Gillan was born in Hounslow, Middlesex, England. He joined the band Deep Purple in 1969. In 1970, he sang the part of Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar. After leaving Deep Purple in 1973, he went into brief retirement before forming the Ian Gillan Band. The early band sound had a distinct jazz-rock aspect which proved unpopular and was replaced by a more high powered hard rock sound as Gillan reformed the lineup and shortened the groups name to Gillan. With the release of Mr. Universe Ian Gillan was back in the UK charts and through several more line up changes released a string of hit singles and successful albums including Glory Road, Future Shock, Double Trouble, and finally Magic.
Then he announced the band would fold as he needed to rest his damaged vocal cords. In 1983 he joined Black Sabbath to record the Born Again album before rejoining a reunited Deep Purple shortly after completing the Born Again tour in early 1984. He left Purple again in 1989, but rejoined for good in 1992. He remains in the band today.
Gillan is now working on a project to document his 40-year career, tentatively called Gillan's Inn. Tony Iommi, Jeff Healey, various members of Deep Purple and many others will be featured on this 2006 DVD project.
Dead of Night
Ian Gillan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was asking for more
So she reached out and turned off the light
Then her daddy called
To mind the lecherous lout
Who was a monster in the dead of night
So i went away home
Feeling hurt and alone
Then i called her at dawn
And we made love on the lawn
'Cos her daddy thought it was alright
Danger to the girl at night
In the morning it will be alright
Don't do it in the dead of night
Tomorrow it should be alright
In the birmingham mail
They reported a whale
They'd discovered in the dead of night
In the local canal
It was found by a pal
Of the bloke who'd lost it from his bike
We can say it again
If it doesn't make sense
But never in the dead of night
If we wait until dawn
When the reason is born
We can see it better in the light
Dreaming in the dead of night
In the morning it will be alright
Screaming in the dead of night
Tomorrow it will be alright
The lyrics to Ian Gillan's song Dead of Night depict a story of a lover seeking more from his partner, but feeling rejected when her father calls him a "lecherous lout." The use of the phrase "dead of night" throughout the song symbolizes the darkness of the situation and the danger present in the cover of darkness. When the singer calls the girl at dawn, they make love on the lawn because her father thinks it's okay. The lyrics suggest that there is less danger present in the morning light and that it's better to wait until daylight to see a situation clearly.
The second half of the song takes a surreal turn as it references a whale found in a canal at night and the absurdity of trying to understand it in the dark. The lyrics continue to reinforce the idea that waiting until morning allows for a clearer understanding of things. The final lines of the song, "Dreaming in the dead of night / In the morning it will be alright / Screaming in the dead of night / Tomorrow it will be alright," suggest that even in the midst of difficult situations, there is hope for things to improve and be resolved.
Line by Line Meaning
As we went to the door
Starting an encounter
I was asking for more
Asking for more intimacy and love
So she reached out and turned off the light
Getting physically intimate
Then her daddy called
Her father interrupted their intimacy
To mind the lecherous lout
Referring to the singer as a sexual predator
Who was a monster in the dead of night
The father sees the singer as a threat to his daughter
So i went away home
Leaving the situation
Feeling hurt and alone
Emotional pain from rejection
And frustrated in the dead of night
Feeling anger and disappointment
Then i called her at dawn
Contacting her again in the morning
And we made love on the lawn
Rekindling their physical intimacy
'Cos her daddy thought it was alright
Continuing their intimacy because the father approved
Danger to the girl at night
Warning of the risks of night-time intimacy
In the morning it will be alright
Advising to wait until daytime to resolve issues
Don't do it in the dead of night
Don't engage in risky or emotional acts at night
Tomorrow it should be alright
Better to wait until the next day to resolve issues
In the birmingham mail
A local newspaper
They reported a whale
A strange event occurred
They'd discovered in the dead of night
The discovery happened at night
In the local canal
Nearby waterway
It was found by a pal
A friend discovered the strange event
Of the bloke who'd lost it from his bike
The whale came loose from a bicyclist's vehicle
We can say it again
Repeating the strange event
If it doesn't make sense
If it's confusing or unclear
But never in the dead of night
Don't discuss confusing topics at night
If we wait until dawn
Wait until morning to discuss things
When the reason is born
Reason becomes clearer in daylight
We can see it better in the light
Clarity comes with daylight
Dreaming in the dead of night
Having dreams or thoughts at night
Screaming in the dead of night
Shouting or yelling at night
Tomorrow it will be alright
Things will improve with daylight and time
Contributed by Alyssa L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.