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 Christmas Song
Ian Anderson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where a mother laid her baby.
You'd do well to remember the things He later said.
When you're stuffing yourselves at the Christmas parties,
You'll laugh when I tell you to take a running jump.
You're missing the point I'm sure does not need making;
That Christmas spirit is not what you drink.
And how can you smile when the reasons for smiling are wrong?
And if I messed up your thoughtless pleasures,
Remember, if you wish, this is just a Christmas song.
Hey, Santa... pass us that bottle, will you?
The first verse of Ian Anderson's "A Christmas Song" describes the scene of Christ's birth in a manger in Bethlehem. The mention of "a lowly cattle shed" emphasizes the humble circumstances surrounding the birth of Christ, which is a central tenet of the Christian belief that Christ came to earth as a savior. The line "You'd do well to remember the things He later said" could be interpreted as a reminder to the listener to focus on the religious meaning of Christmas, rather than simply indulging in material pleasures like food and drink.
The second verse of the song is darker in tone, as Ian Anderson pointedly questions how people can enjoy the festive season when there are so many people in need. He asks "how can you laugh when your own mother's hungry" and "how can you smile when the reasons for smiling are wrong," underscoring the idea that Christmas should be a time for giving and helping those less fortunate, rather than simply a time for self-indulgence. Anderson's mention of "thoughtless pleasures" is a criticism of the commercialization of Christmas, where people sometimes focus more on buying presents and having parties than on the true meaning of the holiday.
Line by Line Meaning
Once in Royal David's City stood a lowly cattle shed,
In the city of David, there was a small and humble cattle shed where a mother laid her infant son.
Where a mother laid her baby.
The mother placed her newborn baby in the cattle shed.
You'd do well to remember the things He later said.
It would be beneficial for you to remember the teachings He stated later in life.
When you're stuffing yourselves at the Christmas parties,
At various Christmas parties where you overindulge,
You'll laugh when I tell you to take a running jump.
You'll find it humorous when I encourage you to depart quickly.
You're missing the point I'm sure does not need making;
You're neglecting the obvious point that doesn't need further clarification;
That Christmas spirit is not what you drink.
The Christmas spirit is not the alcoholic beverage you're consuming.
So how can you laugh when your own mother's hungry
Therefore, how can you chuckle when your own mother is starving,
And how can you smile when the reasons for smiling are wrong?
And how can you grin if the reasons for doing so are incorrect?
And if I messed up your thoughtless pleasures,
And if I destroyed your careless forms of enjoyment,
Remember, if you wish, this is just a Christmas song.
Consider that this is merely a Christmas carol, if you so desire.
Hey, Santa... pass us that bottle, will you?
Hey, Santa... can you hand us that bottle, please?
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: SHAWN PHILLIPS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind