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.
Speechless
Ian Hunter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Gotta switch you off, you surely can`t be serious
Every time I see you
I just can`t believe you go below ridiculous
All those days I spent
Starin` at your wilderness
All those ways you got to me
You, you make me scared of you
You make me scared of losing concentration
You make me afraid of you
Make me afraid of losing conversation
All my friends say that you`re forbidden - fruitless
I hide away with you - I`m guilty - I`m guilty
You found my only weakness
You, you leave me speechless
Entertainment came and went
Why can`t you be more curious, adventurous, mysterious, sensuous
Your remote control
Is sending out patrols, I`ve go consumer sadness
Spray me - camouflage me - blind me
So I can`t see, help me through this madness
All those years I spent
Clingin` to your warm breast
All those words
I don`t think I guess
Gotta get you off my chest - you pest
You, you leave me speechless
In "Speechless" by Ian Hunter, the singer expresses his frustration and confusion toward someone or something that leaves him speechless. He seems to be watching someone or something, possibly in the media, that he finds ridiculous and forbidden. He switches it off every time he watches it, yet he can't help but be drawn to it. He confesses that the object of his fixation makes him scared, afraid of losing conversation, and unable to concentrate. Despite his friends' warnings and guilty conscience, he can't get away from it. He wishes it could be more mysterious and sensuous, like the thrill of adventure. He feels trapped by it and begs for help.
The lyrics of "Speechless" are open to interpretation, but one possible meaning is that the song is a commentary on the state of media and entertainment in contemporary society. The singer seems to be talking about the addictive nature of television and the internet, which can fill people's lives with meaningless and repetitive content. He suggests that we should be more curious and adventurous and embrace the mystery of the world. However, he also acknowledges that it's hard to resist the allure of mindless entertainment.
Line by Line Meaning
Every time I watch you
Each instance I observe you
Gotta switch you off, you surely can`t be serious
I have to disconnect from you, you cannot be as extreme as you are appearing
Every time I see you
Whenever I come across you
I just can`t believe you go below ridiculous
I am astonished that you go beyond absurdity
All those days I spent
All the duration that I was engaged with you
Starin' at your wilderness
Looking into an uncharted region inherent in you
All those ways you got to me
All the methods through which you influenced me
Through me, you, you leave me speechless
You render me incapable of expressing myself through me and you
You, you make me scared of you
You generate fear in me towards you
You make me scared of losing concentration
You make me apprehensive of losing focus
You make me afraid of you
You instill a dread of yourself within me
Make me afraid of losing conversation
Cause me to be anxious about losing communication with you
All my friends say that you`re forbidden - fruitless
All the people I'm surrounded with indicate that our relationship is unproductive and prohibited
I hide away with you - I`m guilty - I`m guilty
I conceal myself with you - I acknowledge my culpability
You found my only weakness
You discovered my only flaw
You, you leave me speechless
You leave me at a loss for words
Entertainment came and went
Amusing things arrived and passed
Why can`t you be more curious, adventurous, mysterious, sensuous
Why won't you exhibit curiosity, adventure, inscrutability, and sensuality?
Your remote control
Your ability to control from a distance
Is sending out patrols, I`ve go consumer sadness
It is churning out orders, and I have become melancholic as an end user
Spray me - camouflage me - blind me
Cover me with something - hide me - incapacitate me
So I can`t see, help me through this madness
So that I will not be able to see - guide me through this insanity
All those years I spent
All the years I gave
Clingin` to your warm breast
Holding on tightly to your affections
All those words
All the phrases
I don`t think I guess
I'm not sure, but I'm guessing
Gotta get you off my chest - you pest
I have to let you go - you're causing me trouble
You, you leave me speechless
You consistently overwhelm me and leave me without words.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: IAN HUNTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind