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.
Slags to Bitches
Ian Gillan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You don't make it with your fire and your rain
You ain't nothing but a fool
You've got nothing in your animal brain
But baby I will stand with you
Say hey to your Daddy hey to your Mammy
Maybe to your sister too
So baby I will stand with you
There's no way you can stop it
You've got my heart in your pocket
Moving up from rags to riches, slags to bitches
You throw parties on your own private beach
I see you riding horses too
You've got the things that are out of my reach
Baby less I stay with you
I ain't gonna fight you I'm only gonna bite you
'Cos you've got enough for two
The sweetest things your inheritance brings
So baby I will stand with you
See me walking with my nose in the air
Though I can't see too good
You catch me spitting though it ain't debonair
But mostly I can be like you
So give it to me honey, take me to the money
Surely that's the least I'm due
I'm just your toy I know but you are a fool
And baby I will stay with you
Tell your Daddy that you're gonna be mine
You know I love you truly
When he tells you that you're out of your mind
'Cos I'm stupid and unruly
Smile at him sweetly, whisper so discretely
One and one is three not two
He's got the money and I've got the need
So baby I will stand with you
The song "Slags to Bitches" by Ian Gillan is a satirical take on the idea of materialism, love and societal acceptance. It is a tale of a man who desires a woman who has everything he doesn't have; money, cars, private beaches, horses, and basically a luxurious life. The singer is fully aware that he is being used, but he still willingly stays with this woman because he has a need that only she can fulfill. He acknowledges that he is a fool and doesn't have anything worthy of being offered in a relationship, yet he stays.
The lyrics speak again and again about the money that the woman has, and the singer's need to stay with her in order to benefit from it. He knows that it is unfair, but he is willing to overlook all of that because of her affluence. The song also touches upon the theme of societal acceptance, as the singer acknowledges that he likes to be seen walking with his nose in the air, just like the woman he is with, even though he is just a toy to her.
The song is trying to show the futility of materialism and how people can be corrupt, superficial, and shallow when they are living a life of luxury. It also mocks the idea of the stereotypical relationships that many people enter into for money, power, or societal acceptance.
Line by Line Meaning
You don't make it with your fire and your rain
Your flashy behavior and attempts to impress don't win me over.
You ain't nothing but a fool
You are not very smart.
You've got nothing in your animal brain
You lack intelligence.
But baby I will stand with you
Despite your flaws, I will stay with you.
Say hey to your Daddy hey to your Mammy
Say hello to your family for me.
Maybe to your sister too
And maybe your sister as well.
'Cos you got the money and I’ve got the need
I am staying with you because you have money and I have needs.
So baby I will stand with you
I will stand by you despite the differences in our personalities.
There's no way you can stop it
Your hold on me is strong and cannot be broken.
You've got my heart in your pocket
You control my feelings and emotions.
Moving up from rags to riches, slags to bitches
We are moving up in the world, from poor and vulgar to wealthy and sophisticated.
You throw parties on your own private beach
You have parties on your own private beach.
I see you riding horses too
You also ride horses.
You've got the things that are out of my reach
You have things that I cannot afford.
Baby less I stay with you
Unless I stay with you, I cannot have those things.
I ain't gonna fight you I'm only gonna bite you
I am not going to argue with you, but I will fight back if needed.
'Cos you've got enough for two
Since you have enough for both of us, I will not fight over anything.
The sweetest things your inheritance brings
The best things about you come from your inheritance.
So baby I will stand with you
I will stay with you despite the differences in our personalities.
See me walking with my nose in the air
You see me walking around with pride.
Though I can't see too good
Despite my pride, I don't have great vision or insight.
You catch me spitting though it ain't debonair
Sometimes, I behave in an uncivilized manner.
But mostly I can be like you
I can also behave like you, in wealthy and sophisticated ways.
So give it to me honey, take me to the money
Take me to the places where the wealthy and elite gather.
Surely that's the least I'm due
I am entitled to at least that much.
I'm just your toy I know but you are a fool
I am aware that you see me as nothing more than a toy, but I think you are foolish.
And baby I will stay with you
Despite the differences in our personalities, I will stay with you.
Tell your Daddy that you're gonna be mine
Tell your father that you will be with me.
You know I love you truly
I love you sincerely.
When he tells you that you're out of your mind
When he tells you that you are crazy for being with me.
'Cos I'm stupid and unruly
Because I am foolish and difficult to control.
Smile at him sweetly, whisper so discretely
Smile at him in a charming way, and whisper secretly to avoid conflict.
One and one is three not two
Our partnership brings more than the sum of just the two of us.
He's got the money and I’ve got the need
Your father is wealthy and I have needs that can be satisfied with that money.
So baby I will stand with you
Despite the differences in our personalities, I will stay with you.
Contributed by Lucas H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.