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.
One Of The Boys
Ian Hunter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My goodness gracious me ain't little Johnny a creature
And I lost count of the times when I never bathed
I'm one of the boys
One of the boys
I don't say much but I make a big noise
And it's growing alright its growing
And now I'm a rock and roll star I don't want to know them
If they want a stray they better go out a grow one
I'm one of the boys
One of the boys
I'm only human so I ain't got much choice
And I know it yeah I know it
Alright!
Hit it come on!
I'm just one of the boys
One of the boys
I don't say much but I make a big noise
And it's growing yeah its growing
I'm one of the boys
One of the boys
I'm only human so I ain't got much choice
And I know it yes I know it
One of the boys
I'm just one of the boys
One of the boys
I'm just one of the boys
One of the boys
I'm just one of the boys
One of the boys
I'm just one of the boys
Lets go! Alright!
Just just just just just
The lyrics of Ian Hunter's "One of the Boys" depict a rebellious adolescent who showcases stereotypical traits of a teenage boy. He grows his hair out to defy authority, uses his loud voice to create a ruckus, and avoids taking baths. The singer admits that he is not a particularly vocal individual but can make some noise, indicating that he prefers to keep his head down and ignore others' opinions. The lyrics come across as an affirmation of the singer's identity as an individual, a rejection of conformity, and a display of adolescent defiance.
The song's lyrics also detail the young man's aspirations to become a rock star. He borrows a guitar from a "gypsy" and uses it to demonstrate his abilities to others. The lyrics suggest that he views himself as a rising star in the music world and attempts to distance himself from those who are not on a similar path. In the end, the song portrays the singer as a young man with an unapologetic attitude who is self-assured and that he is just one of the boys.
Line by Line Meaning
Know that I grow my hair just to scare the teacher
I intentionally grow my hair to intimidate authority figures.
My goodness gracious me ain't little Johnny a creature
Little Johnny is quite the character, isn't he?
And I lost count of the times when I never bathed
I've skipped so many showers that I can't even keep track.
I'm one of the boys
I'm a part of the group of guys.
I don't say much but I make a big noise
I may not be talkative, but I make my presence known.
And it's growing alright its growing
My influence is increasing and getting stronger.
I borrowed Gypsy's Gibson just to show them
I used Gypsy's guitar to prove my talent to others.
And now I'm a rock and roll star I don't want to know them
Since becoming famous, I don't want anything to do with those who didn't believe in me.
If they want a stray they better go out a grow one
If they want someone rebellious, they'll have to find someone else like me.
I'm only human so I ain't got much choice
I'm just like anyone else and sometimes don't have control over my actions.
And I know it yeah I know it
I'm fully aware of my limitations and faults.
I'm just one of the boys
I'm nothing special, just a regular guy.
Lets go! Alright!
Let's get moving and have a good time!
Just just just just just
An expression of excitement and anticipation.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: IAN HUNTER, MICHAEL GEOFFREY RALPHS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind