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.
Sunshine Eyes
Ian Hunter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let the sun break through your hair
All you have is love.
Let your spirit be unbroken
Oh, I would give you faith
But I know you've got enough.
All you need is time
Here's the morning, welcome to the world
Open up those sunshine eyes.
Are you dreaming of the red house
Underneath the trees in a green and pleasant land ?
Are you wishing you could go back ?
Well, I can't give you this, I hope you'll understand.
All you do is make me new
All you want is time
Here's the morning, welcome to the world
Open up those sunshine eyes.
And there's a chill in the air
Little waves flow down the river
I'm naked as the day I was born.
Clothes have a way
Of changing what I'm feeling
I try but I can't put them on.
May your spirit be unbroken
All you have to know is the someplace you can go
You have filled me with devotion
You are in my heart and you are in my soul.
All you do is make me new
All you need is time
Here's the morning, welcome to the world
Open up those sunshine eyes.
The lyrics of "Sunshine Eyes" by Ian Hunter are a beautiful expression of love and hope. The opening lines of the song set the mood for the entire song, as the singer implores his love to let the morning and the sun break through her hair, to let her spirit be unbroken, and to know that all she has is love. He further adds that he would give her faith, but he knows that she has enough already.
The second verse of the song begins with the singer asking if his love is dreaming of the red house underneath the trees in a green and pleasant land. He adds that he cannot give her this, but he hopes she will understand. The verse ends with the singer reiterating that all his love does is make him new, and all she needs is time.
The song's chorus is repeated twice and encourages the listener to open up their "sunshine eyes" and welcomes them to the world. The song's final verse concludes with the singer describing the chill in the air, the little waves flowing down the river, and how he is naked as the day he was born. He expresses that clothes have a way of changing how he feels but states that his love has filled him with devotion and is in his heart and in his soul.
Overall, "Sunshine Eyes" is a beautiful love song that expresses hope, desire, and devotion.
Line by Line Meaning
Let this morning like this moment
Let this morning be as beautiful as this moment
Let the sun break through your hair
Let the sun shine on you beautifully and radiantly
All you have is love.
The only thing you really need in life is love
Let your spirit be unbroken
May you continue to stay strong and resilient
Oh, I would give you faith
I wish I could give you more faith than you have
But I know you've got enough.
But I know you are already strong enough to face any challenge
All you do is make me new
Being around you gives me a sense of renewal and freshness
All you need is time
All you need to heal is some time
Here's the morning, welcome to the world
A new day has begun, and it's time to embrace it
Open up those sunshine eyes.
Let your eyes soak in the beauty of the world
Are you dreaming of the red house
Are you reminiscing about the past and wishing to go back to a familiar place?
Underneath the trees in a green and pleasant land ?
A place where nature thrives and life is peaceful
Are you wishing you could go back ?
Are you feeling a sense of nostalgia and wishing to relive the past?
Well, I can't give you this, I hope you'll understand.
Unfortunately, I can't grant your wish, and I hope you can accept that
And there's a chill in the air
It's a little cold outside
Little waves flow down the river
Water is gently flowing downstream
I'm naked as the day I was born.
I'm as exposed and vulnerable as I was when I first came into this world
Clothes have a way
Wearing clothes can change how we feel
Of changing what I'm feeling
Clothes can affect our emotions
May your spirit be unbroken
I hope you continue to remain strong and resilient
All you have to know is the someplace you can go
Just remember that there is always a safe haven for you when you need it
You have filled me with devotion
I am deeply devoted and committed to you
You are in my heart and you are in my soul.
You are a significant part of my life and always will be
Contributed by Lucy S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Cam Dix
This left me bawling. An incredibly beautiful and sad song. Mick's sister, Maggie, recorded this also and it is stunningly beautiful. Miss him very much - so very, very much. Thank you for bringing this to us.
Juan Carlos Leon Calderon
I think for a lot of people this song is like if you wrote it along with Ian, but he is so perfect in his performance, his feelings are just so intense and it makes you feel that intensity, and as in life we have lost people the best tribute song I can find for them is this masterpiece. Thanks Ian, thanks Mick Ronson, thanks Rockman. Of course I cried while listening.
Tombstone Harry Studios
I’m listening to this and Ian’s voice is bringing me to tears!
What a wonderful tribute to Mick Ronson, you can tell how much he loved him
hooplemott
Ian Hunter / Mott / Timeless and fantastic. Even Ian marvels at their popularity. They had 'something' which has carried them through the years, I personally hope there are many more years to come. Saw Mott in '74, never ever forgot that night, it was magical.
John Soks
pure class,makes a grown man cry so easily,beautiful RIP Mick Ronson
Tim Jones
Mk a mk moo moo
toomanycats13
What a beautiful, heartfelt song! I love Ian Hunter; he always had a way with lyrics. And I loved Mick Ronson.
Lynette Holmes
So moving, I love Ian for this heartfelt tribute to Ronno
surrealestate06
Met Hunter & Ronson backstage in Toronto after the Schizophrenic show at Ryerson. Ronson is immortal to me through the Spiders and Hunter/Ronson first album is one of the 10 I would take to the moon. Thanks to all who have made this stuff available, still brings a tear every time.
Marva L Stith
The music, the performance, the staging more than anything, the heart . . . oh me.