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.
Rape
Ian Hunter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He searched through his face - to see the guilt water run
But he's fresh out of tears and nobody has come
And justice has got to be done
Oh moon in the city stay open and clear
For his vision ain't good and his mind's disappeared
"get along mother nature" they spat at your son
And beauty is lying alone in the park
Her friend has gone bowling in the alleys so dark
Where's her knight in white armor who rides a chrome ford
Justice would seem to be bored
Justice would seem to be bored
A knife full of life penetrated the bait
While he thinks 'o the sister and the mother that he hates
And he thinks he'll get off ''cause he's sick, and stoned
And justice was made to be honed
And justice was made to be honed
And his lawyer is smiling one hell of a smile
'n he's lying all the lies - of the lies in exile
While she's dying of grief he's defending his brief
And justice would seem to be cheap
And justice would seem to be cheap
Well I've searched through the falling, and I searched through the failed
I've searched through the jury - the judge and the jailed
But sleeping beauty is dead no use pricking her thumb
And justice has got to be done
Justice just is - justice just is - justice just is - not!
The song "Rape" by Ian Hunter is a powerful take on the issue of sexual assault and the struggle for justice that survivors face. The lyrics present a stark contrast between the painful reality of the victim's experience and the cold and callous attitude of society towards such crimes. The verse "A knife full of life penetrated the bait, while he thinks 'o the sister and the mother that he hates, and he thinks he'll get off ''cause he's sick, and stoned, and justice was made to be honed" speaks to the perpetrator's twisted mindset and the often dismissive attitude of the justice system towards rape cases. The chorus "And justice has got to be done, justice just is - justice just is - justice just is - not!" is a defiant call for change and a recognition that justice is not always served, particularly in cases of sexual assault.
The lyrics also touch on the larger societal issues that contribute to sexual violence, such as toxic masculinity and victim-blaming. The verse "Her friend has gone bowling in the alleys so dark, where's her knight in white armor who rides a chrome ford, justice would seem to be bored" speaks to the myth of the "perfect victim" and the belief that women who are assaulted somehow brought it upon themselves. The lyrics reject this harmful notion and demand accountability from both individuals and society as a whole.
Overall, the song "Rape" is a moving and powerful statement on the urgent need for justice and change in the face of sexual violence.
Line by Line Meaning
He searched through his love like a thief on the run
He looked through his love as if he was stealing it, quickly and slyly.
He searched through his face - to see the guilt water run
He looked through his face to see if tears of guilt would fall, but they didn't.
But he's fresh out of tears and nobody has come
He has run out of tears and nobody has come to rescue him.
And justice has got to be done
Justice must be carried out.
Oh moon in the city stay open and clear
Moon in the city, please stay visible and clear.
For his vision ain't good and his mind's disappeared
His vision is not good and his mind is gone.
"get along mother nature" they spat at your son
"Leave, Mother Nature," they said angrily to her son.
So justice has got to be done
Therefore, justice must be done.
And beauty is lying alone in the park
A beautiful person is alone in the park.
Her friend has gone bowling in the alleys so dark
Her friend went bowling in the dimly lit alleys.
Where's her knight in white armor who rides a chrome ford
Where is the hero she needs?
Justice would seem to be bored
Justice seems uninterested.
A knife full of life penetrated the bait
A sharp object penetrated a person's body.
While he thinks 'o the sister and the mother that he hates
While he thinks of his sister and mother, whom he despises.
And he thinks he'll get off ''cause he's sick, and stoned
He believes he will escape punishment because he is ill and under the influence of drugs.
And justice was made to be honed
Justice was created to be perfected.
And his lawyer is smiling one hell of a smile
His lawyer is smiling in an exceptionally devious manner.
'n he's lying all the lies - of the lies in exile
And he is telling lies, with even more lies hidden within them.
While she's dying of grief he's defending his brief
While she is dying of sadness, he is trying to prove his argument in court.
And justice would seem to be cheap
Justice appears to be unfair and inexpensive.
Well I've searched through the falling, and I searched through the failed
I have looked for answers in failure and fallen attempts.
I've searched through the jury - the judge and the jailed
I searched among the jurors, judges, and prisoners.
But sleeping beauty is dead no use pricking her thumb
It is too late to rescue the victim.
And justice has got to be done
Justice still needs to be carried out.
Justice just is - justice just is - justice just is - not!
Justice simply exists - though it often does not.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: IAN HUNTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind