After leaving Deep Purple in 1973, Ian Gillan had retired from the music business to pursue other business ventures, including a motorbike manufacturing company and a hotel. These ventures all ended in failure. This fact, combined with a warm reception to his guest appearance at the Butterfly Ball in 1975 prompted him to resume a singing career and form a new band.
Initially called Shand Grenade, Gillan was persuaded to change the band's name to the Ian Gillan Band. He recruited guitarist Ray Fenwick, bass player John Gustafson, keyboard player Mike Moran and Elf drummer Mark Nauseef. Using Roger Glover as producer and session musician, this lineup released their first album Child In Time in 1976. In that year Moran was replaced by Micky Lee Soule (ex-Elf and Rainbow), but for the recording of follow-up album Clear Air Turbulence he was dropped in favour of Colin Towns.
The band had some success in Japan but none at all in North America and only cult status in Europe, their jazz fusion direction unappealing to pop and rock fans alike. Their next album, Scarabus (1977), had more of a rock sound but retained the jazz fusion direction. Released at the height of punk rock, there was no success beyond Japan and their label Island Records dropped them.
The following year (1978) Ian Gillan dissolved the band but retained Colin Towns and formed a new band called simply Gillan. A live album was released posthumously.
Over The Hill
Ian Gillan Band Lyrics
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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 coming of the Messiah
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 patronize 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
The Ian Gillan Band's "Over the Hill" is a poignant and introspective song that reflects a deep sense of loss, disillusionment, and existential despair. The lyrics speak of two good old men who live on either side of the hill - one in the valley and the other in the canyon. They represent contrasting yet complementary aspects of human experience, with the former embodying a sense of hope and renewal and the latter representing the inevitability of decline and decay. The song suggests that it is human nature to oscillate between these two poles, with periods of growth and vitality giving way to periods of decay and dissolution.
The song also touches on themes of faith, spirituality, and human fallibility. The reference to the coming of the Messiah, and the idea that it took a thousand years to remember and another thousand years to forget, suggests a deep-seated disillusionment with organized religion and its ability to offer meaningful answers to the profound questions of human existence. The song seems to suggest that faith and spirituality are ultimately personal quests that cannot be fully satisfied by institutional dogma or doctrine.
Line by Line Meaning
There is a good old boy in the valley
There is a respectable elderly man living in the valley.
On the other side of the hill
He resides on the opposite side of a nearby hill.
There is a good old man in the canyon
Another honorable gentleman lives in the canyon.
It took a thousand years to remember
The memory of a particular event lasted a millennium.
Another thousand years to forget
It took another thousand years to forget that same event.
The coming of the Messiah
The arrival of a highly respected religious figure.
The most famous preacher yet
This religious leader was the most well-known to date.
There is an easy way to the green field
A simple path leads to a lush field.
Where the air blows warm and clear
The atmosphere is both pleasant and refreshing.
There is an easy route to the meadow
Likewise, there is an uncomplicated means of accessing a nearby meadow.
Where there is no hate there is no fear
In this place, there is no animosity or fear present.
You've got to get down under the water
In order to achieve success, you must fully immerse yourself.
Or throw yourself in the road
Another option is to hurl yourself into the unknown.
And if you're lucky you won't hit the fire
If you're fortunate, you'll emerge unscathed.
You can settle down your load
This will allow you to ease your burden.
Watch the pieces fit together
Observe as everything begins to come together cohesively.
That's the way we are
This is our nature.
You are the hero I am a coward
You are courageous while I am cowardly.
You will be the star
You have the potential to shine brightly.
If I tell you how to fight
If I teach you how to battle,
You can easy win
You can easily emerge victorious.
Man is here to fight mankind
Human beings exist to battle one another.
Man is here to sin
Likewise, people are here to commit immoral acts.
Will you take a little share of my hunger
Would you be willing to help alleviate some of my hunger?
I'm sure you'll patronize a starving man
I'm confident that you'll look down on someone who is malnourished.
Or will you take a little piece of the famine
Alternatively, would you extract something from the widespread famine elsewhere?
In a far off eastern land
This event is taking place in a place far removed from here, to the east.
No, I don't show no respect for your feelings
No, I don't demonstrate any reverence for your emotions.
I don't give a shit for your smile
I'm indifferent to your smile or any attempt to obscure your true feelings.
When there's a good old boy in the valley
These statements are being made in response to the presence of the previously mentioned respectable elderly man who resides in the valley.
Got religion twentieth century style
He's converted to religion in a modern twentieth-century fashion.
Contributed by Reagan O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.