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.
Too Much
Ian Hunter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Was to lose myself in you
All I ever needed
Was you to need me too
You're all I ever think about
I hunger for your touch
And all I ever wanted
I hate the pain of loving you
It happens all the time
I never needed anything or anybody
Until your eyes met mine
I'm waiting for your answer, babe
What's gonna become of us?
'cause all I ever wanted
Was you, is that too much?
It is too much to ask
That this man with a past
Could be happy at last
With a future like you
It is too much to ask
Is it too much of a task?
Am I going to fast for you?
Maybe you don't want me
I'm so scared of losing you
I never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity
Watch me screw up this one too
It's so hard to talk about love
I'm leaving now, oh, it's just
And all I ever wanted
Was you, is that too much?
The lyrics to Ian Hunter's song "Too Much" are a plea from one person to another, expressing their deep desire and love for the other person. The first two lines of the chorus reveal the heart of the song, with the singer admitting that all they ever wanted was to lose themselves in the other person's love, and to have that love reciprocated. The following lines express the singer's longing for physical contact, and again reinforce their desire for the other person.
The second verse delves deeper into the singer's backstory, and reveals that they had always been content without anyone or anything until they met the object of their affection. The pain of loving this person is also mentioned, likely due to their fear of rejection or losing them. The third verse makes a direct plea to the other person, asking if their love is too much to handle. There is a fear that the other person may not feel the same way, and the singer is scared of losing them.
Overall, the lyrics to "Too Much" are a heartfelt expression of love and longing from one person to another. The singer is baring their soul and revealing their fears, hoping that the other person will reciprocate their feelings. The repeated question of "is that too much?" shows the vulnerability and insecurity of the singer, and their desire to have their love be enough for the other person.
Line by Line Meaning
All I ever wanted
The singer expresses his sole desire in life
Was to lose myself in you
He seeks emotional sanctuary in his love for the listener
All I ever needed
The singer clarifies that he didn't have any additional necessities in his life beyond his longing for the listener
Was you to need me too
He expects the listener to share his feelings of love to feel content
You're all I ever think about
The singer confesses his inability to focus on anything other than the listener
I hunger for your touch
He aches for physical affection from the listener
And all I ever wanted
The singer repeats his primary wish
Was you, is that too much?
He asks the listener to respond to his candid confession and love
I hate the pain of loving you
The singer expresses the emotional pain he feels from his love for the listener
It happens all the time
He acknowledges the frequency of his feelings
I never needed anything or anybody
The singer maintains his lack of other desires or needs
Until your eyes met mine
He realized his need for the listener once he met them in person
I'm waiting for your answer, babe
The singer is seeking resolution to his love confession
What's gonna become of us?
He is anxious about the future of their relationship
'cause all I ever wanted
The singer repeats his plea one more time, connecting it to his anxiety
It is too much to ask
He feels his desires are excessive
That this man with a past
The singer acknowledges that he has a history that complicates his current yearning
Could be happy at last
He desires a final resolution in the form of a happy ending
With a future like you
The listener represents his desired future, in love and beyond
Is it too much of a task?
He questions if his request for love is beyond reason
Am I going to fast for you?
The singer questions if he's approaching his love too aggressively
Maybe you don't want me
The singer admits that the listener may not share his feelings
I'm so scared of losing you
He is insecure about the strength of their relationship
I never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity
The singer tends to self-sabotage his chances of love and happiness
Watch me screw up this one too
He predicts his own failure in the relationship
It's so hard to talk about love
The singer finds it challenging to communicate his feelings verbally
I'm leaving now, oh, it's just
A sudden change in attitude; he may be leaving the relationship
And all I ever wanted
The singer repeats his primary desire for the final time
Was you, is that too much?
The song ends with the singer still seeking an answer from the listener
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Joe Hunter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind