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.
Purgatory
Ian Hunter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Beautiful husbands, got their beautiful wives, got their
Beautiful bankers, got their beautiful lawyers
All things bright and beautiful
The beautiful people are sent to destroy us
Beautiful people got their beautiful kids, got their
Beautiful schools where the beautiful other half live, got their
All things bright and beautiful
The beautiful people got the money for the lessons
[Chorus:]
I'm living in Purgatory; I know what Purgatory is
This ain't no sanctuary, this ain't no way to live
You gotta have a sense of humor; you gotta know how to laugh at it
'Cause I'm living in Purgatory and anything's better than this
Beautiful people got their beautiful clothes, got their
Beautiful mansions down their beautiful country roads, got their
Beautiful Doctors in their beautiful surgeries
All things bright and beautiful
The beautiful people like a little privacy
[Chorus]
Beautiful losers on their beautiful estates got their
Beautiful job centers on the beautiful welfare wait and wait
Beautiful dreamers out of their beautiful skulls
All things are bright and beautiful
As long as they're beautiful - people, stay beautiful
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful
[Chorus]
Ian Hunter's song "Purgatory" is a satirical criticism of the upper class and their entitled attitude towards life. The lyrics describe the so-called "beautiful people" who lead seemingly perfect and wealthy lives with their beautiful spouses, children, homes, and professions. These people have access to the best education, healthcare, and job opportunities, while others struggle to survive on welfare. However, Hunter suggests that these beautiful people are not happy, as their obsession with maintaining a perfect image and privacy only serves to isolate them from society. Hunter implies that this isolation and privilege puts them in a state of purgatory, a place between heaven and hell, where they cannot fully enjoy life nor find meaning in their existence.
The chorus of the song emphasizes that the singer is also living in purgatory, but for different reasons. He has a critical and humorous perspective on the beautiful people and their world, which enables him to see the absurdity of their ideals and lifestyle. His humor is a coping mechanism that helps him deal with the frustration and limitations of his own life. The satirical tone of the song highlights the irony that beautiful people are not necessarily happy, nor do they live in a beautiful world. In contrast, the so-called losers and dreamers, who are excluded from their world, find beauty and meaning in ordinary things and their own imaginations.
Line by Line Meaning
Beautiful people got their beautiful lives, got their
The wealthy and successful people in society have everything going for them.
Beautiful husbands, got their beautiful wives, got their
They have the perfect partners in life.
Beautiful bankers, got their beautiful lawyers
They have the best professionals working for them.
All things bright and beautiful
They have everything that they need and want.
The beautiful people are sent to destroy us
They have everything that most people aspire, leaving the rest to suffer.
Beautiful people got their beautiful kids, got their
Their children are just as privileged as they are.
Beautiful schools where the beautiful other half live, got their
Their children go to exclusive schools reserved for the rich.
Beautiful futures in their beautiful professions
Their descendants are set for life already.
All things bright and beautiful
They never have to worry about their futures.
The beautiful people got the money for the lessons
They can afford to get the best lessons and training.
[Chorus:]
The singer is expressing his discontent living among the wealthy.
I'm living in Purgatory; I know what Purgatory is
The singer is unhappy with his current situation and feels like he's in limbo.
This ain't no sanctuary, this ain't no way to live
Living among the wealthy is far from ideal and not peaceful.
You gotta have a sense of humor; you gotta know how to laugh at it
To cope with his situation, the singer needs to lighten up and try to find some humor.
'Cause I'm living in Purgatory and anything's better than this
The singer feels that anything would be better than living in his current situation.
Beautiful people got their beautiful clothes, got their
The wealthy always look impeccable and up-to-date.
Beautiful mansions down their beautiful country roads, got their
They live in luxurious and vast properties in exclusive locations.
Beautiful Doctors in their beautiful surgeries
They use the best doctors for their health needs.
The beautiful people like a little privacy
They don't like to be bothered by the public or outsiders.
[Chorus]
The singer reiterates how unhappy he is living among the wealthy.
Beautiful losers on their beautiful estates got their
Even those who have failed financially and socially still live in luxurious conditions.
Beautiful job centers on the beautiful welfare wait and wait
Those who depend on the welfare system live in isolated job centers.
Beautiful dreamers out of their beautiful skulls
People with creative or irrational ideas are dismissed by the wealthy.
All things are bright and beautiful
Society is only considered beautiful if wealthy people are part of it.
As long as they're beautiful - people, stay beautiful
The wealthy people maintain their beauty and privilege as long as they keep their status.
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful
Repeating the same word emphasizes how much the world values beauty and wealth.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Ian Hunter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind