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.
Irene Wilde
Ian Hunter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
At barker street bus station every night
When I tried to get it on - she just looked at me with scorn - my courage
Turned to dust and I took flight
For those looks they seemed to say
You ain't nuthin' - go away
You're just a face in the crowd so I went home and I vowed
Her name was irene wilde - oh such beauty for a child
When she started dating boys - I nearly died
For I could not barely stand to see someone hold her hand
I felt I had to crawl away and hide
In my mother's living room I composed so many tunes
All the same - just a frame - for her name, and just to say
Gonna be somebody - someday
Wild as your name I soon left that country town
I been around, seen some fame, seen some ups and seen some downs
Smile through your shock when you hear your name aloud
It's that face in the crowd - didn't dig it - much too proud...
When I was just sixteen I stood waiting for a dream
A barker street bus station non affair
At the time it seemed so sad, but it did not turn out bad
If you hadn't messed me up I'd still be there
And I think most folks agree, a little put-down makes them see
They ain't no chain - just a link and that's why you made me think
Gonna be somebody - be somebody - be somebody - someday
The lyrics of “Irene Wilde” by Ian Hunter speak about his teenage years and unrequited love for a girl named Irene Wilde. The song’s chorus speaks of Hunter’s vow to become somebody someday after he had been put down and told that he wasn't worth anything. The song mentions Barker Street bus station in Hunter's hometown and Irene Wilde as being someone he stood waiting for, hoping to connect with her. However, Irene treated him with scorn, causing Hunter to lose his courage and take flight. He couldn't bear to watch as anyone else held her hand, and so he hid and composed songs for her.
The song speaks of Hunter’s feeling of being nobody in his small town, where he was just a face in the crowd. However, he leaves the town and goes on to achieve fame in the music industry. The song reflects Hunter's longing for a future that would be different and his desire to prove himself to the world. It speaks of discovering one's worth despite the harshness of people's words and the bitterness of life's experiences.
Overall, the song encourages the listener to push forward regardless of obstacles and believe in themselves, even when others don't see their potential.
Line by Line Meaning
When I was just sixteen - I stood waiting for a dream -
At sixteen years old, I was hopeful and waiting for something great to happen.
At barker street bus station every night
I spent my evenings at Barker Street Bus Station, perhaps waiting for my dreams to arrive.
When I tried to get it on - she just looked at me with scorn - my courage Turned to dust and I took flight
When I attempted to pursue my dreams, a girl (likely Irene) did not reciprocate my advances, causing me to lose my confidence and run away.
For those looks they seemed to say You ain't nuthin' - go away You're just a face in the crowd so I went home and I vowed I'm gonna be somebody - someday
Her looks suggested I wasn't worth her time and I was just another person in the crowd. This made me feel insignificant, but I vowed to myself that someday I would be someone important.
Her name was irene wilde - oh such beauty for a child When she started dating boys - I nearly died
The girl's name was Irene Wilde, and she was a stunning young woman. When she began to date other boys, I was heartbroken.
For I could not barely stand to see someone hold her hand I felt I had to crawl away and hide
Seeing her with someone else was too much for me, and I had to retreat and hide rather than face the pain of it all.
In my mother's living room I composed so many tunes All the same - just a frame - for her name, and just to say Gonna be somebody - someday
I channeled my heartache into my creativity, writing countless songs about her. They were all essentially the same and all shared the message, 'I'll be someone someday.'
Wild as your name I soon left that country town I been around, seen some fame, seen some ups and seen some downs Smile through your shock when you hear your name aloud It's that face in the crowd - didn't dig it - much too proud...
Eventually, I moved on from that small town and began to experience life in a bigger way. Even as my name gained recognition, I never quite embraced it, and instead clung to my identity as someone who refused to be just another face in the crowd.
At the time it seemed so sad, but it did not turn out bad If you hadn't messed me up I'd still be there And I think most folks agree, a little put-down makes them see They ain't no chain - just a link and that's why you made me think Gonna be somebody - be somebody - be somebody - someday
Although I was disappointed as a teenager, that failure allowed me to grow and move on to bigger things. Criticism can be valuable, as it helped me to realize that I'm an individual rather than a nothing in the crowd. From that experience, I was inspired to be someone someday, and I still keep that goal in mind.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: IAN HUNTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind