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.
The Outsider
Ian Hunter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Breath is my witness and roads are my life
Just give my future's clean as a knife
Far on the way from L.A.
The sun heats the saddle, sand in my hair
Looking for water and there's sweat everywhere
Know that I'm nearer I smell damp air
When the leaves are down I'll be southward bound
Hunters hunt the outsider.
When the wind grows cold, when the sun grows old,
Nothing holds the outsider
Just killed a man in a town called Nightfall
Damned if I can't remember it all
My hand it was shaking but his talk it was tall
I paid for the funeral crew
And it seems like I never reach Mexico
They're heading me off every place that I go
I'm sick of the fact that I've got to lay low
What else can an outsider do
I know they're near to me, I don't have to see
Just let me be the outsider
They ain't far behind, they're always on my mind
They won't find the outsider
The outsider
When the leaves are down I'll be southward bound
Hunter's haunt the outsider.
When the wind grows cold, when the sun grows old,
Nothing holds the outsider
The outsider. The outsider.
Ian Hunter's song "The Outsider" tells the haunting tale of an unnamed protagonist who is always on the run. Death, guns, breath, and roads are the only things that are constant in his life. He is a man on the outskirts of society, struggling to stay alive and keep one step ahead of the law. Hunter's lyrics paint a picture of a man who lives his life on the run, fueled only by the desire for freedom and the thrill of the chase.
The lyrics evoke a sense of foreboding and desperation, capturing the frustration and isolation that comes with being an outsider. The singer is constantly looking for water and fighting off the sun's heat, a metaphor for his perpetual thirst for escape. The chorus of the song is both bleak and empowering. It repeats the idea that the singer is outmatched and will always be hunted, yet he still persists.
"The Outsider" was released on Ian Hunter's 1979 album "You're Never Alone with a Schizophrenic." It was a minor hit for him in the UK, reaching #51 on the charts, but failed to chart in the US. However, the song has become a cult favorite and is considered by many to be one of Hunter's best works. The song has been covered by several artists over the years, most notably by Blue Öyster Cult.
Line by Line Meaning
Death be my mistress, guns be my wife
I am a troubled person, my fate is determined by death and guns.
Breath is my witness and roads are my life
My only accomplice is the air that I breathe, and I live by moving from place to place.
Just give my future's clean as a knife
I crave a clear future where there is no uncertainty or threat.
Far on the way from L.A.
I am on the run, far from Los Angeles, in search of a new beginning.
The sun heats the saddle, sand in my hair
The journey is tough, as the sun is scorching, and I am sweaty and dirty from the sand.
Looking for water and there's sweat everywhere
I am thirsty, and every pore in my body is sweating.
Know that I'm nearer I smell damp air
I sense that I am getting closer to my destination because the air is cooler and moist.
I ain't tasted coffee for days
I have gone without the simple pleasure of coffee for days due to my present circumstances.
When the leaves are down I'll be southward bound Hunter's hunt the outsider.
I am aware that I am the hunted, and my goal is to travel south when it becomes safer.
Just killed a man in a town called Nightfall Damned if I can't remember it all
I am troubled by my latest action of killing a man, but I can't seem to erase the memory.
My hand it was shaking but his talk it was tall I paid for the funeral crew
I was afraid when I killed him, but I was forced to do so by his threatening demeanor, and I had to pay for his burial.
And it seems like I never reach Mexico They're heading me off every place that I go I'm sick of the fact that I've got to lay low What else can an outsider do
I am concerned that I may never reach my destination in Mexico, as I am being pursued everywhere I go. I am tired of being cautious and avoiding detection because I am an outsider with no other options.
I know they're near to me, I don't have to see Just let me be the outsider
My hunters are always close, and I am aware of their presence. I wish to be left alone and remain an outsider.
They ain't far behind, they're always on my mind They won't find the outsider
I am aware of their pursuit, and they occupy my thoughts, but I am determined that they will not capture me.
The outsider
I am an outsider, perceived as having no place in society.
When the leaves are down I'll be southward bound Hunter's haunt the outsider. When the wind grows cold, when the sun grows old, Nothing holds the outsider The outsider. The outsider.
I am aware that I am the hunted, and my goal is to travel south when it becomes safer. As an outsider, I will always be pursued, and nothing can constrain me or prevent me from fulfilling my destiny.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: IAN HUNTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind