Hunter began his musical career on the bass guitar. An early foray into music was as an entrant in a talent competition at one of Butlin's holiday camps, performing "Blue Moon" as part of a skiffle group with Colen York and Colin Broome.
Hunter memorialized how he left his family in a later song, "23A Swan Hill," the address of his teenage home in Shrewsbury above a police station where his father was the Station Sergeant. He notes in concert that "my Dad was real mean" and did not approve of his son's artistic direction, in contrast to his "grand dad", referenced in "Cleveland Rocks", as "he was a rocker and I am, too".
So Hunter took off for Butlin's and "never looked back". Bandmates York and Broome came from Northampton, and were in a band called The Apex, which Hunter soon joined to play rhythm guitar. In 1963, while living in Northampton, he formed his own band, Hurricane Henry and the Shriekers. With Tony Marriott and guitarist Julian Coulter, the Shriekers worked steadily in Northampton, and by 1965 had picked up Freddie 'Fingers' Lee as a pianist and frontman. In a 2004 DVD interview Hunter volunteers Lee and their gigs in Hamburg as a major turning point, when he first began to "actually think maybe I could do this instead of working in factories".
In 1966 Hunter moved to London, where he joined The Scenery with guitarist Miller Anderson, drummer Dave Dufort, and keyboard player Dante Smith. By 1967 Smith and Dufort had left the band while John Vernon Smith joined on drums. The Scenery recorded some material with Bill Farley at Regent Sound, which was released without the band's knowledge in France and Japan. In early 1968, The Scenery had run its course and Miller Anderson joined Dave Dufort in Paper Blitz Tissue.
Also in 1968 Hunter remained in the band to back up Freddie Lee in the At Last The 1958 Rock and Roll Show, along with drummer Pete Philips and guitarist Chris Mayfield. The group got a regular booking at The Angel in Edmonton, and drew interest from both Chrysalis and NEMS but the group was never signed by them. Mayfield was soon replaced by the ever traveling Miller Anderson, and the group released a single on CBS called "I Can't Drive." As the short-lived rock and roll revival began to wane, At Last the 1958 Rock and Roll Show changed its name to Charlie Woolfe and released a final single, "Dance, Dance, Dance".
Hunter played sporadically in various other bands throughout the 1960s, including The New Yardbirds, and backed Billy Fury, The Young Idea and David McWilliams. He also worked as a journalist and staff songwriter for the firm Francis, Day & Hunter (no relation). Other jobs he took during these years included road-digging for a local council, and reporting for a local newspaper.
By 1969 Hunter was married and had two children, but was still hoping for a return to making music full time. That year he auditioned for and joined yet another band, Silence. Silence soon renamed themselves after a novel by Willard Manus, published in 1966: Mott The Hoople. By this time Hunter had taken to wearing the sunglasses that have long since become his trademark (photos of him without his "shades" are rare). The band was a live smash in England although their early U.S. tours on the coasts were slow in building a following. Whilst a critical success and despite being renowned for being an excellent live act, Mott the Hoople did not achieve sustained commercial success. After a dreary 1972 concert in a "gas cylinder" in Switzerland, they announced their disbandment.
David Bowie, a longtime fan of the band, was upset and offered them a song he had just written. As Ian recalls in a 2004 DVD interview, "He offered us 'Suffragette City', which I didn't think was good enough. And then he sat down on the floor, Regent Street it was in a publisher's office and plays 'All The Young Dudes' on an acoustic guitar." It shot to No. 3 in the UK singles chart and Mott had new life.
Mott the Hoople then had considerable commercial success with the albums All the Young Dudes (1972, produced by Bowie); Mott (1973) and The Hoople (1974). The band began to score financially with songs such as "Roll Away The Stone," "Golden Age Of Rock ´N´ Roll," "Honaloochie Boogie," "All The Way From Memphis," "Saturday Gigs," and especially "All The Young Dudes." When in 1973 original lead guitarist Mick Ralphs left to form Bad Company, Hunter began to play guitar until a replacement could be found but at the same time he was increasingly pressured to write hits for the band. Luther Grosvenor took over as lead guitarist, Grosvenor, aka Ariel Bender, was briefly replaced by Mick Ronson after the release of a live album following The Hoople. However, Hunter left the band in December 1974. The remaining members carried on under the names Mott and British Lions. Hunter has written a memoir, Diary of a Rock'n'Roll Star, detailing a U.S. tour with Mott the Hoople.
In March 1975 Ian Hunter joined forces with Mick Ronson, formerly the leading member of David Bowie's backing band The Spiders from Mars and a member of Mott the Hoople for a brief time. Hunter's first single from his eponymous solo album was the UK Top 40 hit "Once Bitten Twice Shy". Hunter's best selling solo album was You're Never Alone With A Schizophrenic. It was released in 1979 with Ronson and several members from Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. Two songs from You're Never Alone with a Schizophrenic became successes for other artists. "Cleveland Rocks" was covered by the Presidents of the United States of America, whose version was used as the theme song for The Drew Carey Show. Also, "Ships" became a No. 9 pop hit in the USA in late 1979 for Barry Manilow.
During his solo career Hunter frequently worked with Ronson until the latter's death in 1993, but he has also had musical connections with many other artists, including Queen, Mick Jones (The Clash), Clarence Clemons of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, Jaco Pastorius, Dennis Elliot (Foreigner), and David Bowie.
His album, Rant (2001), received wide critical acclaim and he won Classic Rock Magazine Songwriter's Award in October 2005.
In 2007 his latest album "Shrunken Heads" was released and it clearly shows that Ian Hunter is still very much alive.
Babylon Blues
Ian Hunter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Take a look at yourself
You ain't exactly a picture of health
In your finest hour – at the height o'your power –
Everything's gone sour
Your ivory tower morphed into a cell
Confidence shattered, mad as a hatter – what's the matter with you?
Ain't nothing worse than a phony-assed rebel
You do what you want to but leave me out o'this
You're tangled up in Babylon blues
You a yellowin' book – got a amethyst skin –
You been taken in by the paradise
Feeding off your adrenalin
You gotta fight without – you gotta fight within –
You gotta flat-out swim
That ominious current that's sweeping you in
Meals on wheels? Sympathy? What d'ya want from me?
There's a big black cloud hangin' over your head –
Looks like silver but it's heavy as lead
You do what you want to but leave me out o'this
You're tangled up in Babylon blues
Say you gonna quit – that's the end of it –
But the peaces don't fit – what am I stupid?
I don't buy it
Just another blind beggar on the road to fame –
With a messed up body and a messed up brain
I don't buy it
It's a cynical world – it's a bad old world –
It's a sinister world babe
You get what you want an' your still miserable
At the terminal gate – at the terminal gate –
At the terminal gate
You better back off before it's too late
I remember when you opened your mouth an'
Everything freaked at what come out
When I'm gone – remember that
You can't take the alley outta some o' these cats
You do what you want to but leave me out o'this
You're tangled up in Babylon blues
The opening lines of the song Babylon Blues by Ian Hunter invites the listener to observe themselves, to critically look at their life and actions as if looking from an outsider’s perspective. The song seems to explore the idea of being trapped in one's own beliefs and behaviors, leading to a decline in one's physical and mental health. The first verse describes the downfall of an individual's power and confidence, represented by their ivory tower turning into a prison cell. The second verse mentions the individual being trapped in Babylon blues, representing the lure of success and fame that eventually brings them down. The chorus reiterates that the person can do as they wish but should leave the singer out of it since they are not interested in being dragged into the individual's self-destructive cycle.
The rest of the song continues to explore the downward spiral of this individual's life, the obsession with success, and the consequences of their actions. The song ends with a warning that the individual cannot change what they are, and even death cannot change someone's true nature. The theme of the song seems to be self-reflection and the idea that one should be aware of one's own destructive habits and behaviors to avoid ruining their life.
Line by Line Meaning
Take a look at yourself baby – take a look at yourself –
Self-reflect and evaluate your current state.
You ain't exactly a picture of health
You're not in the best condition.
In your finest hour – at the height o'your power –
During your best moments when you were at the top.
Everything's gone sour
Your current situation is far from perfect.
Your ivory tower morphed into a cell
Your isolated and privileged life has turned into a prison.
Confidence shattered, mad as a hatter – what's the matter with you?
You're extremely agitated and insecure - what's going on?
Don't try pulling me down to your level –
Don't try to bring me down with you.
Ain't nothing worse than a phony-assed rebel
There's nothing worse than a fake rebel.
You do what you want to but leave me out o'this
Do what you want, but don't involve me.
You're tangled up in Babylon blues
You're caught up in a complicated and troubled life.
You a yellowin' book – got a amethyst skin –
You appear fragile and have a pallid complexion.
You been taken in by the paradise
You've been seduced by a false paradise.
Feeding off your adrenalin
You're relying on your adrenaline to keep going.
You gotta fight without – you gotta fight within –
You need to fight externally and internally.
You gotta flat-out swim
You need to work hard and keep moving forward.
That ominious current that's sweeping you in
The dangerous force that's pulling you closer.
Meals on wheels? Sympathy? What d'ya want from me?
You're receiving pity, but what do you expect from me?
There's a big black cloud hangin' over your head –
You have a significant problem overshadowing you.
Looks like silver but it's heavy as lead
Appearances can be deceiving.
Say you gonna quit – that's the end of it –
You claim you'll stop, but I don't believe you.
But the peaces don't fit – what am I stupid?
But the pieces won't fit - do you think I'm foolish?
Just another blind beggar on the road to fame –
You're just another person struggling to make it big.
With a messed up body and a messed up brain
Your physical and mental health is in bad shape.
It's a cynical world – it's a bad old world –
The world we live in is full of skepticism and negativity.
It's a sinister world babe
This is an evil and wicked world.
You get what you want an' your still miserable
You've achieved your desires but are still unhappy.
At the terminal gate – at the terminal gate –
You're at the verge of something significant.
You better back off before it's too late
You need to stop before things get worse.
I remember when you opened your mouth an' everything freaked at what come out
I remember when you said something shocking that left people stunned.
When I'm gone – remember that
Remember this when I'm no longer around.
You can't take the alley outta some o' these cats
Some people will always stay corrupt, no matter what.
Contributed by Violet B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.