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.
Ripoff
Ian Hunter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't wanna be no traitor to the cause
But England is a luxury - not many can afford
There's people going under - it's getting out of hand
Whatever happened to our - our green and pleasant land?
Most people ain't getting what they pay for
Some people gettin' more than they should be
I know, I know - I'm an alien - but what are you gonna do
I wanna live in England - but it gets to you
It gets to you, it gets to you, it gets to you
I really don't know why - England's such a ripoff
It's crazy, but it's true
I really don't know why - England wants to rip off you
England wants to rip off you, England wants to rip off you
What do you do when you find out?
Where do you go if you leave?
There's no place like home - that's what they say
And that's what you always believed
Someday you might win the Lottery
Someday you might win the Pools
But that's all you've got - that's all you've got
- to live for, to live for
That's all you've got - that's all you've got -
To live for, to live for (yeah)
To be or not to be - that's the question
Oh what's it gonna be?
I'd love to live in England - but it gets to me
It gets to me, it gets to me, yeah it gets to me
I really don't know why - England's such a ripoff
It's crazy, but it's true
I really don't know why - England wants to rip off you
England wants to rip off you, England wants to rip off you
I really don't know why - England's such a ripoff
It's crazy, but it's true
Oh I really don't know why - England wants to rip off
England wants to rip off , England wants to rip off
The lyrics of Ian Hunter's song "Ripoff" are a commentary on the state of England as a society and a country. Hunter expresses his frustration with an England in which the gap between the rich and the poor is widening, and those who are not wealthy are struggling to survive. Despite his love for his country, Hunter feels disillusioned by the state of things and wonders what has happened to the "green and pleasant land" that was once the pride of the nation. He notes that England has become a "wilderness" and a "third world country," a place where people are not getting what they pay for and where some are getting more than they should.
Hunter is conflicted about his feelings towards England. He wants to live there, but the social and economic problems he sees around him are starting to take a toll. He wonders if it is worth staying in England, as he feels like he is being ripped off by the society he lives in. He questions what he will do if he decides to leave, as he knows there is no place like home. Ultimately, Hunter does not have an answer, but he knows that England's problems are real and he wants things to change.
Overall, "Ripoff" is a song about the frustrations of living in a society where things are not going well. Hunter's lyrics capture the sense of disillusionment and uncertainty that many people feel in times of social upheaval, and the song remains powerful decades after it was written.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't wanna be no traitor to the cause
I don't want to betray the principles that I believe in
But England is a luxury - not many can afford
Living in England is expensive and only a privileged few can afford it
There's people going under - it's getting out of hand
People are struggling and the situation is deteriorating
Whatever happened to our - our green and pleasant land?
What happened to the England we used to know and love?
It turned into a wilderness; it turned into a third world country
The country has deteriorated to the point of resembling a wilderness or a third world country
Most people ain't getting what they pay for
Most people are not getting the value for the money they spend
Some people gettin' more than they should be
Some people are getting more than what they deserve
I know, I know - I'm an alien - but what are you gonna do
I am an outsider to the situation, but what can you do to fix it?
I wanna live in England - but it gets to you
I want to live in England, but the situation is emotionally taxing
It gets to you, it gets to you, it gets to you
The situation takes a toll on you emotionally
What do you do when you find out?
What actions do you take when you realize the situation?
Where do you go if you leave?
If you leave the country, where do you go?
There's no place like home - that's what they say
People say that there's no place like your own country
And that's what you always believed
And that's what you have always believed in
Someday you might win the Lottery
Perhaps, someday you will win the lottery
Someday you might win the Pools
Perhaps, someday you will win the football pools
But that's all you've got - that's all you've got - to live for, to live for
Winning the lottery or the pools is all you have to live for
To be or not to be - that's the question
The decision of whether to stay or leave is a difficult one
Oh what's it gonna be?
What will the ultimate decision be?
I'd love to live in England - but it gets to me
I would love to live in England, but the situation is emotionally taxing for me
It gets to me, it gets to me, yeah it gets to me
The situation has a profound emotional impact on me
I really don't know why - England's such a ripoff
I don't understand why England is so expensive and not providing enough value for the cost
It's crazy, but it's true
It might sound unbelievable, but it's the reality
England wants to rip off you, England wants to rip off you
England is trying to take advantage of you and your money
What are you going to do about it?
What actions will you take to remedy the situation?
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: IAN HUNTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind