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.
No One
Ian Hunter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All by myself, turn out the light, no one, no one
One knife, a fork and a spoon
An empty bed in a cold room
Oh, I needed someone; maybe you could help
I called you up, I said "There's no one, baby, there's no one else."
No one ever looked twice at me, no one, no one
Kinda nervous and jealous, too; I lose me if I lose you
Just when I was feeling sorry for myself
She called me back, she said, "There's no one, baby, there's no one else."
With no one to call you, with no one rootin' for you
With no one to adore you, you'd be lost and alone
With no one to kiss you, with no one to miss you
And always be with you, you would turn into stone
I've been waiting for the longest time
To hold your hand on Sunday
Oh, I needed someone; I saw you, and I fell
I called you up, I said, "There's no one, and I'll never want anyone else."
Baby, there's no one else
Baby, there's no one else
Baby, there's no one else
Baby, there's no one else
The song "No One" by Ian Hunter is a wistful, soulful ballad about loneliness and the universal human desire to find companionship. The opening lyrics evoke the image of the singer coming home at night to an empty house, with only a knife, fork, and spoon to keep him company. He longs for someone to share his life with and reaches out to a potential lover, telling her that there's "no one else" for him. The chorus repeats this sentiment, emphasizing the idea that finding someone to love and be loved by is essential to feeling whole and fulfilled.
As the song continues, the lyrics delve deeper into the emotional and psychological implications of being alone. The singer admits to feeling nervous and jealous, realizing that he could lose himself completely if he loses the person he loves. He contrasts this with the potential joys of having someone to call, root for, adore, kiss, and always be with, painting a bittersweet picture of the highs and lows of human connection.
Overall, the song is a poignant reflection on the human condition, and the quest for love and companionship that drives us all.
Line by Line Meaning
I used to come home each night to no one, no one
I was alone every night when I returned home
All by myself, turn out the light, no one, no one
I had to turn off the lights alone and sleep alone
One knife, a fork and a spoon
My dinnerware consisting of a knife, fork, and spoon was all I had
An empty bed in a cold room
My bed was empty and the room was cold without anyone else there
Oh, I needed someone; maybe you could help
I needed someone to be with, and perhaps you could be that someone
I called you up, I said "There's no one, baby, there's no one else."
I reached out to you and told you that I was alone without anyone else
No one ever looked twice at me, no one, no one
No one paid attention to me, nobody saw me
Take a look at my life, what do you see? No one, no one
If you examine my life, you'll see that there is no one in it
Kinda nervous and jealous, too; I lose me if I lose you
I feel anxious and envious, and I am afraid of losing myself if I lose you
Just when I was feeling sorry for myself
At the very moment when I was starting to feel pitiful and hopeless
She called me back, she said, "There's no one, baby, there's no one else."
Someone called me back and assured me that there was no one else but me
With no one to call you, with no one rootin' for you
When you have no one to call or support you
With no one to adore you, you'd be lost and alone
You would feel lost and alone without anyone to cherish or adore you
With no one to kiss you, with no one to miss you
Without anyone to kiss or miss you
And always be with you, you would turn into stone
Without someone always being there for you, you would become cold and unfeeling
I've been waiting for the longest time
I've been waiting for a very long time
To hold your hand on Sunday
To spend meaningful time with you, perhaps on a Sunday
Oh, I needed someone; I saw you, and I fell
I needed someone in my life, and when I saw you, I fell in love with you
I called you up, I said, "There's no one, and I'll never want anyone else."
I called you and told you that there was no one, and that I would never want anyone else but you
Baby, there's no one else
There is no one else for me but you
Baby, there's no one else
There is no one else I want but you
Baby, there's no one else
You are the only one that matters to me
Baby, there's no one else
I love you more than anyone else
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Ian Hunter, Ian Patterson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind