revealing the fly-catching fishes.
Dark Gods silently watching.
In this serene setting, even the saddest creatures find solace, while some others carry out their predatory activities, and the divine presence remains all-encompassing.
I guess you've known lovers here, compliant in passion;
softly laid in the old reed bed, harshly
lit in the noon sun.
I presume you've had romantic encounters here, yielding to your desires and basking in the sun's rays.
Now cloaked in this milky light, new as the virgin dawn,
shrouded sweetly in all kinds of mystery,
you turn, smile and then are gone.
You now appear enigmatic and mystifying, illuminated by a soft, new light. You give a faint smile and then disappear.
Tonight flies a better moon.
Once again, we have the privilege of basking in the glory of a better moon tonight.
Contributed by Skyler R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.