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.
Noises
Ian Hunter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Noises seem to rob me of myself.
Noises are the sound of mediocrity.
Noises ... to take that ... from out of myself.
Noises are taking away my casualness.
Noises are making me scared.
Big noises are made by big shots.
Some noises should never be heard.
Noises,
Noises,
Noises,
Noises,
Give me noises!
Noises are looking over my shoulder.
Noises are the sound of the herd.
Noises make the planet colder.
Noises are noises that should never be heard.
Noises,
Noises,
Noises,
Noises will destroy me.
Noises ...
Why not join some junky jewels, who wreck the clines on canvas fools
Who take the vapours from the mind. Neo nothing. Shallow kind.
A ritzy Nazi owns the game, he plays at God but that was fame
And music masturbates his mind, and stones get rolled up in the slime
A New York butch becomes a blond, while changing gears while from beyond
Agree to consecrate the music makers have gotta take
Owls with trowels as big as spades, dig down among those sequined graves.
Work out their ages, turn the pages, caught in cages, locked in ages
Media momenta, who can prevent her.
Noises, Noises, Noises, Noises
Did you find a certain street, they`re looking for thoughtless thoughts to preach
The street, the street, they`re not your drain, while waiting in the pouring rain
For your old lady out of work, brought the baby, bet your shirt
Waiting for Godot did it, then what`s happening the other end - Rewards
And gallant knights with blunted swords
Locked away in isolation, trying to figure out why they want to die
And that`s the state of the nation.
Noises,
Noises,
Noises,
Noises, oh, oh, oh.
I love noises!
The lyrics of Ian Hunter's "Noises" is an anguished expression against conformist ideals and the unreasonable demands on individuals by society. It begins with the statement "Noises are taking away my freedom," implying that the endless, meaningless chatter of society is stifling the individuality and spontaneity of human beings. The lyrics continue with "Noises seem to rob me of myself," indicating that the relentless noise of the mundane world is not just robbing us of our time and energy, but also the essence of our being. Hunter then criticizes the homogeneity of the society, "Noises are the sound of mediocrity," suggesting that the noise is emanating from a crowd that is content with an average life and unwilling to embrace something new, unique, or away from the norm. Hunter also mentions that some noises should never be heard, which points towards the darker side of the society, and sounds that could bring harm rather than good.
The second half of the song continues on this same note, with Hunter implying that the societal values are entirely wrong. He terms the rhythmic chatter as something that breeds conformity and suffocates free thought. The line "Noises make the planet colder" suggests that incessant, meaningless noise has not only dulled the human spirit but also the natural world around us, leading the earth towards a bleak, lonely existence. Hunter talks of "ritzy Nazi[s]" and "music masturbat[ing] his mind," where he critiques the insanity of modern society's values and the hypocrisy of fame and wealth. He also paints a picture of individuals that are locked away in their own heads, trying to make sense of the meaningless world around them, unable to find a way out.
Interestingly, the repeated phrase 'Noises' not only points to the lack of substance in society but also becomes a protest against it. Hunter's chanting "Give me noises!" is a yearning for anything that breaks the drudgery of conformity, of just anything real that can excite us and make us feel alive.
Line by Line Meaning
Noises are taking away my freedom.
The constant sounds around me are limiting me, I don't feel free.
Noises seem to rob me of myself.
The noises are making me lose my identity and sense of self.
Noises are the sound of mediocrity.
The sounds I'm hearing are uninspiring and unoriginal.
Noises ... to take that ... from out of myself.
The noises are taking something away from me, I'm not sure what it is though.
Noises are taking away my casualness.
All the noises are making me more anxious and less relaxed.
Noises are making me scared.
The sounds are making me fearful and nervous.
Big noises are made by big shots.
The most noticeable sounds are often created by powerful and influential people.
Some noises should never be heard.
There are certain sounds that are unpleasant and even harmful to us.
Noises are looking over my shoulder.
I feel like the sounds are always behind me, following me wherever I go.
Noises are the sound of the herd.
The sounds represent the majority, and conforming to the norm.
Noises make the planet colder.
The constant noise pollution is damaging the environment.
Noises are noises that should never be heard.
There are certain sounds that we should not be subjected to, they are unpleasant or harmful.
Noises will destroy me. Noises ...
The sounds are overwhelming and could have a devastating effect on me.
Why not join some junky jewels, who wreck the clines on canvas fools...
Maybe I should join a group of rebels who are shaking up the status quo.
A ritzy Nazi owns the game, he plays at God but that was fame...
There are people in power who abuse their position and play God, but it's all for show.
And music masturbates his mind, and stones get rolled up in the slime...
Music can be a form of self-indulgence and can lead to self-destruction.
A New York butch becomes a blond, while changing gears while from beyond...
People can change their appearance or identity, but it's all superficial.
Agree to consecrate the music makers have gotta take...
We should honor and respect those who create music.
Owls with trowels as big as spades, dig down among those sequined graves...
We need to dig deep to find the true meaning and value of music.
Work out their ages, turn the pages, caught in cages, locked in ages...
We need to understand the history of music to truly appreciate it, rather than being trapped in current trends.
Media momenta, who can prevent her.
The media has such a strong influence on our culture, it's hard to ignore.
Did you find a certain street, they`re looking for thoughtless thoughts to preach...
There are people and organizations looking to manipulate and control us with shallow ideas.
The street, the street, they`re not your drain...
We shouldn't subject ourselves to the influence of the masses.
While waiting in the pouring rain for your old lady out of work...
We experience hardship in our lives while waiting for better circumstances.
Waiting for Godot did it, then what`s happening the other end - Rewards...
There is often no clear meaning or reward for our struggles and uncertainties.
And gallant knights with blunted swords...
Even our heroes can be weakened or discouraged by the difficulties they face.
Locked away in isolation, trying to figure out why they want to die...
We can become trapped in our own thoughts and struggles, without any clear answers.
And that`s the state of the nation.
This is the current reality of our society and culture.
I love noises!
Just kidding, I hate all these sounds around me.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: IAN HUNTER, THOMAS MORRONGIELLO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind