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").
Different Germany
Ian Anderson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
and Germany is closed to me
different somehow this time.
The airport's still, cold corridors
ring empty beats through hollow feet
that I find to be mine.
History repeats somehow.
Different Germany.
Afraid to know you now.
And past my eyes with leathered gaze
stare clean-cut boys all dressed as men
in sharpened uniform.
Who turned the clock? (Moved on or back)
and what dark chill is gathering still
before the storm.
Out in the street a tableau double-glazed
with laughing girls whose fastened smiles
are clearly not meant for me.
The opening lines of Ian Anderson's song Different Germany express a sense of exclusion and alienation experienced by the singer upon his arrival in Germany. The shutting down of the country, as well as the stillness and emptiness of the airport, create a haunting mood that suggests the historical weight of the place. The contrast between the "clean-cut boys" in "sharpened uniform" and the singer's own sense of dislocation serves to underscore the idea that something has changed. He feels as though he is seeing the country with new eyes that do not quite know how to make sense of what he sees.
The second verse continues this theme, with the singer's attention drawn to the tableau of young women outside. With their "fastened smiles" and superficial cheer, they represent a facade that is both tantalizing and disorienting. The lines "who turned the clock?" and "what dark chill is gathering still before the storm?" suggest an impending sense of danger, as though the weight of history is about to catch up and swallow the present. Overall, the song conveys a sense of ambivalence, as the singer struggles to come to terms with his emotional response to a country with a complex and troubling past.
Line by Line Meaning
The lights are down in Germany
The atmosphere in Germany is dull and uninviting
and Germany is closed to me
The singer is unable to connect with Germany on this occasion
different somehow this time.
This visit feels different compared to previous trips
The airport's still, cold corridors
The airport is quiet and cold in terms of reception
ring empty beats through hollow feet
The echoes of footsteps in the airport seem lonely and hollow
that I find to be mine.
The singer is the only one there, and the silence is comforting
Different Germany.
Germany feels unique from what the singer had experienced before
History repeats somehow.
The past seems to be repeating itself in some way
Different Germany.
The altered behaviour of Germany is emphasised again
Afraid to know you now.
The singer is hesitant to be open with Germany this time
And past my eyes with leathered gaze
The people around have a weary, aged look in their eyes
stare clean-cut boys all dressed as men
Young men dressed in uniform resemble older, more experienced men
in sharpened uniform.
The uniform looks new and well-maintained
Who turned the clock? (Moved on or back)
The singer is questioning a sudden change in the environment
and what dark chill is gathering still
The singer senses a sinister energy lurking around
before the storm.
The singer anticipates a buildup of tension leading to a crisis
Out in the street a tableau double-glazed
The scene outside is picturesque but is experienced through glass
with laughing girls whose fastened smiles
Girls appear happy and content but their smiles seem forced
are clearly not meant for me.
The girls are indifferent towards the singer's presence
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: IAN ANDERSON, PETER-JOHN VETTESE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind