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.
Demon's Eye
Ian Gillan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I never heard you, baby, never heard you anyway.
I don't care what you do
just so long as it ain't me and you.
Sly, sly, sly like a demon's eye.
Everything's good, I said, everything's fine.
You don't know, don't know it's the end of your time.
I've known it, baby, almost every day.
Sly, sly, sly like a demon's eye.
I don't need you anymore,
I don't want you, baby, hanging round my door.
You slip and slide round my brain.
You think you're so clever, yeah, but you know you're insane.
Sly, sly, sly like a demon's eye.
I d-d-don't mind just what you say.
I never heard you, baby, I never heard you anyway, no I didn't.
Everything's good, everything's fine.
You don't know it's the end of your time.
Sly, sly, sly like the demon's eye,
like the demon's eye.
The lyrics of Demon's Eye by Ian Gillan signify a sense of power, control and rebellion against a person who once had emotional authority over the singer. The song's beginning establishes the singer's indifference towards what the person has to say while simultaneously establishing a sense of detachment from the conversation. The lyric "I don't mind just what you say, I never heard you, baby, never heard you anyway" suggests that the singer is not interested in listening to what the person has to say or is choosing to ignore them. This could suggest that the person once held emotional significance and influence over the singer's life but has now become insignificant.
The song progresses with the singer's sense of empowerment over the person, stating that they do not care what the person does as long as it does not involve the singer. The lyrical repetition "Sly, sly, sly like a demon's eye" implies that the person might have been manipulative, sneaky, and deceptive, leading to the separation between them and the singer. The song's conclusion conveys the singer's liberation from the relationship, with the line "I don't need you anymore, I don't want you, baby, hanging round my door," implying that the person is no longer welcome in the singer's life. Demon's Eye, with its assertive lyrics and powerful vocals, is a song that speaks to anyone who has experienced the liberation from the control of another person.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't mind just what you say.
I am indifferent to your words or actions.
I never heard you, baby, never heard you anyway.
I haven't paid attention to you, nor do I intend to.
I don't care what you do
just so long as it ain't me and you.
Do whatever you want, just don't involve me in it.
Sly, sly, sly like a demon's eye.
You are deceitful like a demon's eye.
Everything's good, I said, everything's fine.
I have reassured myself that everything is okay.
You don't know, don't know it's the end of your time.
You are unaware that your time is up.
How does it feel to be turned away?
Do you know how it feels to be rejected?
I've known it, baby, almost every day.
I've experienced rejection repeatedly.
Sly, sly, sly like a demon's eye.
You are still deceitful like a demon's eye.
I don't need you anymore,
I don't want you, baby, hanging round my door.
I don't require nor do I desire your presence.
You slip and slide round my brain.
You linger in my thoughts.
You think you're so clever, yeah, but you know you're insane.
You believe you're smart, however, you're actually crazy.
Sly, sly, sly like a demon's eye.
You're still sly, like a demon's eye.
I d-d-don't mind just what you say.
I might stutter, but I'm still indifferent to your words or actions.
I never heard you, baby, I never heard you anyway, no I didn't.
I never paid attention to you, and I won't start now.
Sly, sly, sly like the demon's eye,
like the demon's eye.
As I said earlier, you're still deceitful like a demon's eye.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: RITCHIE BLACKMORE, IAN GILLAN, ROGER GLOVER, JON LORD, IAN PAICE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mark Dayoc
Crazy high range with his vocals. One of the best vocalist of all time!
Erna Marboen
Mark Dayoc agree
Márta Majsai
Great Ian Gillan!! BEST rock voice in the Universe! Long live Ian!! 💜
Dejan Arizanovic
The best vocal in history.
Raine
@Den Denov Byron?
Den Denov
Dio?
Неля Навахо
Обожаю вокал Яна Гиллана, но есть и другие прекрасные вокалисты. Роберт Плант, Фредди Меркьюри, из наших, российских Валерий Кипелов и Алексей Булгаков.
Ezee Carp
Impresionante esa voz!! Cada vez mejor cantaba ian gillan 😟😟😟
Jewel B
This is one of my favorite DP songs. Thanks for uploading 😍
tanketrunken
Me encanta cómo marca el batería, el grupo genial en general e Ian en plena forma.