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.
Dead Man Walkin'
Ian Hunter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This is where I trembled when you touched mine
This is where the seeds we planted long ago
Grew up to tell us we're too old to know
I've been here before; this is where the novelty starts wearing off, wearing off, wearing off
And all the world's a stage; it's just that I ain't on it anymore, anymore
This ain't Eastenders, this ain't Eastenders, this ain't Eastenders; it's the real thing
Crawl down the hole of monotony, monotony, monotony, monotony
The silence is deafening, the phone never rings
Won't somebody help me 'cause I feel like I'm drowning?
If I should sink, if I should swim
It doesn't really matter anymore - dead man walkin'
I've been meaning to tell you for oh-so long
Baby, you got it right, and I got it wrong
Now I know what ageism means; you gotta try a little harder
You gotta be a little stronger
I've been here before; this is where nothing happens anymore, anymore, anymore
Someone else's rage, someone else's pain
Someone else's ego; you will believe, you will believe
This ain't Eastenders, this ain't Eastenders, this ain't Eastenders; it's the real thing
What am I supposed to do now?
Sink to the bottom of obscurity, obscurity, obscurity, obscurity
It's a foregone conclusion, a fait accompli
It's all taken care of; you don't have to worry
If I should lose, If I should win
It doesn't really matter anymore - dead man walkin'
The song "Dead Man Walkin'" by Ian Hunter is about feeling lost and forgotten in the world. The lyrics depict a sense of familiarity and nostalgia, as the singer reminisces about a time when everything was new and exciting, and he was in love with someone. However, now, the novelty has worn off, and the singer struggles to find meaning in his life. He feels like he's drowning and is desperately seeking help. However, he has a sense of resignation that nothing really matters anymore and that he's just going through the motions, hence the phrase "dead man walkin'."
The lyrics showcase the emotional turmoil that people can face as they grow older and feel like they're losing touch with the world. The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "this ain't Eastenders" to contrast the false reality of a soap opera with the harshness of real life. The singer is urging himself to face reality and not get lost in a fantasy world.
Overall, the song can be interpreted as a reflection on aging and the search for meaning and purpose in life when faced with the inevitability of mortality.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been here before; this is where my fingers slipped into yours
This is a familiar place to me, where my intimacy with you started.
This is where I trembled when you touched mine
This is where I felt vulnerable to your touch.
This is where the seeds we planted long ago
This is where our past actions have consequences now.
Grew up to tell us we're too old to know
Our past decisions show us that we are no longer able to understand or cope with the present.
I've been here before; this is where the novelty starts wearing off, wearing off, wearing off
This is where things start to become repetitive and unexciting.
And all the world's a stage; it's just that I ain't on it anymore, anymore
Everyone is performing, but I am no longer relevant or needed.
This ain't Eastenders, this ain't Eastenders, this ain't Eastenders; it's the real thing
This is not a fictional drama, this is my real life.
What am I supposed to do now?
I am lost and unsure of how to proceed.
Crawl down the hole of monotony, monotony, monotony, monotony
I am resigned to a life of boredom and repetition.
The silence is deafening, the phone never rings
I am alone and forgotten.
Won't somebody help me 'cause I feel like I'm drowning?
I need someone to rescue me from my situation.
If I should sink, if I should swim
Regardless of the outcome, it will not change anything.
It doesn't really matter anymore - dead man walkin'
I feel lifeless and powerless to change my circumstances.
I've been meaning to tell you for oh-so long
I have been wanting to express this for a very long time.
Baby, you got it right, and I got it wrong
You were correct, and I made a mistake.
Now I know what ageism means; you gotta try a little harder
I understand now that I need to work harder to be valued and respected.
You gotta be a little stronger
I need to improve my resilience and determination.
This is where nothing happens anymore, anymore, anymore
This is a place of stagnation and inactivity.
Someone else's rage, someone else's pain
I am surrounded by other people's negative emotions.
Someone else's ego; you will believe, you will believe
Others' egos and self-centeredness are so pervasive that you would think they are normal.
Sink to the bottom of obscurity, obscurity, obscurity, obscurity
I am bound to become irrelevant and forgotten.
It's a foregone conclusion, a fait accompli
The outcome is inevitable and cannot be changed.
It's all taken care of; you don't have to worry
Everything has been arranged; there is nothing left for you to do.
If I should lose, If I should win
The result is meaningless as it will not change anything.
It doesn't really matter anymore - dead man walkin'
I feel powerless and resigned to whatever fate awaits me.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Ian Hunter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind