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.
Over The Hill
Ian Gillan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There is a good old boy in the valley
On the other side of the hill
There is a good old man in the canyon
On the other side of the hill
It took a thousand years to remember
Another thousand years to forget
The most famous preacher yet
There is an easy way to the green field
Where the air blows warm and clear
There is an easy route to the meadow
Where there is no hate there is no fear
You've got to get down under the water
Or throw yourself in the road
And if you're lucky you won't hit the fire
You can settle down your load
Watch the pieces fit together
That's the way we are
You are the hero I am a coward
You will be the star
If I tell you how to fight
You can easy win
Man is here to fight mankind
Man is here to sin
Will you take a little share of my hunger
I'm sure you'll patronise a starving man
Or will you take a little piece of the famine
In a far off Eastern land
No I don't show no respect for your feelings
I don't give a shit for your smile
When there's a good old boy in the valley
Got religion twentieth century style
Ian Gillan's song Over The Hill revolves around the idea that people believe in different things and have their own ways of finding peace. The lyrics talk about the good old boy in the valley and the good old man in the canyon, who have their own beliefs and ways of finding meaning in life. They remember and forget things at their own pace and believe in the coming of the Messiah in their own way. In this song, Gillan talks about two opposing paths to getting to the green field, one that involves going under the water and another that requires throwing oneself onto the road.
Gillan also touches upon the idea that man is destined to fight and sin. He assumes himself to be a coward while praising the person he sings to as the hero, claiming that they could easily win a fight if given the right advice. However, he also talks about being considerate to others, sharing one's hunger and taking a piece of others' famine to be a better person. He doesn't shy away from criticizing the idea of religion in the twentieth century, making it sound like a fad that people follow blindly.
Overall, Ian Gillan's song Over The Hill is a philosophical take on life and how we all perceive it differently. Each of us follows our own path, with some finding solace in religion, some in fighting, and some in sharing. The song is a reminder that we all have our own unique struggles, which define our path towards finding peace.
Line by Line Meaning
There is a good old boy in the valley
There is a man in the valley who represents the traditional way of life.
On the other side of the hill
He lives on the opposite side of the hill from where I am.
There is a good old man in the canyon
There is another man that lives in the canyon, who is also a representative of the old way of life.
It took a thousand years to remember
I feel like it took a long time for people to remember their traditions and history.
Another thousand years to forget
But after remembering it, people seemed to forget it just as quickly.
The coming of the Messiah
The arrival of the savior.
The most famous preacher yet
This person was the most well-known religious leader of their time.
There is an easy way to the green field
There is a simple path to a peaceful, happy place.
Where the air blows warm and clear
The atmosphere there is comfortable and healthy to breathe.
There is an easy route to the meadow
There is another path that leads to an open field of grass.
Where there is no hate there is no fear
In this place, people do not experience negative emotions like anger or anxiety.
You've got to get down under the water
In order to find this place, you need to look beyond the surface level of things.
Or throw yourself in the road
Another way to reach this place is to take a risk and travel a new path.
And if you're lucky you won't hit the fire
If you are fortunate, there will be no obstacles in your path.
You can settle down your load
You can finally relax and release your burdens in this peaceful place.
Watch the pieces fit together
Observe how things fall into place.
That's the way we are
This is the nature of humans.
You are the hero I am a coward
You are brave and admirable, and I feel weak and afraid in comparison.
You will be the star
You will shine above others in some way.
If I tell you how to fight
If I give you advice on how to handle conflict,
You can easy win
You will likely emerge victorious.
Man is here to fight mankind
Humans are often in conflict with each other.
Man is here to sin
Humans have a tendency to do wrong or immoral things.
Will you take a little share of my hunger
Can you empathize with my struggles and share in my pain?
I'm sure you'll patronise a starving man
I believe you would offer sympathy to someone who is hungry, but not necessarily tangible help.
Or will you take a little piece of the famine
Would you understand the root causes of hunger and be motivated to make change?
In a far off Eastern land
This famine may be happening in a distant place.
No I don't show no respect for your feelings
I am not particularly concerned with how you feel or what you think.
I don't give a shit for your smile
I am not swayed by your attempts to ingratiate yourself to me.
When there's a good old boy in the valley
My true loyalty lies with the traditional way of life, represented by the man in the valley.
Got religion twentieth century style
This man's beliefs are informed by modern, globalized society.
Contributed by Liliana J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.